The American Political Handbook

The Shape of Fire

2018-01-07T12:16:00.001-08:00

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Unauthorized. The bleak, blasted and blighted path seemingly leading from Wolff's Whitehouse witch hunt. But such pretty witches, forgive us if this sweet chariot swings so asymptotically near Melania's deep mascara and Loboutin's red souls (sic.) These weren't made in America, were they?

Its a Fast-and-furious shout-out shot out of a coal shute faster than white-nosed bats out of hell. Hell, Hollywood and Babylon were never like this. Those slicing tweet shots zooming out of super swanky "Murcialago" barely whiffing the temple forehead fonts of journalism's ivy towers are drowning in the pond. That thing in 'The Shape of Water' should be hurling them back. But they hurtle past us harmlessly while tripping up that one-legged hurtler, $Trump.

Indeed, he is like the proverbial one-legged man in an *ss-kicking contest. He should be feeling the heat of controversy in the eye of this year's Polar Vortex of Irony. We notice it should be sweeping over the Whitehouse - just now and not on Xmas. You see Virginia - er Donald - Climate Change must be real. Climate Change and Santa Claus morphing into a Krampus-shaped Satan Claus. Forgive us, that schadenfreude simile is barely resistable. And he is dropping fire-bomb cyclone shape charges all over this kakatrumpian hellscape.

Meanwhile, Steve-Miller-cum-Reinhard-Heydrich is having an extra-Factual nuclear meltdown on national syndicated Sunday political TV. Shades of Paddy Chayefsky. Its like Oliver Goldsmith, Shakespeare and Hunter S. Thompson all time-travelled here and rolled into one. This is classic-cubed stuff that just cannot be made up. Along with the "Tax Change" its like Burroughs wrote his sequel 'The Naked Sh*t Sandwich". Yea, it is that bad and smells worse. But, Thank God, no drugs are involved - we hope, we pray.

We're already in a New Cold War, we hope and we pray its just that. This filet-of-soul and counterfeit caviar stinkburger already smells to High Hades. And that's bad enough. We invested heavily in Taibbi's "Insane Clown President" only to wake up to this year's 'Fire and Fury' that Trumps all. Yes, its worse than we suspected and we reach for a Bismo and/or blue ribbon cognac. We've had enough of this toxic fire hose lava flume running past our noses smelling like fire and brimstone. And I'm Cotton Mather ringing a bell in front of Hades' Gates with a "Run! Flee!" placard in this frostbitten hell scape. Res ipsa loquitur.

Our Notes on the West Virginia Chemical Spill

2014-01-11T10:56:00.001-08:00

We had to come back for the West Virginia Chemical Spill which is said to have began on January 9, 2014. "Hard facts" have been hard to come by. Is the chemical "raw" (as one source reported) or is it a blend? We ask the question as the alleged company involved (Freedom Industries) uses at least one known affiliate for blending - Poca Blending. The web server (at this posting time) for Freedom Ind. is offline. Checked the Freedom Industries website today Jan. 14, 2014: West Virginia Chemical Spill: Freedom Industries site online: http://www.freedom-industries.com/home.html

Source: All of the internet.

It has taken days to get these notes together. So this posting is going to look messier than usual. Apologies.

The Notes:

From 1_10_2014

Confirmed @NotOnTwtr The spill originated from Freedom Industries according to West Virginia American Water. http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=126630 …

West Virginia Public Media reported that too http://wvpublic.org/post/state-emergency-water-advisory-issued-9-west-virginia-counties …. But good to get confirmation!

West Virginia Public Broadcasting now has 4 links on the MCHM chemical spill: http://wvpublic.org/category/news ; http://wvpublic.org/post/noon-newscast-west-virginia-water-emergency-beth-vorhees-ashton-marra-dave-mistich-report … …

More on WV MCHM spill: http://wvpublic.org/post/5-things-we-dont-know-about-drinking-water-emergency-west-virginia, http://wvpublic.org/post/chemical-spill-leads-state-emergency-and-water-advisory-wvu-grads-energy-hopes-more, http://wvpublic.org/post/where-find-water-list-distribution-centers

http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb%3A%40term+%40DOCNO+2910

According to this link Freedom Industries did not report spill for 10 hours: http://wvpublic.org/post/5-things-we-dont-know-about-drinking-water-emergency-west-virginia W Virginia Public Media.

Here's the MSDS sheet for 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol, the chemical involved in @wvamwater contamination:http://t.co/2Y8Ad3481c

The MCHM could be a blend with almost anything in it. Freedom Ind. lists Poca Blending affiliate: http://www.pocablending.com/services/default.htm …

Location of Freedom Industries in West Virginia: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Freedom+Industries,+Barlow+Drive,+Charleston,+WV&hl=en&ll=38.362068,-81.613183&spn=0.010415,0.013797&sll=45.00109,-86.270553&sspn=9.616754,14.128418&oq=Freedom+Industries&t=m&z=16&iwloc=A … …

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Freedom+Industries,+Barlow+Drive,+Charleston,+WV&hl=en&ll=38.362068,-81.613183&spn=0.010415,0.013797&sll=45.00109,-86.270553&sspn=9.616754,14.128418&oq=Freedom+Industries&t=m&z=16

Freedom Industries URL: http://www.freedom-industries.com/home.html

1% methanol in the Eastman MCHM msds. Not sure of the stuff from Freedom Industries.

MCHM has a German CAS file: http://www.tcichemicals.com/eshop/en/ch/commodity/M1412/ …. CAS # 34885-03-5. Other things blended in? But is free methanol in it?

German CAS MCHM: http://www.tcichemicals.com/eshop/en/ch/commodity/M1412/

MSDS on the Chemical spilled in W. Va: http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wvpn/files/201401/MSDS-MCHM_I140109214955.pdf … "Strong irritant". The methanol part is likely the worst.

http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wvpn/files/201401/MSDS-MCHM_I140109214955.pdf

100K West Virginians cannot use tap H2O due to chemical spill. http://avideos.5min.com//808/5180808/518080748_2.mp4 … Via Newsy. 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol.

Chemical spill in West Virginia leads to tap water ban for 300,000 people | via @Telegraph http://fw.to/qDDrRyb

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10562583/Chemical-spill-in-West-Virginia-leads-to-tap-water-ban-for-300000-people.html

Updated 1_11_2014

"Update" 4 Hospitalized, Dozens Seek Treatment After West Virginia Chemical Spill http://ti.me/1cOvU8R via @TIME

Via AP: 4 HOSPITALIZED IN W. VA. AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHEMICAL_SPILL_WVA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-01-11-02-15-55

West Virginia chemical spill is in the Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Elk_River_chemical_spill …

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Elk_River_chemical_spill

MCHM in the Wikipedia now: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-methylcyclohexanemethanol … 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol. May or may not be fully accurate.

Freedom Ind. personnel may have had some previous controversies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Elk_River_chemical_spill#Background …

Via @Wikipedia Elk River is the only known habitat of the diamond darter (fish): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_darter …

Mayor of Charleston, W.Va., says water emergency is devastating his community - http://goo.gl/news/43mq via http://news.google.com/

AP PHOTOS: W.Va. stocks up on water after spill - seattlepi.com http://www.seattlepi.com/news/science/article/AP-PHOTOS-W-Va-stocks-up-on-water-after-spill-5132067.php?cmpid=twitter

via @SeattlePI

FEMA page on W. Va. Chemical Spill (EM 3366) http://www.fema.gov/disaster/3366

Public Health Emergency Page from DH+HS FOR WEST VIRGINIA http://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/wv-chemical/Pages/default.aspx

President Obama Signs West Virginia Emergency Declaration | The White House: http://wh.gov/lIW3K

@whitehouse (Released 1/10.)

West Virginia Dept. of Environmental Protection URL: http://www.dep.wv.gov/WWE/ee/hw/Pages/default.aspx

Ooh! The @USGS H20 Water Quality Assessment of West Virginia: http://water.usgs.gov/wid/html/wv.html

Service adds West Virginia fish to endangered species list: http://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2013/043.html#.UtGNESOJyzU.twitter

Service adds West Virginia fish to endangered species list

www.fws.gov - 634 × 475 - Search by image

Service adds West Virginia fish to endangered species list. July 25, 2013

Should the diamond darter be a symbol of the spill?

Diamond Darter image: http://www.fws.gov/southeast/images/diamondDarter-.jpg

Credit/Source: US Govt. Work; Public Domain; Fish and Wildlife Service.

Freedom Industries web server is down? 8D pic.twitter.com/bGFfzC4sS1

1. News & Lulz ‏@sav_gr 11m

@NotOnTwtr #lol you're right pic.twitter.com/bB4H5vI9ll

Post on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+AmandaRachelleWarren/posts/VAiVEZ717nG

Officials silent on water timetable - News - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports - http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201401110010

Bottled water for West Virginia residents plagued by chemical in - KiiiTV3.com South Texas, Corpus Christi, Coastal Bend http://www.kiiitv.com/story/24423917/bottled-water-for-west-virginia-residents-plagued-by-chemical-in-water-supply#.

FAKE BREAK NEWS Elk River nicknamed "Sh*t Creek". Gov. Christie of NJ seen paddling up it...

Update 1_14_2014

Tweets (posted by Kenwardjr and HuffPostPol) on the WV Chemical Spill seems to show that the WV and US Govt don't give a...

1. Kenwardjr 12 Jan

Three years ago this month, @chemsafetyboard urged WV to help Kanawha County set up chemical accident prevention program. State said no.

1.       HuffPostPol 5m

John Boehner on West Virginia chemical spill: "We have enough regulations" http://huff.to/1d0zlJH

@NotOnTwtr The area where the spill happened is known as 'Chemical Valley', West Virginia. Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/13/hundreds-report-exposure-symptoms-in-w-va-after-crippling-chemical-spill/ …

1.

West Virginia chemical spill shines spotlight on loose regulation

CNN-4 hours ago

That was the setup in West Virginia last week when a chemical spill contaminated a river supplying water to hundreds of thousands of people.

2.    The Big Impact Of A Little-Known Chemical In W.Va. Spill

3.    NPR-3 hours ago

Google News has about 4100 news article listed on the WV Chemical Spill if you search GN today... https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&authuser=0&q=chemical+spill&oq=chemical+spill&gs_l=news-cc.1.0.43j43i53.45246.48380.0.51083.14.5.0.9.9.0.78.337.5.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.1s3RmfcKD9A …

1.   Guardsmen Team Up to Tackle West Virginia Water Crisis

Department of Defense ‎- 1 day ago

Hundreds of thousands of people in nine West Virginia counties are unable to use their tap water as a precaution following a chemical spill.

1.   Ranking Members Waxman and Tonko Call for Hearing on West ...

democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?...west-virginia-chemical...

23 hours ago - ... last week's toxic chemical spill in West Virginia. Although Freedom Industries was storing thousands of gallons of a potentially toxic chemical ...

