Dick Cheney: If we don’t act like terrorists, the terrorists win
March 15, 2009
I watched Dick Cheney on CNN today and wasn’t a bit surprised that he delved into his bag of fear-mongering. He’s Dick Cheney, it’s what he does.
“President Obama campaigned against it all across the country, and now he is making some choices that, in my mind, will, in fact, raise the risk to the American people of another attack.”
The choices Obama made, of course, were to close Gitmo and stop torturing detainees under the ruse of “enhanced interrogation.”
Nonetheless, the best part of the interview for me was when Cheney admitted that the administration didn’t see the economic turmoil coming until it came. Obviously the problem is that the administration only watched Fox News – likely to make sure they were reading Republican press releases properly. Because a lot of us saw this economic crisis coming several years ago. It didn’t come out of the blue. Nonethless, CNN’s John King acted like a good stenographer and refused to bother Cheney with any follow ups like – “Seriously, you didn’t see it coming?”
–WKW
Why not to negotiate with the Taliban, reason No. 1,212
March 15, 2009
If the U.S. spends eight years haphazardly obliterating Afghanistan than leaves the Taliban in charge again, it just compounds one atrocity after another. These just are not people to negotiate with.
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — A top Taliban commander has issued a new threat to foreign aid workers, saying that under the insurgent group’s new “constitution” they will execute them as spies or hold them in exchange for the release of Taliban fighters.
In an exclusive telephone interview Friday night with CNN, Mohammed Ibrahim Hanafi said the Taliban intelligence wing was actively gathering information on foreign aid workers. “If we get someone, that is how we will deal with it under our new constitution,” he said.
He added that he was telling “Afghan brothers not to work with NGOs.”
In the 15-minute interview, arranged by an intermediary for CNN, Hanafi repeated the Taliban’s pledge to keep girls out of public schools.
“Our law is still the same old law which was in place during our rule in Afghanistan,” he said. “Mullah Mohammad Omar was our leader and he is still our head and leader and so we will follow the same law as before.”
“In my opinion,” he added, “Taliban aren’t allowing girls to go to schools because Taliban want women to preserve their respect by staying in their homes, not to work as laborers for others.”
Say what you will about the invasion of Afghanistan or the lackluster attempt to improve conditions there, but the real politic fact is this – if the Taliban is given any official power in Afghanistan again, U.S. troops will be back on the ground there again within a decade. The time for inviting the Taliban over to your house for constructive discussions ended a decade ago.
–WKW
One-Liner: DeBaptism
March 15, 2009
If you’re an atheist, why should you care that you were baptized when you were a baby?
–WKW
The John McCain NCAA March Madness Basketball Bracket is Here! The John McCain NCAA March Madness Basketball Bracket is Here!
March 13, 2009
The NCAA Men’s basketball tournament is almost here, which means that John McCain is once again acting like he gives a hoot about college basketball!
March is here and that means it’s almost time to fill out your basketball bracket! For the past two years, thousands of people have enjoyed comparing their picks to John McCain’s, and this year is no exception. Sign up today and you’ll receive an invitation to join John McCain’s bracket group. You may even receive an autographed copy of John McCain’s bestselling book, Faith of My Fathers.
So head over to John McCain’s Web site and sign up. Because nothing makes college basketball more exciting than a failed politician pretending to give a crap about it.
–WKW
One-Liner: Corporations won’t “Go Galt”
March 13, 2009
While I find it endlessly amusing that those like Michelle Malkin are talking about “Going John Galt,” here’s one minor hiccup in their plan – corporations won’t. It’s not the only problem with their plan, but it’s a pretty big one. Don’t expect to see Coca-Cola knocking back production because they have to pay 4% more in easily avoidable taxes.
–WKW
Hate Earmarks? Get your Diamond Earmark Purity Ring today!!
March 13, 2009
–WKW
I froze my piñata off in Alaska
March 13, 2009
(This was posted at Shakesville on June 11, 2007, and was part of the “Get to Know Bill” series, which included posts about my fear of bats and ratdogs. Please note, it was written before Sarah Palin entered the national consciousness, which I wrote about here.)
As a young man, growing up in sunny Southern California, I longed for bigger, better things. It was new adventure I yearned for, new mountains to climb.
So I moved to Alaska and spent the better part of a decade freezing my piñata off.
Oh Lord, have I been cold
I moved to Anchorage, Alaska when I was 21 and didn’t have the common sense the good, non-existent Lord gave a chicken. In hindsight, living in Alaska was a nice thing to have done. The actual doing it part was what was tough.
My years in Alaska were spent as a bouncer, bartender, carny, commercial fisherman, and finally a student. Of those diverse occupations, all I truly remember of them was that I was cold. Really, really cold. And one thing about having lived in Alaska: It doesn’t make me impervious to cold weather. On the contrary, these days I’m cold when the temperature gets under 70. I gave at the office. My ability to handle cold left me some January evening in the early ’90s when the wind chill hit 50 below.
