News & Current Events

[garyd]

Bradley Manning, accused (but not indicted or tried) leaker, has been in solitary confinement for 7 months.  Why is that. for heaven's sake?

http://www.salon.com/news/wikileaks/index.html?story=/opinion/greenwald/2010/12/14/manning

Thanks for the link, Dal.  I had not read the article and it is very interesting.

[garyd]

^^^^^^^^^^

 Instead today we've become the Jerry Springer show of the world - ugly, crass and quite unashamed of it.

Tom,
In the interest of space, I only reference the last line of your post but
I agree with and appreciate the entire sentiment.
In our fear,which I believe is real and justified, we seem to mirror many of the attributes of
those who seek to cause us harm.

[Dal]

In our fear,which I believe is real and justified, we seem to mirror many of the attributes of
those who seek to cause us harm.

When extrajudicial execution is bought up, or warrantless searches, or indefinite detention  or etc, many people reply with 'Look, what we do is not even close to what Stalin or the Gestapo did, or what the terrorists are doing to our soldiers every day.'   But, maybe we ought to set the bar a little higher than that!

'Fear' is a funny thing, in Manning's case.  He's being treated worse than 'real' spies, i.e. people who have stolen highly classified military or intelligence secrets, and given them to a foreign nation.  Orders of battle;  plans for new weapons;  how to make an A-bomb -- like that.   Not like 'The US pressured Ethiopia into war with Somalia,'  which we know from the Wikil. leaked stuff.  The latter is just like stuff a reporter would uncover, in the old days -- like the Iran-Contra trade, or the deal that got the Iranians to free the hostages.   No atomic secrets in Manning's leaks by a long shot (despite all the gnashing of teeth, cries for blood etc);  yet Manning is in solitary.  The Rosenbergs weren't!

I think Manning committed a crime worse than treason:  he embarrassed the higher-ups.  Now they want everybody to see what happens, when you embarrass the higher-ups.

[garyd]

When extrajudicial execution is bought up, or warrantless searches, or indefinite detention  or etc, many people reply with 'Look, what we do is not even close to what Stalin or the Gestapo did, or what the terrorists are doing to our soldiers every day.'   But, maybe we ought to set the bar a little higher than that!

For the sake of clarity, Dal, I was agreeing with you as well as with the sentiments expressed in the linked article.   Perhaps "attributes" was a poor choice. 

[Lyle (Mooska)]

I think Manning committed a crime worse than treason:  he embarrassed the higher-ups.
Now they want everybody to see what happens, when you embarrass the higher-ups.

What would Dal do?

[Marge_Innavera]

Harry Reid: "I don't need to hear sanctimonious lectures."

"It seems like not many in Washington are embracing the holiday spirits. First Republican Senator Jim DeMint expressed his anger to Politico about potentially having to work through Christmas, saying 'you can’t jam a major arms control treaty right before Christmas, [this] is just wrong. This is the most sacred holiday for Christians.' And Senator Jon Kyl told the New York Times political blog that it’s impossible to get everything Democrats want done by the end of the year, 'without disrespecting the institution and without disrespecting one of the two holiest of holidays for Christians.' ”

Reid's reply:

I don’t need to hear the sanctimonious lectures of Senator Kyl and DeMint to remind me of what Christmas means. . . . some of my Republican colleagues have the nerve to whine about having to stay and actually do the work that the American people pay us to do. We make large salaries . . . we could work as most Americans do during the holidays. . . . It’s offensive to me and millons of working Americans across this country for any Senator to suggest that working through the Christmas holidays is somehow sacrilegious or disrespectful.”

rest of the story at http://www.mediaite.com/tv/sen-reid-i-dont-need-to-hear-sanctimonious-lectures-from-gop-on-the-meaning-of-christmas/
The story includes a CSPAN video.

For the record, Sen. Jim Junior Mint is wrong about Christmas being "the most sacred holiday for Christians."  That would be Easter.

[oilgun]

Quelle surprise!  (That's French for 'what a surprise' for you Fox News addicts)


Extended exposure to Fox News makes voters stupid, university study finds

The troublesome record of spin by conservative television station Fox News has long been a cause for concern to many Americans, who frequently allege that the nation's most viewed "news" network has the effect of dumbing down voters.

Turns out, they were right.

A University of Maryland study (PDF) published earlier this month found that people in the survey who had the most exposure to Fox News were more likely to believe falsehoods and rumors about national and world affairs when compared to those who paid attention to other news outlets.

Continues:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/study-confirms-spin-fox-news-voters-stupid/

[Dal]

^^^^^^^^
Does exposure to Fox make people stupid, or do stupid people choose Fox to be exposed to?  

On another subject:  I missed this -- it's a few weeks old, and maybe it's been mentioned here.  But a couple of radiation device experts from Cal San Fransisco used all the known facts about the airport Porn-o-scanners, and made intelligent guesses about the unpublished stuff.  And they plugged all that into a standard high-end radiation simulation software package.  

And it turns out that, at the x-ray dose we have been led to believe we are getting, the scanners will not detect certain things, like 230 grams of plastic explosive (4 times what the shoe bomber had), or a small gun, or a box cutter..... They will detect a breast or penis, but not a small bomb and a semiautomatic taped to the side.  The scanners work much better if one increases the intensity of the X-rays a lot (but for some reason passengers don't like to get cancer, the little whiners).  

If anybody wants to take a look at their paper from the Journal of Transportation Safety (or something like that), I am sure you will find it quite fascinating, if you are on massive doses of hallucinogens

http://www.springerlink.com/content/g6620thk08679160/fulltext.html

[doodler]

Sooo... are they lying about what they can spot or about the actual dosage? Man, it's getting so you can't believe anybody any more. Not like in the old days.