1.   West Virginia Chemical Spill Not a Concern for Louisville Water ...

louisvilleky.gov/.../West+Virginia+Chemical+Spill+Not+a+Concern+for+Lo...

19 hours ago - chemical spill, West Virginia, drinking water, Elk River, Ohio River.

2.   CSB Deploys to Chemical Spill in Charleston, WV - General News ...

www.csb.gov/csb-deploys-to-chemical-spill-in-charleston-wv/‎

o    Cached

Washington DC, January 11, 2014 – An investigative team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is deploying to the scene of a massive spill into the Elk ...

Stephen Colbert’s take on: Water Crisis in West Virginia http://on.cc.com/1lYWaCl

via @ColbertReport

Congress and the Executive Branch no longer required to file financial disclosures

2013-04-20T11:05:00.002-07:00

President Obama signs the Original STOCK Act written by Louise Slaughter.

Mr. Obama talks about the values of 'fairness' and 'hard work' before signing the Original STOCK Act. The original Act has since been modified under S.716.

Credit: US Govt. Work; Public Domain; http://www.youtube.com/user/whitehouse?feature=watch

Yes, it's a law. Apparently under S.716 (a modification of the STOCK Act) the Congress of the United States of America and the Executive Branch are free from those annoying financial disclosures regarding non-public trading information.

The Modified Stock Act (S.716). Credit: US Govt. Work; Public Domain; http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113s716enr/pdf/BILLS-113s716enr.pdf

The Original Stock Act (Public Law 112-105). Credit: US Govt. Work; Public Domain; http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-112publ105/html/PLAW-112publ105.htm

If one visits the White House List of Signed Legislation it appears at the top and is dated April 15, 2013. However, we first became aware of the legislation via a Tech Dirt post on The Hacker News this week. But that post and the FireDogLake post don't seem to include these links on their sites - even though they made these "great catches". But (in an earlier post) FDL did catch the letter to the Honorable Harry Reid and the Honorable Mitch McConnell re. the STOCK act.

In that letter the SEA (Senior Executives Association) complained that the "old" STOCK Act was a violation of The Privacy Act and "burdensome" regulation. But didn't the President's promise on transparency mean that the public should know about such unlimited and inside financial transactions by our lawmakers and executives? And what about the "burdensome" complaint? For a Congress that works only 126 days to 109 days per year - it can't present such a burden - especially when our Federal employees stand to gain untold millions of dollars due to their positions. You would likely be fired from your private position/job if you were to gain such gross amounts for such transactions - and likely jailed for corruption.

But back to the SEA - posted on their landing mission statement is the following "The Senior Executives Association is a nonprofit professional association that promotes ethical and dynamic public service...". Yet, the request for modification of the STOCK Act does not seem ethical in that it does not present the transparency in the needed promise to get the current Administration elected into office.

The (offending) section of S.716 is Section 1 which includes, but is not limited to: "

SECTION 1. MODIFICATIONS OF ONLINE ACCESS TO CERTAIN FINANCIAL

DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS AND RELATED FORMS.

(a) PUBLIC, ONLINE DISCLOSURE OF FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

FORMS.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Except with respect to financial disclosure

forms filed by officers and employees referred to in paragraph

(2), section 8(a) and section 11(a) of the STOCK Act (5 U.S.C.

App. 105 note) shall not be effective.

(2) EXEMPTED OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES.—The officer and

employees referred to in paragraph (1) are the following:

(A) The President.

(B) The Vice President.

(D) Any candidate for Congress.

(E) Any officer occupying a position listed in section

5312 or section 5313 of title 5, United States Code, having

been nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate..."

Link here to the Original STOCK Act (112-105 linked above also) to see that Sec. 8a and Sec. 11a do exclude members of Congress and members of the Executive Branch from reporting on those "burdensome" financial disclosures.

Imminent Threat

2013-02-07T11:06:00.000-08:00

Imminent threat

The current buzzword going around in politics and the media regarding the US Administration Use of Lethal Drone Force Legal Review (imprimatur: NBC News).

Apparently none of the sources cited in our posting "Are Drone Strikes a Form of Extrajudicial Killing?" searched their legal dictionaries or other sources for that phrase.

Our blog did that and found possibly two applicable definitions.

The first one comes to us from The Law Dictionary - Imminent Danger.

The other comes from The Free Dictionary - Imminent Threat (via public international law).

Regarding the first definition - you can guess that it concerns incidences 'where a person or persons may be called upon to defend themselves against homicide without protection from the law or other persons'. The intended victim must be "reasonable" and "prudent". A few court decisions are cited with the brief description.

It, of course, mentions nothing about drone strikes and persons perceived to be terrorists. Innocent collateral victims of drone strikes are not mentioned - even though politicos have been seen defending said drone strike practice and policy. For more on that perspective please see the report by Micah Zenko, Council on Foreign Relations. (For just the summary and recommendations go to pp. 22+.)

The implication is that the US Policy requires some oversight by Congress - perhaps even transparency. Also, there could be consequences with our foreign counterparts if the policy does not conform to expectations.

The second definition (Imminent Threat) is defined as a criterion - which makes it, too, somewhat vague as the pundits have been complaining. Criteria like this can make for irreversible consequences and innocent collateral casualties and fatalities.

And some folks don't have a problem with that - and that makes the rest of us weep.

Nightmareliner

2013-01-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

Nightmareliner -

(Updated 1_20_2013 see below. And again 1_30_2013.)

The VERY unfortunate and unfunny conflation of "Dreamliner" with nightmare/s or nightmarish events seen with the Dreamliner (Boeing's 787 airliner).

We'll go to the latest press release from the NTSB: "Second Investigative Update of Boston Boeing 787 Battery Fire". Yes, you read that right, 'battery fire'. Seems that the Lithium-ion batteries for the jets are catching fire (for "unknown reasons") with leaks of the lithium electrolyte fluid a possibility? An electrolyte leak could make fire spread and fire conditions even worse - fortunately one of the incidents required only "just about one half hour of extinguishing by the emergency staff".

The NTSB release almost occurred simultaneously with the FAA Dreamliner grounding announcement.

Credit: NTSB, US Government Work, Public Domain

As you can see posted above, the NTSB posted photos of burned 787 batteries with its PR. Well, shouldn't they have fire-tested those batteries before? Well, yes and no, we found a PowerPoint presentation from the FAA regarding the fire testing of smaller commercial lithium ion batteries - but nothing yet on the full-scale commercial airline format. At least nothing related to the full-scale battery was found in our search.

Presumably, GS Yuasa was awarded the contract to supply the full-scale 787 aviation batteries. Link to the (presumed) spec sheet here. The spec sheet (as of this writing) states that the battery has a "Prismatic Shape" - which doesn't appear to resemble the photo/s supplied by the NTSB. What shape exactly is the battery form supposed to be?

If we read further down the spec sheet (under "Safety and Handling") we see that the "cell design details and specification are subject to change without notice." We sincerely hope that that verbiage wasn't approved in the *original contract.

The "Safety and Handling" section goes on to read: "Inappropriate handling or application...can result...even in the result of smoke generation or fire".

Yes, that is a known safety/hazard factor in Lithium ion batteries! See the link to the above PDF. Also, see the reports from the Consumer Product Safety Commission dating back to 2006. Of course, the GSY contract award for the specified batteries pre-dates those 2006 incidents.

Credit: Federal Register, U. S. Government Work, Public Domain

Further safety and hazard precautions are found for Lithium ion batteries in what appears to be a sample military grade battery Material Safety Data Sheet. Please note: the manufacturer of the battery for our sample MSDS is not involved or implicated in the current Dreamliner battery fires!

And the Wikimedia Foundation has an Ebook available on Google Books - and it also contains similar recommendations and precautions.

The element Lithium, itself, is rated as non-flammable but has some other safety issues on its own. The problems appear to arise in the Lithium battery - and its electrolyte (when leaked) - in certain applications like the Nightmareliner. Er, sorry, we mean the "Dreamliner". To be fair in the end, Boeing has also posted their own PR statement on the incidents (FAA 787 Action).

Update 1_20_2013 The FAA #designated Boeing to generate LiIon battery data #Nightmareliner http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324624404578253010041254492.html#articleTabs%3Dvideo Via @WSJ Most of the video report given by Andy Pasztor LA WSJ Sr. Correspondent.

Update 1_30_2013 Boeing's Batteries Draw Criticism as Dreamliner Probe Continues | Autopia | Wired.com http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/01/boeing-787-battery-design-musk/

Update 2_05_2013

Boeing Asks FAA to Lift Grounding of Dreamliners for Test Flights http://soc.li/YoyaG3I Via CNBC

Update 2_10_2013

Via Reuters

Expect Dreamliner delays, Boeing tells airlines http://reut.rs/1501qgw via @reuters

Please note this posting appears in our sister blog: http://antizendictionary.blogspot.com/2013/01/nightmareliner.html

Update 3_06_2013

Analytical theory may bring improvements to lithium-ion batteries http://phys.org/news/2013-03-analytical-theory-lithium-ion-batteries.html

via @physorg_com

Analytical theory may bring improvements to lithium-ion batteries http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2013/Q1/analytical-theory-may-bring-improvements-to-lithium-ion-batteries.html#.UTYx6t6AdCo.twitter

How lithium electrochemical research might save the Boeing Dreamliner http://www.examiner.com/article/how-lithium-electrochemical-research-might-save-the-boeing-dreamliner

via @examinercom

Are Drone Strikes a Form of Extrajudicial Killing?

2013-01-12T11:23:00.002-08:00

Are Drone Strikes a Form of Extrajudicial Killing?

Updated 2_05_2013 (See below). And again 2_06_+_07_+_10_+_2013 (below).

Some quite possibly are. In this Examiner.com article by one of us (U. S. Congress hearing on unmanned weaponized vehicles) we learn about a hearing (11/16/2012) Congressman Dennis Kucinich had on Drone Strikes. Mr. Kucinich once again (?) offered some public “disagreement” on drone strikes last week. And what exactly is an “extrajudicial” killing? Extrajudicial means (1) “done outside the law”, roughly. So an extrajudicial killing is one that is “done outside the law”. This is why nationally-authorized (which nation?) drone strikes can be so troubling.

As Professor James Cavallaro pointed out in the 11/16 Briefing “that some *475 to 885 innocent Pakistanis had been killed by these drones from 2004 to 2012”. In so-called ‘signature strikes’ targeting individuals claimed to have been in ‘suspicious activity’. In essence, they may have been denied due process – a concept as old as the Magna Carta if not older. Individuals who may been collaterally killed by strategic and other drone strikes might then have been killed/judged without due process of law – as extrajudicial collateral killings. These strikes may thus infuriate/alienate the local peoples whom then striking national authority may have been protecting. The argument has also been put out that this creates further allegiance to terrorists and other enemies.

