NoBullU

NoBullU Has Relocated

2009-06-23T06:44:00.001-07:00

I have relocated the NoBullU blog, please make note of the new location.

All new posts will be made at that location.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Obama Man Can

2009-06-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

UPDATE III: JibJab on Obama Man:

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

UPDATE II: Our President, the Miracle Maker. Read The New York Times, And the Angels Rejoice.

UPDATE: More about Obama Man. Read the Washington Post, Obama's Center-Left Two-Step.

Who can save them from bankruptcy? Obama Man can:

Cute.

Health Care (Industry) Scare Talk

2009-06-22T05:55:00.000-07:00

UPDATE III:

UPDATE II: How will health care be reformed? For one possibility of what will be accomplished, and how, read The New York Times, You Be Obama.

The article is a good primer on how the "skinny guy with big ears" 'gits r done.'

Also, another interesting point of view from The New York Times, Keeping Them Honest, which argues that health reform will fail without serious cost control, which will require a fundamental change in the way the insurance industry behaves.

And for more on SGWBE, read The New York Times, The Chicago View, which describes Obama's idealistic facade on a realist structure perplexity.

UPDATE: Read The New York Times, Following the Money in the Health Care Debate, and enjoy this editorial cartoon:

Talk again of reforming health care. If you want to continue to spend more and get less than you should, then don't read this informative article describing how one woman’s medical experience in Canada can teach the United States about health care reform at The New York Times, This Time, We Won’t Scare.

If this example is true and typical, then something really is wrong with the American health care industry that puts obscene profit ahead of care.

It is also interesting to note that the Canadian financial industry didn't collapse like it did in the U.S. and Britain. "Canada [is] — a mostly English-speaking country, every bit as much in the American cultural orbit as Britain, but one where Reagan/Thatcher-type financial deregulation never took hold. Sure enough, Canadian banks have been a pillar of stability in the crisis."

Maybe I'll move to Canada, at least it will be temperate as the American energy industry fights sensible environmental regulation.

Can you guess the common theme -- industry doesn't really care about you, only profit. So why have sooooooo many people fallen for the Republi-con-American industry BS hook, line and sinker? Go figure.

Lateralpalooza

2009-06-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

Watch the final play of the 2007 Trinity vs. Millsaps football game:

Sometimes persistence pays off.

Sub Today at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-06-19T04:47:00.000-07:00

Usually on Fridays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

But I can't make it today so hopefully Mike or Ken will substitute. Until the next show, post a comment or two.

Plumber with a Sense of Humor

2009-06-19T04:45:00.000-07:00

Ya gotta love this guy:

Not So Lite Summer Reading

2009-06-19T04:11:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: And for a good movie, based on a true story, about a corporation trying to stick it to the little guy, watch Flash of Genius, which tells the stroy of Robert Kearn, inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper.

It has a happy ending, sort of.

Looking for a good book to read during the summer, then consider the books mentioned in this article, The New York Times, Greed Layered on Greed, Frosted With Recklessness, about the economic mess and the causes, including greed of course.

Tammy, let us know what you think.

The Flyswatter-in-Chief

2009-06-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

Obama is no Budda. Watch:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Or if you like your news with a little, or a lot, of humor, then watch:

And believe it or not, PETA is upset about it. Read The Virginia-Pilot, PETA wishes Obama hadn't swatted that fly.

You Better Watch Out, He's Making a List, He Knows When You've Been Bad or Good, and It Ain't Just Santa

2009-06-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

UPDATE II: Intercepts of Americans’ phone calls and e-mail messages are broader than previously acknowledged. Read The New York Times, E-Mail Surveillance Renews Concerns in Congress.

Another I told ya so from NoBullU.

UPDATE: To a post from December to say I told ya so, they listen to everybody, including a mad Congresswoman. Read the Washington Post, Harman to Holder: Release the Tapes, and CQ Politics, Wiretap Recorded Rep. Harman Promising to Intervene for AIPAC.

I may be paranoid but . . .

Ever wonder how the NSA electronic surveillance program, nicknamed the Terrorist Surveillance Program by Bush, spies just on terrorist. It doesn't, unless of course terrorist is a euphemism/doublespeak for citizen. Read:

Newsweek, The Fed Who Blew the Whistle
Newsweek, Now We Know What the Battle Was About

Welcome to Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Torture/Enhanced Interrogation Demonstration

2009-06-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: For more about what the government does in the name of 'freedom,' read the decision issued late Friday allowing a civil lawsuit by Jose Padilla to go forward against former Bush administration lawyer, John Yoo, who wrote memos which purported to justify "gross physical and psychological abuse at the hands of federal officials as part off a systematic program of abusive interrogation intended to break down Mr. Padilla’s humanity and his will to live.”

Padilla v. Yoo, Order Denying Motion to Dismiss

Are you ready yet Eric?