But it was being cold that ultimately got to enroll at the University of Alaska Anchorage. I was finishing what was my final tour of duty on a longliner in the Bering Sea. Freezing, tired and 28, it finally occurred to me that being a fisherman was not really the plan I had for my life.
So I became a Seawolf. And now more than a decade later, I’m glad I did. It got me out of the cold, both figuratively and literally.
I’ve had reason to think about Alaska recently. First, I found out an old friend and mentor – Mike Doogan – had left his job as a columnist at the stellar Anchorage Daily News, and had entered the world of politics in the state legislature. The news did my heart well, as he’s a lifetime Alaskan who truly wants what’s best for the state.
Then, I learned that the nephew of my closest friend in Alaska has just signed an NHL contract. His name is Tim Wallace, and he has signed a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. I met him a few times back in the day, and I truly couldn’t be happier for him and his family.
It’s been nice thinking about Alaska. So much that I did there now seems more like a movie I once watched rather than a reality I once lived. But I did live it, and have the fear of cold weather left behind as proof. But cold weather or not, a part of me will always remain in Alaska. It is a glorious state, inhabited by an eclectic group of people.
Alaska is legendary for taking in misfits, and I was one of them. And I wouldn’t be the person I am now without the experiences I had in the 49th state. Whether that’s good or bad is left to you to judge. But let there be no debate: I have been cold.
–WKW
Global Climate Change – we’ll deal with it when it’s over
March 13, 2009
Even with a much-more environmentally conscious President like Barack Obama, don’t expect much from the U.S. or China when it comes to fighting global warming. At least not until it’s already done all the damage it will do:
(CNN) — The world is facing an increasing risk of “irreversible” climate shifts because worst-case scenarios warned of two years ago are being realized, an international panel of scientists has warned.
Temperatures, sea levels, acid levels in oceans and ice sheets were already moving “beyond the patterns of natural variability within which our society and economy have developed and thrived,” scientists said in a report released Thursday.
The findings came at the end of a three-day conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, where nearly 2,000 researchers gathered to discuss climate change.
The group called on policy-makers to use all tools available to reduce dangerous emissions of greenhouse gases.
The current climate situation on the planet may be as severe as the worst-case scenarios predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which issued warnings in 2007 of a future beset by flooding, drought, storms and mass extinction of species.
In its report, the researchers also warned of potential social costs across the planet because of climate change.
Whatever global climate changes are to bring, they will bring. And for a lot of folks living in high-risk areas, it will bring death. The Flat-Earthers amongst us will make sure of that.
–WKW
John McCain will never accept an earmark! He leaves that for Arizona’s other Senator
March 13, 2009
The current Republican-invented furor over earmarks shows just how stupid and out-of-touch many of our politicians and pundits are during these muddled economic times.
Think of it this way: If we removed every earmark from the Omnibus spending bill (you know, the bill that George W. Bush punted to the next President to make his life harder), the federal deficit could be sliced by a full $12 billion – down to $180 billion total. And we’d have $12 billion less in state projects.
But while the argument against earmarks is stupid at its very core, the leader of the anti-earmark brigade is the stupidest and most hypocritical of them all. You see, John McCain has long prided himself on never accepting an earmark for his state of Arizona.
Good for him. Of course, no one seems to analyze the fact that each state has two senators. From Talking Points Memo:
And [Senate Majority Whip] Jon Kyl [R-Arizona] would be one of those who likes earmarks. He secured $5 million in funding for solo earmarks in the bill, along with $25.8 million for joint earmarks with other lawmakers, according to a database assembled by the non-partisan Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Or as Kyl told the Washington Examiner this week, “Anything I have in the bill, I have a reason for.
I’m guessing one of the reasons for Kyl’s earmarks is that McCain doesn’t take any. Seriously, the earmarks “scandal” is truly an invented and stupid controversy, and no more than a political game.
–WKW
Hey your gay – get out of our Army
March 13, 2009
The fact that so many have spent the past eight years screeching about the numerous existential threats the U.S. faces, yet also support keeping gays and lesbians out of the military is not just hypocrisy, but nearly borders on mental illness. Eleven more soldiers were fired from the Army in January:
WASHINGTON – The Army fired 11 soldiers in January for violating the military’s policy that gay service members must keep their sexuality hidden, according to a Virginia congressman. Democratic Rep. Jim Moran said he has requested monthly updates from the Pentagon on the impact of the policy until it is repealed.
In a statement released on Thursday, Moran said the discharged soldiers included an intelligence collector, a military police officer, four infantry personnel, a health care specialist, a motor-transport operator and a water-treatment specialist.