The U. S. Declaration of Independence, like most national law, states that we have a “right to life and liberty” amongst other things. The absence of due process in some drone strikes seems to be a danger to that/those concepts. That is enough reason to care about EKs and DSs. EKs and DSs may have been obviously illegal if (as the Examiner article reminds) first responders and civilian rescuers had been targeted. There is a legal basis for some of this in the United States and there is not.

The recently passed NDAA 2013 Act (H. R. 4310) does make (funding) provisions for Counterrorism (Sub-title D) with the following Sections:

“Sec. 1021. Extension of authority to make rewards for combating terrorism.

Sec. 1022. Prohibition on use of funds to construct or modify facilities in the United

States to house detainees transferred from United States Naval Station,

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Sec. 1023. Report on recidivism of individuals detained at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who have been transferred to foreign

countries.

Sec. 1024. Notice and report on use of naval vessels for detention of individuals

captured outside Afghanistan pursuant to the Authorization for Use of

Military Force.

Sec. 1025. Notice required prior to transfer of certain individuals detained at the Detention Facility at Parwan, Afghanistan.

Sec. 1026. Report on recidivism of individuals formerly detained at the Detention

Facility at Parwan, Afghanistan.”

The above Sections only cover punishments such as detention and largely in Afghanistan borders. A review of these and later sections do not cover the use of drone strikes and “pain of death”. Only in other nations is it “lawful” to use lethal force against “enemy combatants”. Such killings may be legal (for terrorists) or illegal according to U. S. Code 28 Sections 1350 and 1605A. In the US Codes 28 1350 (previous) a person (survivors in our case) may have remedy through a tort (statute of limitations being 10 years) and in 1605A only “a state” may not be granted immunity for terrorism or the supporting of said terrorism (and more).

Using/interpreting the above laws it would seem that any nation (by U.S. Code) would be engaged in extrajudicial killings if no act of war were declared and performed against no enemy combatants. There is a DOD Process (same link provided earlier) for determining whether or not an individual is an enemy combatant. These suggestions make the “Manning/Wikileaks” case/s seem more transparent. No national laws could have been broken if “certain records have been made classified”. That said, for our own and your protection, we can’t support or deny the case.

For the case of due process, this must be judged by the courts when there is a desire to extend “statutory requirements” in a “time of war”. We wonder how the courts would judge on the recent killing of a Pakistani tribal leader and “good Taliban” (not necessarily an enemy combatant?) Maulvi Nazir. Even though the Pakistani government may have called him a ‘good Taliban’ he has been described as a ‘militant’ – but not an enemy combatant.

For a comprehensive review on the topic of drone strikes, see the Cornell Law report on “The civilian impact of drone strikes”. One of the questions raised by the CL report (per the Wired Danger Room) is that even the White House does not know how many drone strike fatalities have taken place. Indeed, in a White House press briefing (June 5, 2012) the 2008 killing of Abdullah Said al-Libi is mentioned very briefly. True, while keeping such drone strike fatality information classified may protect names, lives and missions of our military and intelligence personnel it brings us back to a point made by *Professor Cavallaro. It is difficult to judge whether drone strikes (fatalities) are extrajudicial killings without some sort of body count.

Update 1_30_2013 PBS stares back at 1.8-gigapixel ARGUS drone imaging system http://phys.org/news/2013-01-pbs-gigapixel-drone-imaging.html#ajTabs Via Phys.org.

Their link to the PBS Show "Rise of the Drones" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/rise-of-the-drones.html

Update 2_05_2013

Via BBC News

Drone strikes legal case revealed

Drones factfile

Drones and modern war

Via NBC News

JusticeDepartment memo reveals legal case for drone strikes on Americans

NBC's Exclusive Copy of DOJ White Paper "Lawfulness of Lethal Operation Directed Against a US Citizen Who is a Sent or Operational Leader of Al-Qaeda or An Associated Force"

Even though it links to a US Government Document we cannot provide a copy of it here as it bears the imprimatur of NBC News.

The controversial phrase "imminent threat" appears on page 8 of the PDF's text. This sounds like a "battlefield term" and not easily understood by the non-military portion of public without further study. It seems like invoking the "law of war" upon an individual?

The document cites multiple references to US Laws and Codes but curiously omits the Codes 1350, 1605A and 4310 that we cited above in this posting.

Letter to Eric Holder from Sensenbrenner and Conyers about the Draft of the White Paper (Nov. 8 2011?) http://democrats.judiciary.house.gov/sites/democrats.judiciary.house.gov/files/Conyers-Nadler-Scott121204.pdf

Via Mediaite

Scarborough Tears Into Drone Program: ‘If George Bush Had Done This, It Would Have Been Stopped’

Via Gawker

Drones: Confidential Justice Department Memo: Targeted Killing of Americans Does Not Require 'Clear Evidence' of Imminent Attack - @Gawker http://gawker.com/5981678/confidential-justice-department-memo-targeted-killing-of-americans-does-not-require-clear-evidence-of-imminent-attack

Update 2_06_2013

John Brennan faces grilling over leaked drone memo as senators demand answers http://gu.com/p/3dt4p/tw via @guardian

BBC News - CIA operating drone base in Saudi Arabia, US media reveal http://bbc.in/XiqIkm

Drones: The Washington Post and a Bunch of Other News Organizations Helped Keep CIA Drone Base Secret - @Gawker http://gawker.com/5982123/the-washington-post-and-a-bunch-of-other-news-organizations-helped-keep-cia-drone-base-secret

Via @ProPublica

A one-paragraph law justifies the U.S.’ 11-year war on terror. We break it down: http://propub.ca/X3CQaT

Via @GottaLaff

It's ok to question the president. In fact, it's mandatory. He asked us to "hold him acountable"-- http://bit.ly/YaJA3L #drones

Update 2_07_2013

Lawmakers to see classified drone memos ahead of Brennan confirmation hearing

Fox News

- ‎1 hour ago‎

The Obama administration plans to give lawmakers sensitive and long-sought documents Thursday morning that provide the legal rationale for drone strikes on Americans, in a bid to tamp down concerns ahead of the confirmation hearing for President ...

Via LATimes

Obama agrees to release legal memos on Awlaki drone strike

Via CNN

Obama agrees to release legal memos on Awlaki drone strike

Ken Dilanian

Iran: We decoded drone footage

CNN Staff

Footage posted on YouTube

Congress to get info on drone policy

Lesa Jansen, CNN

Via Gawker

· The ‘Secret’ Saudi Drone Base Revealed By The Times Today Was Actually Reported Months Ago

What is a secret drone base that's not actually a secret? The Washington Postand the New York Timesrevealed today that they were among a number of news organizations that participated in a blackout regarding the location of a "secret" CIA drone base in Saudia Arabia at the behest of the Obama...

You can't sign the Stop Drones WH petition because it failed the 100K signed threshold https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-drone-strikes/QGjycNt4

However, via Haloefekti

Sign the other Stop the #drones petitions, several like this http://1.usa.gov/WDmdBG ...(Cont http://libertweet.com/t/ES28m )

Via US Embassy Blog "Ben Franklin's Paris Blog"

Reforming U.S. Drone Strike Policies http://blogs.usembassy.gov/benfranklinsblogparis/2013/02/05/reforming-u-s-drone-strike-policies/

Reforming US Drone Strike Policies by Micah Zenko Council on Foreign Relations. http://i.cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/Drones_CSR65.pdf

FrackingTestSubject‏@gardencatlady

Two children holding a sign " Drones kill innocent children like us " #NoDrones http://twitpic.com/c0s95c

Update 2_10_2013
Via Gawker
Drones: Is This The CIA's Secret Saudi Arabia Drone Base? - @Gawker http://gawker.com/5982850/is-this-the-cias-secret-saudi-arabia-drone-base

Update 2_11_2013
'McLaughlin Group' Panel Debates Drone Program (VIDEO): via HuffPost http://huff.to/12jwCmF Surprise,pat Buchanan on side against the prez. Via sylvaners‏@Sylvaners

Push to Expand U.S. 'Kill List' Officials Press to Mark Algerian Militant as Target for Death or Capture http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324906004578292371006607066.html?KEYWORDS=US+expands+kill+list#articleTabs%3Dvideo Via @WSJ

However, the 'target' in question (Mokhtar Belmokhtar) has already been given a life sentence and 2 death sentences
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mokhtar_Belmokhtar

1. Updated 3_06_2013 MotherJones

Drones: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Always Afraid to Ask http://bit.ly/ZeheGc

Eric Holder: Drone Strike To Kill U.S. Citizen On American Soil Legal, Hypothetically http://huff.to/13DL0v3

via @HuffPostPol

Holder’s letter 3/4/2013 http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/BrennanHolderResponse.pdf

Update for Saturday 6/29/2013

Must see jeremyscahill BookTV segment about "Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield" http://www.booktv.org/Program/14600/Dirty+Wars+The+World+Is+a+Battlefield.aspx …

Medicare and other extensions for health are not permanent

2013-01-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

We hope you have followed our previous posts on the laws behind the new American Taxpayer Relief Act and the Unemployment Extensions under the Act (H. R. 8). We hope to cover the extensions to Medicare and other health provisions under Title VI of the Act. The scope and length of the Title VI extensions is sweeping but does not appear to be permanent. Only one of the Sections of Title VI is extended until "2015" (Section 607 - which is a very worthwhile provision). The rest are extended until "the end of the year/beginning of the new year" or until fiscal year 2013.

We searched for a video from Medicare.gov or the Administration on the new Medicare extension/s but could only find a Medicare YouTube video on their Physician Compare Website redesign.

Credit: Medicare, CMS, US Government work, Public Domain

We wanted to insert some images of selected parts of Title VI but that part of Blogger appears to be broken at this time.

Instead please see our notes on Title VI:

TITLE VI—MEDICARE AND OTHER HEALTH EXTENSIONS

Note to our readers: If you want to get some information on how the Act will maintain and keep Medicare/Medicaid and it's costs "under control" scroll down to just past Section 643*.

Subtitle A—Medicare Extensions

Sec. 601. Medicare physician payment update.

This section is obvious and includes the provisions of the Social Security Act for the physicians section.

1. Social Security Act §1862

www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title18/1862.htmCached - Similar

[42 U.S.C. 1395y] (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no payment may be made under part A or part B for any expenses incurred for items or ...

2. Social Security Act §1861

www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title18/1861.htmCached - Similar

Part E—Miscellaneous Provisions. DEFINITIONS OF SERVICES, INSTITUTIONS, ETC. Sec. 1861. [42 U.S.C. 1395x] For purposes of this title— ...

Sec. 602. Work geographic adjustment.

Sec. 603. Payment for outpatient therapy services.

Outpatient therapy payments appear to be extended at least until "December 31, 2013".

Sec. 604. Ambulance add-on payments. This section also covers air ambulances. It is extended until "January 1, 2014".