[Marge_Innavera]

Sooo... are they lying about what they can spot or about the actual dosage? Man, it's getting so you can't believe anybody any more. Not like in the old days.

A few years ago The Husband and I started noticing a pattern in certain TV commercials:

1) A new drug touted as THE answer to depression, high blood pressure, "overactive bladder", fear of heights, migraines, toenail fungus, you name it; and they urge you to "ask your doctor" about it.

2) The sudden disappearance of the ad, followed a few months later by

3) Ads for attorneys specializing in lawsuits, urging people affected by that hot new medication ("If you took Pediglycomycin for toenail fungus and it made your eyelids fall off") to call The Law Firm of Dewey, Cheatum and Howe* at 1-800......


Sounds like a prelude to a big honker of a lawsuit.  Potential high-class entertainment of a morbid sort.



*  thanks to NPR's Car Talk show

[garyd]

*  thanks to NPR's Car Talk show

lol, I love that show. Don't know why for sure, but I do .
(Not in the league of "Wait,Wait, Don't Tell Me" but what is?)

Spoke with my techno nerd son about the scanners and he has an interesting take.
The published "line" is that the scanner exposes one to about as much radiation as sitting on an airplane for 2 minutes.
First, he says is that the airplane radiation in ambient.
Second, and more important, the airplane radiation is absorbed by the entire body.
The scanners are "surface scanners" and concentrate the radiation only on the skin.

[Jer009]

lol, I love that show. Don't know why for sure, but I do .
(Not in the league of "Wait,Wait, Don't Tell Me" but what is?)

I absolutely LOVE "Wait, Wait..." Especially when Mo Rocca and Paula Poundstone are on together.

[Dal]

Sooo... are they lying about what they can spot or about the actual dosage? ~

Maybe the TSA is betting on stupid terrorists?  If the package of soft stuff (e.g. plastic explosive) has square corners, the scanner will detect it;  if the package is mashed into a sort of pancake shape, no prob.  If the gun is worn right at the side, it can go through;  otherwise, it will be detected.   The publication does say that many or most guns can be detected -- if the scan is carefully examined by an experienced, attentive person.  After 8 or 9 years of airport security procedures and personnel, I think we know exactly how likely any scan is, to recieve such treatment.

These conclusions were by people well-versed in the field of radiation physics and technology, near as I can tell;  but they had to make some guesses, because full specifications of the scanners have not been made available.  Their guesses were based on a lot of experience, though.  Anyway, maybe their conclusions are incorrect, and the TSA has made a flawless choice, as always, for our safey and our tax dollars..

[killersmom]

Senate advances bill to lift military gay ban

WASHINGTON – In a landmark vote for gay rights, the Senate on Saturday voted to advance legislation that would overturn the military ban on openly gay troops known as "don't ask, don't tell."

The 63-33 test vote all but guarantees the legislation will pass the Senate, possibly by day's end, and reach the president's desk before the new year.

The House had passed an identical version of the bill, 250-174, earlier this week.

Repeal would mean that, for the first time in American history, gays would be openly accepted by the military and could acknowledge their sexual orientation without fear of being kicked out.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101218/ap_on_go_co/us_gays_in_military



http://www.hrc.org/

Human Rights Campaign

Dear David,

Breaking news: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal has just cleared its last congressional hurdle.

This discriminatory law will be relegated to the dustbin of history. This stain on our nation will be lifted forever. And you made it happen.

Today, America lived up to its highest ideals of freedom and equality. Today, our federal government recognized that ALL men and women have the right to openly serve the country they believe in. That it doesn't matter who you are, or who you love – you are not a second-class citizen.

Think of the kids out there tonight, watching this on the news – kids who are bullied for being different, who live in fear daily that their parents will hate them if they find out the truth... Think of the relief, the empowerment, the sense of possibility they'll feel, knowing that the U.S. military has said: if you're lesbian or gay, you are worthy. We want you to join us, side by side, as equals.

Think of the people across the globe – some in countries where it is literally a life-or-death decision to come out as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender – who will hear this news and know we're one step closer toward a world where no one needs to live in fear because of who they are.

And take a moment to truly comprehend the lives ruined over the last 17 years because of this discriminatory law. The soldiers, sailors, airmen, translators, doctors and more, whose military careers were ended, whose livelihoods were threatened, whose friendships were cut off, all because the forces of bigotry and fear held out for so long.

They can never get those years back. But I hope they know that their sacrifice meant something. Their courage and integrity helped a nation understand what it means to serve. And that, more than anything else, helped bring about this historic change.

With your help, we've spent 17 years fighting for this moment. I cannot thank you enough for the dedication you've shown to get us here. Here's a brief snapshot of what you helped HRC do to win this.

Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins have been our steadfast champions in this fight. Here's what Senator Lieberman said today that shows how your energy, your drive, your commitment and your focus have been behind every single step: "This historic day has been seventeen years in the making and would not have happened without the leadership of Joe Solmonese and the Human Rights Campaign."

We did it. Together. Thank you.

Onward,

Joe Solmonese
Joe Solmonese
President

P.S. A quick note on what happens next: the vote we won today – a critical vote to repealing this law – was to overcome a filibuster by John McCain and Republican leaders in the Senate. There may be one final vote on Sunday night or Monday and which only requires a simple majority instead of 60 votes. The bill will then go to President Obama's desk, and he has promised to sign it. In the following months ahead, the President, Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will be responsible for acting expeditiously to implement a repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. HRC advises service members that repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is not effective immediately and service members are still at risk of being discharged on the basis of their sexual orientation until the repeal is completely implemented.

[Ellen (tellyouwhat)]

Yay Henry Reid!!!!!!!

DID something!  Woot!