“How many more good soldiers are we willing to lose due to a bad policy that makes us less safe and secure?” asked Moran, a member of the House panel that oversees military spending.
The Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was instituted after President Bill Clinton tried to lift the ban on gay service members in 1993. It refers to the military practice of not asking recruits their sexual orientation. In turn, service members are banned from saying they are gay or bisexual, engaging in homosexual activity or trying to marry a member of the same sex.
The military discharged nearly 10,000 service members under the policy in a 10-year period, from 1997 to 2007. The number fired each year dropped sharply after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, when forces were stretched thin. Whereas more than 1,200 were dismissed in 2000 and again in 2001 for violating the policy, about half as many — 627 — were fired in 2007.
If Obama truly wants to be remembered as a pragmatic leader who did the right thing regardless of the cries of extremists, he needs to overturn the insipid and harmful DADT policy and end the ban on gays and lesbians in the military, immediately.
–WKW
(Note: “Hey Your Gay” is explained here.)
Bernie Madoff explains ponzi schemes and how he was a rogue criminal for 15 years
March 13, 2009
If you’re interested in seeing Bernie Madoff take the fall for his $50-billion ponzi scheme, The Smoking Gun has the whole thing available here.
One positive outcome? If you ever wanted to explain what a ponzi scheme is, Madoff gives a pretty good explanation.
At of the whole confession, one sentence jumps out at me: “To the best of my recollection, my fraud began in the early 1990s.”
Basically, he’s running a ponzi scheme for more than 15 years. Yet his brother, sons, wife, and no one else was aware of it or helped in any way.
I’m kind of thinking that maybe we shouldn’t take Madoff’s word for it. Here’s hoping more criminal charges against his accomplices follow.
–WKW
One-liner: MoRands
March 12, 2009
As we speak, many Republicans are fully embracing the work of Ayn Rand. Seriously, Ayn Rand. This is what we in the business call the “objective end of a political party.”
–WKW
Missing: 332 billionaires – $1.4 trillion reward if found
March 12, 2009
Just remember, if you think you have it tough, there are currently 332 people walking around with the heartbreak of being a multi-millionaire. Because this economic crisis is hitting rich folk the hardest:
The richest people in the world have gotten poorer, just like the rest of us. This year the world’s billionaires have an average net worth of $3 billion, down 23% in 12 months. The world now has 793 billionaires, down from 1,125 a year ago.
After slipping in recent years, the U.S. is regaining its dominance as a repository of wealth. Americans account for 44% of the money and 45% of the list’s slots, up seven and three percentage points from last year, respectively. Bill Gates lost $18 billion but regained his title as the world’s richest man. Warren Buffett, last year’s No. 1, saw his fortune decline $25 billion as shares of Berkshire Hathaway fell nearly 50% in 12 months. Mexican telecom titan Carlos Slim Helú maintains his spot in the top three but lost $25 billion.
Personally, I think that the world’s richest men are just Going Galt and working less out of fear that they may have to pay a slightly higher tax rate. It’s a can’t-miss plan, after all.
–WKW
From the Sports Desk
March 12, 2009
Thoughts from an occasional sportswriter:
- Watching Barcelona trounce Lyon yesterday in the Champions League was a treat. For the first 43 minutes, Barcelona pitched a perfect game. Lyon came out focusing on Leo Messi, forgetting that a player named Thierry Henry was on the other side – and he struck twice, effectively ending the match. And then Messi scored a nifty goal anyway.
- If Manchester United and Barcelona don’t play each other this year, all soccer fans will miss out. They are two epic teams.
- Roy Jones Jr. is going to fight again. After showing absolutely nothing against Joe Calzaghe, it’s a shame that no one has made it clear to him that his skills are gone.
- I just don’t feel any of us are excited enough about Tiger Woods’ return. We need to work on that.
- And, you know, it’s March but I’m just not feeling the madness yet.
- The BCS has heard the calls for a playoff – and decided to stay with their status quo until at least 2013.
–WKW
No one expects a blogaround – Let’s go Galt Edition II
March 12, 2009
Brave U.S. patriots, a copy of “Atlas Shrugged” under their arms, are ready to go John Galt and bring this nation to their knees. By tipping less. That’ll show poor people.
- Jon Swift: Let’s make poverty less enticing.
- Kathryn Jean Lopez: I have a hunch she’s not planning to go Galt any time soon. And neither will Jonah.
- Random Babble: Do you really need to use sex to sell M&M’s?
- Hoyden About Town: Rape myths, rape myth acceptance, and community perceptions of victims of sexual violence.
- DailyKos: More on Patrick Byrne.
- Lance Mannion: “Why Do You Hoard? Why Do You Squander?” — a love story.
- Shakesville: Let’s hear it for the (Golden) Girls!
- WorldGolf.com: Myrtle Beach golf – now with less hyenas! (by yours truly).
–WKW