Sec. 605. Extension of Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals. This section is quite brief and only mentions extending it to "2013/2014".

Sec. 606. Extension of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program. Defines how hospitals are paid and hospitals may still "decline reclassification (?)". Extended through FY 2013.

Sec. 607. Extension for specialized Medicare Advantage plans for special needs individuals. For special needs patients who require special care - this is extended through "2015". No further clarification is provided by the Act.

Sec. 608. Extension of Medicare reasonable cost contracts.

Sec. 609. Performance improvement. This is one part of the Act that requires Medicare data review (parts A, B and D), strategy development and updates, study and reporting by the GAO and more for the performance improvement. This appears to be a mechanism to control costs. See also Section 643.

Sec. 610. Extension of funding outreach and assistance for low-income programs. This should cover the elderly and disabled through "Fiscal Year 2013". It appears to be capped at $7.5m and $5m only.

Subtitle B—Other Health Extensions

Sec. 621. Extension of the qualifying individual (QI) program.

Sec. 622. Extension of Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA).

Sec. 623. Extension of Medicaid and CHIP Express Lane option.

Sec. 624. Extension of family-to-family health information centers.

Sec. 625. Extension of Special Diabetes Program for Type I diabetes and for Indians.

Subtitle C—Other Health Provisions

Sec. 631. IPPS documentation and coding adjustment for implementation of MS-

DRGs. Err, this section contains a piece on“Abstinence Education”? Was this a part of the deal with portions of the GOP?

Sec. 632. Revisions to the Medicare ESRD bundled payment system to reflect findings in the GAO report.

Sec. 633. Treatment of multiple service payment policies for therapy services.

Sec. 634. Payment for certain radiology services furnished under the Medicare hospital outpatient department prospective payment system.

Sec. 635. Adjustment of equipment utilization rate for advanced imaging services.

Sec. 636. Medicare payment of competitive prices for diabetic supplies and elimination of overpayment for diabetic supplies.

Sec. 637. Medicare payment adjustment for non-emergency ambulance transports

for ESRD beneficiaries.

Sec. 638. Removing obstacles to collection of overpayments.

Sec. 639. Medicare advantage coding intensity adjustment.

Sec. 640. Elimination of all funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund.

Sec. 641. Rebasing of State DSH allotments.

Sec. 642. Repeal of CLASS program. (Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act) (And http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ148/pdf/PLAW-111publ148.pdf) The Act is 906 pages long. Rescinded section of the Act: “(5) The initial net savings generated by the Community

Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program are

necessary to ensure the long-term solvency of that program.

(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Senate that—

(1) the additional surplus in the Social Security Trust

Fund generated by this Act should be reserved for Social Security

and not spent in this Act for other purposes; and

(2) the net savings generated by the CLASS program should

be reserved for the CLASS program and not spent in this

Act for other purposes.”

Sec. 643. Commission on Long-Term Care. “(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a commission to be

known as the Commission on Long-Term Care (referred to in this

section as the ‘‘Commission’’).

*Note to our readers: This is a very interesting portion of the Act. It sets up a Commission, a Quorum, a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, Hearings and "other activities". This appears to be a mechanism (new) to maintain a working Medicare/Medicaid system and with cost and other controls for review. We hope that this process will be "transparent" - though we expect it to be rather boring. See also Section 609.

(b) DUTIES.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall develop a plan

for the establishment, implementation, and financing of a comprehensive, coordinated, and high-quality system that ensures

the availability of long-term services and supports for individuals in need of such services and supports, including elderly

individuals, individuals with substantial cognitive or functional

limitations, other individuals who require assistance to perform activities of daily living, and individuals desiring to plan for

future long-term care needs.

(2) EXISTING HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS.—For purposes of

developing the plan described in paragraph (1), the Commission

shall provide recommendations for—

(A) addressing the interaction of a long-term services

and support system with existing programs for long-term

services and supports, including the Medicare program

under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.

1395 et seq.) and the Medicaid program under title XIX

of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), and

private long-term care insurance;

(B) improvements to such health care programs that

are necessary for ensuring the availability of long-term

services and supports; and

services and supports, including—

(i) whether the number of such workers is adequate to provide long-term services and supports to

individuals with long-term care needs;

(ii) workforce development necessary to deliver

high-quality services to such individuals;

(iii) development of entities that have the capacity

to serve as employers and fiscal agents for workers

who provide long-term services and supports in the

homes of such individuals; and

(iv) addressing gaps in Federal and State infrastructure that prevent delivery of high-quality long

term services and supports to such individuals. (3) ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS.—For purposes of developing the plan described in paragraph (1), the Commission

shall take into account projected demographic changes and

trends in the population of the United States, as well as the

potential for development of new technologies, delivery systems,

or other mechanisms to improve the availability and quality

of long-term services and supports.

(4) CONSULTATION.—For purposes of developing the plan

described in paragraph (1), the Commission shall consult with

the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the Medicaid and

CHIP Payment and Access Commission, the National Council

on Disability, and relevant consumer groups.

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall be composed of

15 members, to be appointed not later than 30 days after

the date of enactment of this Act, as follows:

(A) The President of the United States shall appoint

3 members.

(B) The majority leader of the Senate shall appoint

3 members.

(D) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall

appoint 3 members.

(E) The minority leader of the House of Representatives

shall appoint 3 members.

(2) REPRESENTATION.—The membership of the Commission shall include individuals who— (A) represent the interests of—

(i) consumers of long-term services and supports

and related insurance products, as well as their representatives;

(ii) older adults;

(iii) individuals with cognitive or functional limitations;

(iv) family caregivers for individuals described in

clause (i), (ii), or (iii);

(v) the health care workforce who directly provide

long-term services and supports;

(vi) private long-term care insurance providers;

(vii) employers;

(viii) State insurance departments; and

(ix) State Medicaid agencies;

(B) have demonstrated experience in dealing with

issues related to long-term services and supports, health

care policy, and public and private insurance; and

a variety of geographic areas and demographic groups.

(3) CHAIRMAN AND VICE-CHAIRMAN.—The Commission shall

elect a chairman and vice chairman from among its members.

(4) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the membership of the

Commission shall be filled in the manner in which the original

appointment was made and shall not affect the power of the

remaining members to execute the duties of the Commission.

(5) QUORUM.—A quorum shall consist of 8 members of

the Commission, except that 4 members may conduct a hearing

under subsection (e)(1).

(6) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet at the call

of its chairman or a majority of its members.

(7) COMPENSATION AND REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—To enable the Commission to exercise

its powers, functions, and duties, there are authorized to

be disbursed by the Senate the actual and necessary

expenses of the Commission approved by the chairman

and vice chairman, subject to subparagraph (B) and the

rules and regulations of the Senate.

(B) MEMBERS.—Members of the Commission are not

entitled to receive compensation for service on the Commission. Members may be reimbursed for travel, subsistence,

and other necessary expenses incurred in carrying out the

duties of the Commission.

(d) STAFF AND ETHICAL STANDARDS.—

(1) STAFF.—The chairman and vice chairman of the

Commission may jointly appoint and fix the compensation of

staff as they deem necessary, within the guidelines for

employees of the Senate and following all applicable rules and

employment requirements of the Senate.

(2) ETHICAL STANDARDS.—Members of the Commission who serve in the House of Representatives shall be governed by

the ethics rules and requirements of the House. Members of

the Senate who serve on the Commission and staff of the

Commission shall comply with the ethics rules of the Senate.

(e) POWERS.—

(1) HEARINGS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES.—For the purpose of

carrying out its duties, the Commission may hold such hearings…”

Sec. 644. Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan program contingency fund.

That's about all the time we have to cover Medicare and other health care provisions and extensions of Act H. R. 8 at this time.

A review of the Unemployment Benefits Extension for 2012/13

2013-01-07T11:43:00.001-08:00

In our previous posting (A look at the Law/s behind the ObamaGOP Tax Cut) we gave an overview of the White House Blog posting(s) on the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 or H. R. 8. In this post we will try to skip to Title V "Unemployment Insurance" since this may be the most important to two million unemployed Americans. Unfortunately, the extension/s do not appear to cover the approximately 3 million unemployed? As a sidebar, we are guesstimating that approximately 4% of Americans (chronically unemployed) are not covered by the Act.

Title V "UNEMPLOYMENT" starts on page 31 of the Certified PDF and has four sections. They should read (by our notes):

Sec. 501. Extension of emergency unemployment compensation program.

Sec. 502. Temporary extension of extended benefit provisions.

Sec. 503. Extension of funding for reemployment services and reemployment and

eligibility assessment activities.

Sec. 504. Additional extended unemployment benefits under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act.

None of the extensions appear to be permanent. Section 501 is "extended until January 1, 2014" according to the strikeout in the section. Section 502 is "extended until December 31, 2013" according to the strikeout in the section. Section 503 is "extended through fiscal year 2014(?)". Section 504 is "extended through December 31, 2013".

Credit: Government Printing Office, US Government Work, Public Domain

The above image captures most of the first part (pp. 31 and part of 32) of Title V of the Unemployment section of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

As we read through most of Section 501, we seem to find it covered by at least two Public Laws and one USC Code: Public Law 110-252, Public Law 112-96 and 26 U.S.C. 3304. 112-96 and 3304 are cited in other points of Title V.

Er, forgive us for saying so but Public Law 110-252 doesn't appear to have anything to do with unemployment? Did somebody "sneak in" this section of the Act? As we scroll through the PDF for 110-252 we notice that it covers entities like the U. S. Marshall's Service, Military Construction (with Iraq in the sidebar), Agricultural Services, International Disaster Assistance ($220m), the "Democracy Fund" (State Dept.), Global Health, Child Survival, HHS, SBA, portions of the "war on drugs", portions of the "war on terror" and many more. In whole, 110-252 adds at least 94 pp to the Act and millions (billions?) of dollars. We don't have a problem with some of the provisions and the funding with those, but why did it have to appear in this main part of Title V of H. R. 8?

Public Law 112-96 is more to the point as it is (long) titled "Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012". 26 USC 3304 is apparently needed to tie it in with the States and their laws.

Credit: Government Printing Office, US Government Work, Public Domain

Section 502 appears to be more of the "real deal" and applies to some of the 99%. Three Public Laws appear in the section and mentions 112-96 again. More real and more to the point appears to be Public Law 110-449. 110-449 is known as the "Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008". Remember, this section (502) is only extended until December 31, 2013. While 110-449 appears to be as confusing as 110-252 (previous paragraph) but does extend charitable, food benefits and other forms of assistance throughout the year.

Section 503 appears to be a "placeholder provision" and once again covers 110-252 and 112-96 with funding.

Section 504 appears to apply to special funding for railroad workers' insurance and funding.

That should just about sum up our review of Title V the "Unemployment Provisions" of the "American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012" or H. R. 8. However, we are still reviewing the meaning and consequences of Section 501 and the reason for its appearance under "Unemployment".

A look at the law/s behind the ObamaGOP Tax Cut

2013-01-06T11:19:00.001-08:00

We've been gone for some time, but we decided to come back to take a look at the actual law behind the "ObamaGOP" Tax Cut. The Tax Cut Law is otherwise known as "H. R. 8" or the "American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012" and was enacted on January 3rd 2012. The new Law is not permanent and most of the provisions and Titles will expire come December 31st 2013. Some of the other provisions will expire at later dates and we will try to get to those later or in another post.

Credit: White House. U. S. Government Work, Public Domain. Presenter: Brian Deese, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council

The official White House Blog has posted some information - some of it looks like ad copy and some like YouTube videos - in a very hip and reader-friendly style. On the day of its passage (1/3/2013) the WH Blog posted a brief explanatory video "White House White Board - American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012". You can see from the video thumbnail that Mr. Deese and the White House has broken down the "2012 Revenue Deal" into four sections with notes. Upon comparison with the the eye-crossingly complicated H. R. 8 Act we conclude that Mr. Deese's white board notes are largely correct. We are still reviewing the "Reducing Deficit" Notes.

Credit: White House, U. S. Government Work, Public Domain

A day prior to this WH Blog posting they also published "The 7 Things You Need to Know About the Tax Deal" (which is still appearing on Twitter as of this writing). The points can be reviewed in the WH graphic (attached). We're still reviewing points 1, 2 and 3. (It may take a few years to prove point 2!) Here is our short summary of the 7 points:

Point 1: “…income tax rates will stay low permanently for middle-income families…”.

Point 2: “…will increase tax rates on the wealthy…increased tax rates and reduced tax benefits.”

Point 3: “…This agreement cuts the deficit. It builds on the $1 Trillion in spending cuts signed into law by the President in 2011 through the Budget Control Act. This new agreement cuts the deficit by $737 billion by asking the wealthiest to begin to pay their fair share. (More.)”

Point 4: “As part of this deal a group of tax cuts that help middle-class families keep more money in their pockets and afford to pay for higher education was extended. The Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the new American Opportunity Tax Credit will stay in effect for at least the next five years.”

Point 5: “…continue making investments that create jobs in domestic clean energy and innovation because the agreement extends the Production Tax Credit and the Research & Experimentation Tax Credit.”

Point 6: “Lawmakers agreed to extend emergency unemployment insurance for 2 million people looking for work.”

Point 7: “This agreement doesn't cut Social Security benefits, Medicare or Medicaid. That’s because the President stood strong against reducing our deficit on the backs of seniors, students, the poor, and working families.”

We apologize for using links from the Wikipedia in our summary notes. We will try to post links to the actual laws/acts later in the post or the next post.

For the purposes of our examination we would like to post a part of page one of Act H. R. 8...

Credit: Government Printing Office, U. S. Government Work, Public Domain.

The above is what you should see when go the "Certified PDF" of H. R. 8. Warning: The total length of the original PDF is 59 pages and is unsigned at this writing. The above image is an "inactive" screen capture of the first page of the Act.

The Act itself is broken up into nine comprehensive Titles with multiple sub-sections. We attempted to compare the provisions of the Titles with the points provided by the White House Blog.

Title I is probably the most important to all as it covers tax relief to the "99%" and genuine increases to the "1%". Some of those increases and reduced deductions to the "1%" seem relatively small but are really there and have genuine effect as Law. Below is an image capture of the first part of Title I on taxes/taxation.

Credit: Government Printing Office, U. S. Government Work, Public Domain.

Title I is broken down into four sections (sections 101 through 104) and an annotated version is provided below:

'One Hundred Twelfth Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,

the third day of January, two thousand and twelve

An Act

Entitled the ‘‘American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012’’.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of

the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE, ETC.

(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American

Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012’’.

(b) AMENDMENT OF 1986 CODE.—Except as otherwise expressly

provided, whenever in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed

in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other

provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section

or other provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

TITLE I—GENERAL EXTENSIONS

Sec. 101. Permanent extension and modification of 2001 tax relief. (Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_Relief,_Unemployment_Insurance_Reauthorization,_and_Job_Creation_Act_of_2010) (And: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr4853enr/pdf/BILLS-111hr4853enr.pdf).

Sec. 102. Permanent extension and modification of 2003 tax relief. (Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobs_and_Growth_Tax_Relief_Reconciliation_Act_of_2003 ) (And: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title26/pdf/USCODE-2011-title26-subtitleF-chap77-sec7518.pdf) (And: http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/46C535.txt) (And: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/1445) (And: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Recovery_and_Reinvestment_Act_of_2009)

Sec. 103. Extension of 2009 tax relief.

Sec. 104. Permanent alternative minimum tax relief'.

It should be obvious that an examination of the codes in the Act gets a little complicated.

But, if you are part of the "99%" you need not worry about the PERMANENT strikeouts in Section 101 of taxable rates, strikeouts of taxable deductions and high value estate taxes as these only apply to those with high income figures. These new codes appear to be permanent but, of course, could always be repealed or revised by Congress.

Section 102 of Title I does cover PERMANENT tax relief and is mostly based on revising/reviving the "The Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003". Apparently, Section 102 like some other sections, appears to be a rewrite of old law into the "new" H. R. 8 Act.

Section 103 of Title I does not offer permanent tax relief in the matters of the "AMERICAN OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT", CHILD TAX CREDIT and the EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT. But we suppose we should be thankful for small blessings.

Section 104 of Title I is PERMANENT and appears to offer tax relief on a variety of "alternative products". These currently include decreased taxable amounts, certain home mortgages, energy efficiency, some plug-in electric vehicles, and a variety of other credits.

That basically covers Title I of the Act and some references back to the White House Blog posts. Much of this, but not all, is covered in the video with Mr. Deese. Most all of the points made by the White House and Mr. Deese appear to be correct based on the facts of the new Act. We suspect your eyes may be starting to cross by now. We will try to cover the other eight Titles in future posts.

WikiRapes

2010-09-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

Swedish Police Woman Image licensed under Creative Commons by ThisParticularGreg

WikiRapes: The VERY unfortunate and rather cynical conflation of WikiLeaks and rape/s or the (repeated) charges of rape/s.... Seems like Sweden (or Julian, ooohhhh...sorry about that!) just can't get enough of serious sex offenses and their related charges of same...

Hugo: Oh, dear God help us, we are going to hell... AZD: No we're not! Doesn't it seem like every time he (Julian) charges the USA with some nefarious activity that Sweden charges him with rape? Hugo: Hmmm...could be a connection there...

FOM: Sweden Reopens WikiLeaks Founder Rape Investigation (from REUTERS News Agency), WikiLeaks Rape Inquiry Reopened (BBC News) and CIA Memo on USA Exporting Terrorism (from WikiLeaks).

Please note: This posting appears simultaneously on our sister publication, The Anti-Zen Dictionary.

False Charges Made Against Mr. Assange?* Updated Wednesday, September 1, 2010

2010-08-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Image licensed under Creative Commons by New Media Days

Updated Again Wednesday, September 1, 2010** (See below).

Updated: Sunday, August 22, 2010 & Monday, August 23, 2010*
False Charges Made Against Mr. Assange? At least one other blogger suspects that is so. See the link to the Swedish tabloid Expressen below;

http://www.expressen.se/Nyheter/1.2105554/anhallan-mot-assange-havd

The Swedish tabloid 'Expressen' has reported that the rape charge(s) against Julian Assange have been dropped. See the link up top (if you can read Swedish). If not, here is a very rough translation of the brief and sketchy article below (Copyright 2010 Expressen) ~"Charge Argued Against Assange (or Dropped) - Chief Prosecuter Eva Finn has lifted the (charge) on/of Julian Assange. [But she still might feel that he is suspected of "rape".] But there is no longer any reason to put him into custody said Karin Rosander, Director/Public Prosecution. Chief Prosecutor Eva lifted a petition against Assange at 4:30 pm. So he does not need to surrender to the police. Suspicions of molestation against him have also been addressed, according to Karin Rosander, but they are not written off yet. 'Has the suspicion of rape been reclassified?' I cannot answer, was her response. This is the decision taken at this time. Karin Rosander says that as far as she knows, the police and prosecutors had no contact with Julian Assange. 'We have been unable to contact him', she said. City police in Stockholm would not comment on its investigation without referring to the prosecutor." Fair Use of the translation is claimed for this posting.

At least one blogger (Zennie62, I think it was, pardon me if I got that wrong), believes it is part of a smear campaign against Julian Assange. As you probably know, Mr. Assange has recently been in the news for his release & posting of secret Afghanistan files (the 'Afghanistan War Diaries') on his website Wikileaks. If these events are indeed connected, look for this posting to suddenly and mysteriously disappear. And if that happens, very malignant and malicious forces may be at work here.

The somewhat defensive position of the Prosecution and the silence of the police would suggest that they may have been given false information in regards to any charges against Mr. Assange. However, it might NOT be helpful for Mr. Assange to make any public statements himself. It would be much better if his counsel were to make any statements. We abjectly apologize to all parties if this posting creates any further difficulty in their pursuit of this (legal?) matter.

But, it seems to us, that police and prosecutors drop serious charges like this quickly if they are found to be baseless and without witnesses - even though 2 women have apparently made this case against the man. No, we don't know the original bases for the charges and are pursuing further. This will take some time and we apologize for not having all the facts together at this time.

The rape charge/s, the molestation charge/s, the dropping of some or the same (against Julian Assange) and the publication of the Afghan War Diaries seem somehow related to each other by their proximity in time. It is also very curious that this new scandal seems to be located in Stockholm *.

Just in today (Sunday, August 22, 2010) Wikileaks (?) has made the claim that the Pentagon may be behind the filing of the false rape charges against Julian Assange (**).
* And today, Monday, Aug. 23, 2010, we did a search of police reports on the Swedish Polis website. We were unable to locate a copy of the report. Many other reports are, however, available. Why the apparent secrecy? Also, we have contacted the Wikileaks people (USA) and asked if they could provide us with a copy of the report. We have not heard from them, nor do we expect to. They may be getting 1K+ emails a day...

FOM:**WikiRapes, Sweden Reopens Wikileaks Founder Investigation (BBC News, Sept. 1, 2010), *Statement from the Swedish Prosecutor's Office & FAQs, *Wikileaks Man Says Pentagon May Be Behind Rape Claims (Yahoo!News, Sunday, August 22, 2010), Sweden Drops Accusation of Rape Against Founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange Rape Charge Reads of Smear and Snorting McChrystal

Secure Redaction

2010-08-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

Redacted Document image licensed under Creative Commons by jon.bell

Secure Redaction: So you thought you deleted that sensitive or possibly embarrassing information from your documents (WORD and PDFs)? But, the NSA says you may not have. You may have left traces of the sensitive information in your 'redacted document'. Yes, they wrote a brief manual on a suggested procedure. You can link to it here: http://wikileaks.org/w/images/7/75/NSA-redact.pdf

Please note: We found this interesting document while searching for the 'uncrackable insurance file' on Wikileaks. This appears to be the link to the mysterious insurance file. This posting appears simultaneously in our sister publication, The Anti-Zen Dictionary

The Salmonella Problem

2010-08-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

Did you know over 200 million eggs have been recalled? See more at our posting via this link: http://thelostcookbook.blogspot.com/2010/08/over-200-million-eggs-have-been.html

Meditations on Life's Meaning

2010-08-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Please see our blog post "For Dedanna / Kim" at: http://meditationsonlifesmeaning.blogspot.com/2010/08/for-dedanna-kim.html

MLKvBeck828

2010-08-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Image licensed under Creative Commons by DonkeyHotey

Updated: Friday, August 20, 2010*

MLKvBeck828: When we left Twitter (yes, yes, we did! - we deactivated our account which makes it even more difficult to rejoin!), the one "trending topic" that we contributed to might have been the DC Rally planned by Glenn Beck (and his one follower?) for August 28, 2010 (Which is a Saturday, by the way...). The hashtag for the topic/event became the now-infamous #MLKvBeck828 topic.

It was unfortunate that this date was chosen by Mr. Beck and his one lone supporter (?) for the date of his rally as it coincides with the date of the late, great Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. (Yes, even though this is a link to the Wikipedia page we urge you to visit it for its great External Links to the YouTube National Archives records of the march itself.) Many tweeters - including ourselves, who view Mr. King as a prophet - saw this coincidence as an affront to the great man himself (Mr. King ~ not Mr. Beck) - perhaps even a racist affront.

Apropos to the times, we tweeted some suggestions for preparing for The Rally, as well as making preparations for the G20 Protests which were happening in Toronto at the time. Because some of our tweeps (Twitter friends) might still be planning to protest or counter-protest the 8/28 "event", we think some of the same preparations and precautions may be in order. We will present some of those below. Why? Well, for one thing, the event does coincide with the day of the March on Washington of '63 - we expect many Americans to be insulted and will show up to express their outrage perhaps.

You may need some of the following items if you are a protestor or counter-protestor:

1) Handcuff Key Please note: We do not approve, authorize nor endorse the use of these devices if you are under formal arrest by the police. Once arrested YOU ARE OUT OF THE GAME. However, the possession of the key does not imply resistance of arrest. You should make it clear that it is for your own personal protection. USE THE KEY ONLY IF YOU OR OTHERS ARE IN CLEAR OR IMMINENT PHYSICAL DANGER. Fair use of the key is constituted if you are taken against your will by unauthorized persons or personnel.

2) Nylon Tie Cutter Once again Please note: We do not approve, authorize nor endorse the use of these devices if you are under formal arrest by the police. Once arrested YOU ARE OUT OF THE GAME. However, the possession of the cutter does not imply resistance of arrest. You should make it clear that it is for your own personal protection. USE THE CUTTER ONLY IF YOU OR OTHERS ARE IN CLEAR OR IMMINENT PHYSICAL DANGER. Fair use of the cutter is constituted if you are taken against your will by unauthorized persons or personnel.

Remember: Resisting arrest is a crime.

3) Spyderco Knife Once again Please note: We do not approve, authorize nor endorse the use of these devices if you are under formal arrest by the police. Once arrested YOU ARE OUT OF THE GAME. However, the possession of the knife does not imply resistance of arrest. You should make it clear that it is for your own personal protection. USE THE KNIFE ONLY IF YOU OR OTHERS ARE IN CLEAR OR IMMINENT PHYSICAL DANGER. Fair use of the KNIFE is constituted if you are taken against your will by unauthorized persons or personnel.

IF ARRESTED YOU MUST BE FAIR TO THE POLICE AND AUTHORITIES BY ALERTING THEM TO THE PRESENCE OF A KNIFE OR OTHER POTENTIAL/ WEAPONS ON YOUR PERSON. IT IS YOUR DUTY TO DO SO. If you do not commit to this clause, you may be sanctioned by your internet community.

One other potential use for the Spyderco knife is that they have been reported for the use of cutting through seat belts. This tool is also a potential life saver for persons trapped in a vehicle in a dangerous and life threatening situation.

4) Copy of the United States Constitution. Oh, we don't know, we just think it might be handy to have ~ or provide you with something to read if you should be in jail...

5) Gas Mask This should be obvious. You will need it if the authorities decide they need to toss those canisters! It will be worth having one just to see Mssrs. Beck and Palin having to don theirs - if they have one....It should be comical if Sarah and Glenn have to fight over who gets to wear the gas mask! That should really give Becky something to cry about! Also, an old remedy for tear gas is to urinate (we know, gross) on a handkerchief or other piece of cloth or linen. This should then be placed against the mouth and nasal openings to prevent the effects of the tear gas.

Speaking of which, the Sarah Palin DIY mask might make a great fashion statement at the Rally! Go team!

6) The Family Jewels You should consider having a cup just in case something should strike you in the groin - by accident or not. You too ladies!

7) Body Armor Might come in really handy should things get really ugly...Serio, babe.

8) Head and Facial Protection If you decide to wear a Redskins helmet, just tell everybody without one that you're a really big fan! But, seriously, you shold consider wearing a helmet.

9) Tear Gas or Mace: Might be illegal to have this on your person. Not Recommended! But, if you are in a jam, and without police protection, these could be lifesavers!

10) Life Jacket Might come in handy if somebody decides to try and drown you in the reflecting pool...

11) Baton For police personnel only, but like (9), might come in handy in a pinch... NOT TO BE USED AS AN OFFENSIVE WEAPON. INFORM THE POLICE IF YOU HAVE ONE ON YOUR PERSON AND YOU ARE ARRESTED!

12) Portable Police Radio Might come in handy if you have to alert them to a dangerous situation! Might also come in handy if you need to stay in contact with your group! Of course, you should not forget your cell phone this day!

13) Identification: You might not want to forget it this day! Think about Arizona...

14) NO FIREARMS! None at all! Do not carry at the Rally! Forbidden!

15) Safety Glasses or goggles Might come in handy, too.

16) If we left anything out, you might want to consider the writings of Saul Alinsky or George Hayduke...or Hunter S. Thompson...

That all said, we hope you found the links informative or at least entertaining.

While we are still on the subject of Glenn Beck, you should catch the BookTV program about Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance by Alexander Zaitchik. We found Mr. Zaitchik to be humorously petulant - even prickly - while discussing his book. But, who can blame him? He said that he had spent about a year wallowing in the "works" of Mr. Beck. We got the sense from him that he considers Mr. Beck to be a truly alarming and dangerous individual. Which causes us to warn you even further to carry some protective gear (mentioned above) should you be daring enough (or foolhardy enough?) to visit the Rally on 8/28/2010. The Q&A session with Mr. Zaitchik was very good - those are usually a crashing bore if you catch the wrong BookTV program - if you know what we mean... If we recall correctly, one of Mr. Zaitchik's main arguments is that Mr. Beck does not need Fox News for the increase and spread of his empire. Despite all the vaunted advertising losses and evacuations from his program, he still has a $30 Million or so empire. Apparently, Mr. Zaitchik does not see this stopping anytime soon. You can find out more about Mr. Zaitchik at his website. You might be able to find more at AlterNet.org. (You might also want to see Mr. Zaitchik's commentary against Twitter). Despite Mr. Zaitchik's attitude about Twitter and his apparent discomfort on BookTV, we think he is an important and rational voice and you might do well to heed him and his thoughts.

Oh! And there's more Beck news, see the Mother Jones Front Cover story in the July+August 2010 issue "The Golden Fleece - They Trusted Glenn Beck to Protect Their Nest Eggs. He's Laughing All The Way To The Bank" (page 24).

Please note: This posting appears almost simultaneously in our sister publication The Anti-Zen Dictionary.

FOM: *ABC News Take on "The Rally"

Dumb*ss

2010-07-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

Image Licensed under Creative Commons by M. V. Jantzen

Dumb*ss

Could this be the title of Michael Moore's new docu-comedy about the Tea Party? Could he throw in the Birthers too? We're hoping, we're hoping... Of course, we're referring to that great Off-the-Cuff comment made by Ken B*ck in regards to the Tea Party and their Birther "questions"? Chris Matthews did a great segment on this on his Hardball "Sideshow" for July 26, 2010.

Bit.ly link to this post: http://bit.ly/cf9ETe

Snorting McChrystal (or Snorting Rolling Stones)?

2010-07-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

Landmines on Display in Afghanistan image licensed under Creative Commons by Carl Montgomery

Snorting McChrystal (or) Snorting Rolling Stones?

Updated: Saturday, August 21, 2010

OK, the whole media world is talking about the sucker coup of Wikileaks (Bravo for them!) and their revelatory Afghan War Diaries leak/s.

The leak took place on or about July 25, 2010. And blame or responsibility has already been assigned to some, sorry to say, low-level US military personnel. A-Hem! Excuse us! Did everybody miss something here? Including The Daily Show and The Colbert Report?

What are we talking about? Hellooooo.... Didn't the US/ISAF General in Charge of the Afghanistan Operations/War just get sent down the tubes about one month ago? Speaking of tubes, is everybody in the media snorting "McChrystal" or some other finely powdered crystalline Class I narcotic? (Sorry, we apologize for the drug/humor reference/s, we know it is in poor taste).

Why did everybody else miss this? Does the world have ADHD? Is Mr. Derp now running Fox News?

Not to mention, therefore, isn't this all a result of that sh*tty tirade reported by Rolling Stone just this summer/spring? You be the judge.

What else is funky about this relationship? We're not saying the general had anything to do with the leaks, but the events are pretty closely related in time. A little too close.

And, when some top guy goes down for something - they sometimes like to leave behind a little 'Position Paper' on where their major activities stood prior to their departure? Is this all starting to sound familiar? Helloooo...

Does anybody remember Abu Ghraib and what happened to all the low-level torture clowns involved there - and then the commanding officer. You do remember the sequence of events in that scandal, right? Ahhh, we detect the odor of the same order of sequence here...

Not to mention, we did have a look at the reports that appear on the Wikileaks website. No, we haven't had time to read all of them. We're still sorting through the Pentagon Papers for G*d's Sakes! But, it is starting to look like the Pakistan-Taliban-US$ connection might be a little overblown. Only 4 known reports appear in the journal concerning finance from Pakistan or anywhere. As far as "hits" (assassinations) go, those were probably in all likelihood funded by the Taliban (with money from Pakistan or from poppy money - its hard to say for sure...). There were something like 48 reports on hits.

We have distilled some of the more "important" categories of reports from the Diaries and listed them below. Approach with caution. We did this in case Wikileaks runs out of funds (again) or gets mysteriously shut down and disappears... Meanwhile, our list, enjoy...

Oh, and something else, nothing shows you are winning the war like the number of enemy surrenders. Ahem, we have FOUR of them. Oh, and reported Food Distributions and Counter-Terrorism attack numbers were also weak; 4 and 1. ONE counter-terrorism attack? That "War on Terror" is going really swell isn't it Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney?

(Oh, don't get us wrong - we love our troops and support those that do honorable service and some not so much, too).

Bit.ly link to this post: http://bit.ly/9Q0XzI

Number of Assassinations reported in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 48

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/assassination_0.html

Number of Attacks reported in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 2283

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/attack_0.html

Number of Ambushes reported in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 538

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/ambush_0.html

Number of Counterterrorism Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 1

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/counter_terrorism_0.html

Number of Drug Operations Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 8

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/drug_operation_0.html

Number of (Enemy) Finance Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 4

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/finance_0.html

Number of Food Distributions Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 4

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/food_distribution_0.html

Number of IED Ambush Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 350

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/ied_ambush_0.html

Number of IED Explosions Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 7202

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/ied_explosion_0.html

Number of IED Found/Cleared Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 8581

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/ied_found_cleared_0.html

Number of Mines Found/Cleared Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 396

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/mine_found_cleared_0.html

Number of Mine Strikes Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 321

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/mine_strike_0.html

Number of Murder Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 100

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/murder_0.html

Number of Willing Recruitments detained Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 1

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/recruitment_willing__0.html

Number of Poisonings Reports (attempted) in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 1

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/poisoning_0.html

Number of Enemy Sabotage Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 6

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/sabotage_0.html

Number of Enemy/Unknown Surrenders Reports in Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries: 4

http://wardiary.wikileaks.org/afg/sort/category/surrendering_0.html

FOM: False Charges Made Against Mr. Assange?

A Plan for the Global Economic Recovery

2010-07-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

The US Role in Haiti Food Riots Image licensed under Creative Commons by barrybar

Updated Again Wednesday, September 1, 2010: ***
Updated Friday, July 30, 2010: With the economic report just received from the BBC today **, this blog posting seems worthy of a second review and a follow-up. Check this site later for more updates if possible.

We have been gone for a little while and we hadn't posted anything! ~
Sorry if you have missed us, but we haven't heard much from you either. Apart from having one of our 'tweets' read on the MSNBC Countdown Twitter Report of Friday, May 14, 2010 - we just haven't accomplished much. We're not even certain if they still do the Twitter Report - anyway we have deleted our twitter account - it was @georgek1029. Apologies if you were one of the 1500 or so that were following us.

Anyway! Our Senior Editor had a bit of a vision the other night - he usually does when we conspire to hit him over the head with a blunt instrument. It was like he could see this big fresh new book coming out. He could even see the title and the cover; "A Plan for the Global Economic Recovery". He could even see some very odd diagrams outlining steps and phases (not phrases) meant to outline just that.

The sad thing, we suppose, is that there appears to be no book nor plan with that title. Sure, a lot of excellent books* have been recently written and published about the Global Economic Crisis of 2007 - 2010. But nothing about a plan or a coordinated series of steps towards the Recovery. (What's also "refreshing" to hear is that the Wikipedia has laid the blame on the US Financial Markets for the liquidity crisis which created the global collapse of the markets - scandalous but guilty!).

Notably, the Obama-Dodd Finanical Reform Act 2010 should/will address some of those shortcomings. But, will it guide the overall economy back to the boisterous health that some many of us need and want? Yes, we're talking about you too, dedanna1029. We know, we know, there are some problems with the bill ~ isn't that right Lawrence?

Thankfully, the 111th Congress of the US has finally agreed to extend long-term UE benefits - again. Which seemed to be their bugbear - at least for most of the GOP - with whom some of us still have problems! Sorry to say! It's been said before, you don't turn off the fire hydrant when the house is burning down! Of course, you may as well turn off the hydrant when the house has burnt down...sorry to say...

But that's not enough ~ we need real prosperity and soon. It's probably one of the real true solutions to the current problems of unemployment. Yes, plural, problems. UE is not a problem in and of itself. We need to become educated as to how it is a problem, how it got to be that way and to get us poor and medium-income folks back to making money again! Forget rich! People are too busy just scraping by to survive. People don't want to be rich, they just need enough funds to pay the rent, utilities, finance the car, get medical treatment, pay their union dues, give gifts, buy postage...oh, and don't forget the grocery bill.

That is a BIG problem. We haven't seen food riots here in the USA. But, we have seen food security issues. Our senior editor's sick elderly father recently experienced a food security issue - this is not a nice issue for our sick and elderly to have to deal with. Even worse is the thought of having to go to their local market - and encountering a food riot in the process. Shades of Glenn Beck - we must be starting to sound like that mad *******. (Our google account provisions forbid us from expressing certain opinions here - and they are correct about that! We must agree!). By the way, you have got to see the latest "joke" Glenn Beck account on twitter at http://twitter.com/Glenn_Beck.

Hmmm, we seem to have wandered a bit from our original point. Our senior editor has had some further "revelations" about "A Plan for the Global Economic Recovery". These are some of his bullet points;

1) All systems are inequitable.

2) All economies are based on a "bubble market".

3) The inherent inequities of (1) help contribute to that bubble market of (2).

4) The crash of (2) and the time to the next crash is inversely proportional to the inequities of (1).

To further highlight the "inequities of the system", see the LiveScience article "World Markets Mostly Controlled by Select Companies". And the BookTV Program "Color Blind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politicis and the Retreat from Racial Inequity". Both of these should shock you to your senses.

Well, that's about it for now. Our "mad" senior editor is developing his new economic theories (Re; the book ~ unless somebody else is writing it) at the time being. We will get back to you with further information.

Until then, these links may be of interest:

bit.ly link to this post: http://bit.ly/9hAgR7

**Updated Friday, July 30, 2010: US Annualized Economic Growth Rate Slows to 2.4% (BBC NEWS)

Acts of the 111th United States Congress (Wikipedia)

Public Laws for the 111th Congress (Library of Congress)

Types of Riots (Wikipedia)

Food Security (Wikipedia)

Further Reading ; External Links on Food Security (Wikipedia References ; Links)

Let's Talk (Blog by dedanna1029)

*A Colossal Failure of Common Sense by Lawrence G. McDonald

World Stocks Controlled by Select Companies (from LiveScience)

Color Blind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat of Racial Inequity (with author Tim Wise).

***(Updated Wednesday, September 1, 2010) 2010 Hiring Outlook from Industry Market Trends

Turdblossom in the GOPunchbowl

2010-03-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

Image from Amazon.com

Turdblossom in the GOPunchbowl: http://bit.ly/aw3yQl With reference to the recent book by Karl Rove combined with the old saw about "That went over like a turd in the punchbowl". Example: G. W. Bush to Diary - 'Looks like Rove put a Turdblossom in the GOPunchbowl. Hey! I kind of like that! Heheheh...' Also with reference to the lack of finding of WMD's and the plans for war...buy the book... And yet another former staffer rats out the Bushies...

FOM: Karl Rove , Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight and What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception by Scott McClellan

Please note: This posting appears almost simultaneously on our sister publication, The Anti-Zen Dictionary

Cheney Conundrum

2010-02-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

Image licensed under Creative Commons by Mick Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Cheney Conundrum: Dick's latest media foray could be his last (that is, before his attorneys and handlers clamp a Denver Boot on his tongue...) and its making us ask the question; "Just how dumb is he?" and, further, "Just how dumb are we?". Boy, some of us just aren't grasping the Cheney Conundrum - and that means the heavy hitters like Keith-O, Rachel, Chris Matthews and more... Or maybe we just missed a report from David Corn or Chris Hayes (we like Chris...). JoeNBC seems a little too quiet, maybe he gets it...Joe is, after all, conservative...but still a professional...

GET IT? Get what? You may ask. What Countdown has aired on the primetime (last night AND the night before...) is video of apparently Dick Cheney stepping on his own...er, sword...and possibly foisting himself on it. How? By the tacit admission that he supported *enhanced interrogation techniques (i.e., waterboarding) and some other potential war crimes. We - try to momentarily forget that we are leftofleftliberalefties - firmly believe that he has really set himself up here and just about every other high-level persons-of-interest in the former Bush Administration for war crimes prosecution or violations of the Geneva Convention.

Further, these "confessions" were obtained from a person who apparently was not tortured nor subjected to waterboarding nor *EITs. Yet, this person has apparently put himself and others of his ilk in jeopardy of a war crimes trial (or military tribunal) - with possible punishments and fines and other sanctions. Therefore, by his own administration's "definitions" he has made himself a war criminal, or loosely defined, a bit of a terrorist himself. Yet, his confession(s) and/or admissions were obtained without mention of habeas corpus, without rendition (extraordinary or otherwise), without restraint, without punishment, without military detention, without EITs, without waterboarding and without torture. The man has clearly given us information without benefit of his own tightly adhered-to embrace of EIT and other illogical means of extracting confessions and/or verdicts. Without delay. Without restriction. With freedom of speech and liberties guaranteed under a Constitution and Bill of Rights that his kind appear to have willingly usurped.

Lets try this again. This man Cheney was not waterboarded, nor subjected to any form of EIT that we know of. Nor is he under threat of such or any physical harm or torture. Yet he appears to have willingly admitted and/or confessed to "terroristic" forms of war crimes and tortures by himself and by his own members of his administration. Now isn't that extraordinary? Its extraordinary that a proponent of extrajudicial means of obtaining punishments and extreme measures need not have been subjected to them now nor in the past nor in the future. Its extaordinary that he is going around town promoting such means live and on-air.

In other words, he's just contradicting himself. Over and over and over. He's a living walking contradiction. And an alleged war criminal. Its supremely ironic. The man has publicly disproven his own argument of what he stands for and continues to support. The man is running rings around himself logically. Yet, here he be. He exists despite himself. He should have collapsed into a black hole of irony by now. Or at the very least, the Bush Administration should appear out of a wormhole and render him unto a secret POW camp in the past. Which is where they should be.

Get it yet?

Bit.ly: http://bit.ly/aqWZeP

FOM: Cheney's Costly Mistake , It Came from the Veep and Paradix or Dickundrum.

Updated/Revised: Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Inagural or Inaugural 2013

2010-02-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

htt

Image licensed under Creative Commons by auburnxc

Inagural or Inaugural 2013: http://bit.ly/bkXabG Unfortunate conflation of Inauguration and the epithet "Nag". The predicted misspelling (See our posting: What Was Really Written On Sarah's Hand?) or "respelling" of Inaugural in the event of a Palin win...God help us...

Bit.ly link to this post: http://bit.ly/9Qx8S8

FOM: Palin Hand Crib Notes Attract Scrutiny , Palin Fails to Bring Ideas, The Sound of Palin's Hand Clapping (both from MSNBC Countdown), Sarah Palin's 'helping hand' of crib notes for speech (BBC NEWS) ,Gidget Goes Rogue, Phlegmodium and The Fantastic Ms/Mrs Fox.

Please note: This posting appears simultaneously in our sister publication, The Anti-Zen Dictionary.

What Was Really Written On Sarah's Hand?

2010-02-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

(Click on image for full view...)

Breaking News!: This appeared on the other hand: OMG, is that me on the monitor!? I'm so cute and appealing!!!

OK, so maybe thats not her hand, maybe she has "man hands" or maybe its Todd's...

Wait, it gets worse. Who wrote the crib notes? An aide? Somebody else???

FOM: Inagural or Inaugural 2013, Palin Hand Crib Notes Attract Scrutiny , Palin Fails to Bring Ideas, The Sound of Palin's Hand Clapping (both from MSNBC Countdown), Sarah Palin's 'helping hand' of crib notes for speech (BBC NEWS) ,Gidget Goes Rogue, Phlegmodium and The Fantastic Ms/Mrs Fox

Bit.ly: http://bit.ly/clfMY8

Revised/Updated: Tuesday, February 9, 2010; Thursday, February 11, 2010

CrimeSofties? JimHuggers?

2010-02-03T09:23:00.000-08:00

Image licensed under Creative Commons by SIR: Poseyal KNIGHT of the DESPONSYI

CrimeSofties or JimHuggers?: Has the GOP and its conservative pundits revealed a fundamental flaw? We're referring to the old conservative political stance of "Getting Tough On Crime". With all of the FOX News Network shameless O'Keefe-hugging, it would appear that FOX and their Conservative ilk are getting "Soft on Crime"? By promoting Mr. O'Keefe and his allegedly illegal break-in (not to mention possible conspiracy by involvement with his whole gang and others...) of Senator Mary Landrieu's Office in a Federal Building, aren't they giving themselves the appearance of aligning with the "crime-dog"? Conservative criminals consorting with known felons? Gee, who'd thunk it?

True, true...Federal property is the "people's property"? But isn't that also true in Red China? Has the Right gone (apparently) Red in embracing an activist demagogue that espouses lame, trite, trivial defenses about public property being his property? Wait? Didn't Timothy McVeigh feel the same about the Alfred P. Murrah building?

Oh, and what about the Nixonian association with the Watergate break-in? We don't recall too many politicos hugging poor old Milhous about that time. Nope, not too many. Didn't he resign in shame and leave the political limelight forever after that break-in and the attempted wiretaps? Shouldn't Roger, Rupert, Sean, Bill-O and the rest be doing the same? That or running for political cover before the political fallout?

Our point is that O'Keefe and his alleged-gang being guilty or no, there's no avoiding the negative connotation. We were slightly amazed that Keith O and his staff did not pull up (gleefully...it would have been OK...) the negative references to being Soft-On-Crime, Hugging Criminals and Conspirators, Sopranos references, Nixon references and more. Yes, we know, the McVeigh reference is nauseatingly over-the-top. But, most of these conservatives (some - not all, we love Joe Scarborough), like the proverbial dog, return to their own vomit.

But, lest we forget, seems that our government is getting actionable intelligence out of the Detroit Christmas Attack terror suspect without resorting to waterboarding, torture nor military tribunals? So, apparently there's no need to overturn the Geneva Convention nor bring this poor chump to a military tribunal. How do we know? Because our senior editor's hometown is Detroit, and he's spitting mad over the whole sordid affair - as well as the "any-means-necessary" hypocritical Bushie conservative approach. They didn't have to waterboard Abdulmutullab, did they? Neither do they have to go around casting rose petals at the feet of O'Keefe. Nauseating.

So what is being kept out of our sight? What is the bigger picture? Why all of the political posturing and gainsaying over one two-bit break-in and illegal attempted wiretap by a cheap (alleged) criminal and his "Apple Dumpling" Gang? What is the big deal? Or is it some kind of cover up and/or whitewash? We're waiting...

Bit.ly: http://bit.ly/bkjuqu

FOM: O’Keefe Toxic for the GOP? – MSNBC Countdown Tues, 2/2/2010http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#35209054 and http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#35208524

Updated/Revised: Friday, February 5, 2010

Spray-On Principles?

2010-01-31T11:52:00.000-08:00

Image licensed under Creative Commons by talkradionews

Spray-On Principles?: John, now you're using Spray-On Principles just like Spray-On Tan? And, you weren't implying that your opposition has no principles, were you John? John, we think you just spray-tanned yourself into the proverbial corner.

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FOM: Boehner: GOPmust ‘stand on principle’

The "I Won't Quit" State of the Union Address?

2010-01-28T08:07:00.000-08:00

Our Main Man gave it up last night. And we're already reeling with our heads spinning from what was said, what was left out and what was what. We should have expected that much. Instead, we expected elegant, polished, smooth oratory. We think we got that... We expected Pericles or at least Cicero. Not so much. We expected Mario Cuomo and FDR and Norman Schwarzkopf. Ehhh, maybe not so much. Still, we thought he was the silver-tongued, he was our 'velvet fog'. Therefore, we still think we caught a whiff o' populism. Just a little.

Somehow, in our very confused tiny little heads, the phrase "Don't Quit!" morphed into "I Won't Quit"! Which was it again? Was that a very subliminal jab at a certain politico? We don't know if anybody else caught it yet. Rachel, what about you? You're pretty savvy and pithy. Yes, we admit we saw the coverage on MSNBC with their crew of Keith-O, Chris & Rach. We admit we're biased. We basically like them. But we like Joe Scarborough, too. (Note: Joe contacted us briefly on Twitter, yesterday - so did Joan Walsh...).

Or should be called the "Get It Done!" speech? We don't know. Shades of Larry the Cable Guy, God help us...

No comments - that we know of - on this historic speech and some of the things that were apparently said the first time at an SOTU. Like, "Madame Speaker, the President of the United States"... first time, wasn't it? No comments? We thought it was pretty special. We thought some of the things said by Our Main Man were pretty special too.

We did expect special things to come out...as well as platitudes. We weren't disappointed...oh well. But, mostly, they were lofty. Some hit the ground with a thud. Don't get us wrong, we love Our Main Man. We would follow him to hell and back. Which could have happened even in his first year. He pointed out (we thought correctly) how hellish things could have been if not for the hated bailout. Hellish, we say. But, again, we find he is preaching to our choir. Sorry.

Yes, he said that. He hated the bailout, we all hated the bailout (except the banks). Sometimes, hate can be refreshing. It wasn't easy. Popular as a root canal, he said. But, do what is necessary and not popular (in that job). That's where he proposed The Fee. The Fee on the biggest banks to pay back the taxpayers who bailed them out in their time of need. Now that was popular and it got a thunderous applause. If not for the bailout, 2 million working Americans would have become unemployed. Hellish.

Jobs are our #1 PRIORITY. (No, not Steve...although Steve does make products that give people jobs...credit where credit is due and all that...). Calling for New Jobs Bill that night. Thunderous Applause. True engine of job creation will always be American business. Short loud applause. Starting with small businesses, entrepreneurs, where most jobs start. Main Man said 30 bn in repayments to go to Community Banks to keep these businesses afloat. So that they can hire new workers or raise wages. And to eliminate the Cap Gain Tax on all small businesses. To applause.

Which seemed to let him segue seamlessly into the next topic and the next and the next... The next of which he stated putting Americans to work today on the future infrastructure. And he related more of the same to thunderous applause, mostly.

We kept taking notes. We had our heads buried in our notebooks and barely saw the speech. 11 pages of notes...we felt like were in lecture hall...Geez, this is like homework. But, our love saw us through.

Then a bold statement on how we have lost 7 million jobs and therefore long-term growth has to be addressed. We're inclined to agree. "How long should we wait?! (clapping) Washington told us to wait 2 decades. China, Germany and India are not waiting... I do not accept second place for the USA!" To cheers and thunderous applause. Oh, he's preaching to the choir, again. Keep it up.

Financial reform talk then led into section on encouraging American innovation and investment. How energy is the right thing. Need to create more for more production. Yeah, that was making sense... Need safe clean nuclear plants...Huh, What?...clean coal...Huh, what? Excuse us, but wasn't "No Nukes" the rallying cry of the liberal movement some years ago? Was he talking fission or fusion? Big difference. Clean coal? Have you ever seen what a broken coal ash pond can do? Biofuels and offshore development? A Dem wants offshore development...and no tax breaks for Big Oil? Hmmmm...

Got to develop that National Export and Initiative and Control. Won't that usurp NAFTA and Fast Track? You know, products of the Clinton Administration? Hmmmm.... But, he did say that we could lose our chance to create jobs. One Administration Zigs, the other Zags. Just like the economy.... Hmmmm....

That moves us further into Education Reform - the finance reform part of which sounded really good. Increase people's value of their homes. Yes. Relieve the Middle Class Econonmic Burden. Yes. Which is why we still need Health Care Reform. Ha! Gotcha! Whew! He managed to swing back to Health Care Reform - our linchpin for the whole economy and recession and jobs and everything. Hmmmm....

Mario Cuomo-like line: "I won't walk away from the American people and neither should these people in this chamber!".

Swipe at the Dubya Administration: "In 2000 we had a $ 2bn Surplus - now we have a (huge) deficit, 2 wars, a hole in the budget, a recession and more before I walked in the door!". And today (updated Friday, Jan 29, 2009) it was announced that the GDP grew 6% and Obama announced a $ 33Bn taxcredit/jobs growth bill. Equals GOP = SOL and 7 more years of economic growth and President Obama! Hooray!

We've run out of time...except for Mitch McConnell. They say he was giggling like a walleyed country school girl at her first barn dance all the time. The politics of division. The politics of destruction. Keep it up Mitch, you want to divide the nation? Remember that thing called the Civil War?

Since the SOTU, several political pundits have weighed in on some of the boorish behavior observed by all during the speech. Most notably: Sour Justice on Countdown, Jon Alter on Countdown on GOP FAIL to support Main St and RachelBrilliant: Obama SOTU Shows GOP United Against Mainstreet. Since Rach, Jon Alter and Keith-O have been kind enough to point out this boorish and possibly destructive behavior. Its raised one or two more points with us about all this GOPpish "behavior".

To the GOPs; you didn't look unified by the way, the DEMS looked unified. You didn't look passionate about your "cause", look like freshly made up cadavers stolen from a local funeral home. The DEMS looked joyous, you looked like you had all just croaked. Except that one official mouthing words about Obama's comments on the judiciary. Well, when you enter into the political arena with your 'judgements' you should expect to be politicized. We're sorry Ms. Ginsburg had to be subjected to this, she is one of our favorites. Just remember, if Hugo Chavez gets his candidate elected to US office(s) after you ditched that law in question, you may not be doing any judicial work...at least in the US...

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