In recent weeks at NoBullU on 1330 AM WEBY we have discussed whether the techniques the U.S. used constituted torture or just simple enhanced interrogation. In one radio program I argued with Eric, a caller who denied that waterboarding and other methods, including 10+ days of sleep deprivation, confinement in a small enclosed dark space with insects, exposure to freezing temperatures and very,very cold water while naked, and/or prolonged restraint in stress positions, were torture.

It would be ironic that these methods which were copied from a 1957 USAF study of Chinese Communist techniques used during the Korean War to obtain false confessions, except for the fact that these methods were used because Cheney wanted false confessions linking Iraq to 9/11 in order to justify the invasion.

During the discussion, I challenged Eric, a life long Republi-con party member, to submit himself to these techniques. I would prove that after a short period of time I could force him to swear loyalty and allegiance to the Naive-crats and Reed and Pelosi.

Eric has accepted the challenge, and as soon as I find volunteers who were instructors in military SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) programs and are trained in these methods, and Eric signs a liability release that includes an acknowledgment of the possibility of death, the demonstration will begin.

In the meantime Eric, in order to help you prepare if you think you could, watch the following:

After the demonstration with Eric, I'll be ready to issue the challenge to Rusty and Sheepish.

If you are a former SERE instructor and would like to volunteer for this demonstration, please contact me.

Unhappy 40th Anniversary?

2009-06-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

It has been 40 years since the start of the 'war' on drugs. Is it time to try an alternate strategy? Read The New York Times, Drugs Won the War.

Think of other things that once were illegal, and are now revenue sources, like playing the numbers and gambling. Bought a lottery ticket or been to a casino lately?

Another Example of How Fear, Anger, Hatred = Violence

2009-06-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

UPDATE IV: And yet another interesting editorial from The New York Times, The Obama Haters' Silent Enablers.

UPDATE III: Two more interesting editorials from The New York Times, The Way We Are and Hate in a Cocoon of Silence.

UPDATE II: For an argument, with examples, that "right-wing extremism is being systematically fed by the conservative media and political establishment . . . [going] out of their way to provide a platform for conspiracy theories and apocalyptic rhetoric, just as they did the last time a Democrat held the White House," read The New York Times, The Big Hate.

BTW, the writer's opinion is worth considering even if you might disagree with him, he won the Noble Prize for Economics last year, and is also a Princeton economist and a New York Times columnist.

Does anyone know how many Noble Prize winners work for Hedgehog News (which falsely uses the name FOXNews)?

UPDATE: From the Washington Post:

Read Feeding the Lone Wolves, and enjoy:

Is it more Republi-Con inspired violence? Probably not so much this time.

But if you need another example of how fear, anger, and hatred can warp judgment, read The New York Times, Museum Gunman a Longtime Foe of Government.

Those that prey on fear, anger, hatred for their own success should know that all too often it leads to violence.

For Your Lazy Boy

2009-06-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

Need an idea for Father's Day, then watch this:

Sub Today at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-06-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

Usually on Fridays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

But I can't make it today so Mike will substitute. Until the next show, post a comment or two.

And watch the Baby Boomer Battle Hymn, it is funny:

Must of us don't like getting older, but it beats the alternative.

Contempt of Court or Contempt For God?

2009-06-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

UPDATE IV: An interesting development in the matter, a teacher threatened to sue the Santa Rosa County School Board for violation of his First Amendment rights after "he and other teachers were prohibited [by the School Board] from participating in the private baccalaureate services that were scheduled to occur on Sunday evening, May 31, 2009, and would be terminated if they chose to do so." Read the Santa Rosa Press Gazette, ADF represents Jay Teacher in discrimination case.

It doesn't seem to me that it is a discrimination case as much as a First Amendment case.

And BTW, the School Board decided that the teacher was right and that the Board could not prohibit "district employee from attending or participating in the baccalaureate, or any other religious service or event, while on their own time and in their personal capacities."

UPDATE III: Everyone is trying to spin this story, even Pastor Poppins, AKA Carl Gallups, on WEBY last week. Now read WorldNetDaily, Graduating students defy ACLU.

The article is misleading. The ACLU never tried to prevent students from praying. The lawsuit was aimed only at stopping school officials from leading the students in religious activity.

UPDATE II: Who is wrong here, the school board in its interpretation of the consent decree, or the Principal who is defying his boss? Read the consent decree below and then at the Pensacola News Journal, Pace principal: We won't back down.

Doesn't sound to me like the Principal is setting a good example for the students. But he is getting close to retirement, so maybe he just wants to be the next Roy Moore.

UPDATE: Read the Pensacola New Journal, Superintendent Wyrosdick has a very big problem.

First the lawsuit and settlement.

Then the protest.

Now defiance.

Is it contempt of court, or contempt for God? Read original and follow-up posts (with links to court documents), and then these documents, and decide:

The consent decree and order:

Consent Decree and Order

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

The ACLU motion for contempt:

Motion for Order to Show Cause Why the Court Should Not Find Contempt

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Law & Government Business & Law

And exhibit:

Motion for Order Ot Show Cause Why the Court Should Not Find Contempt, Exhibit 86-02

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Law & Government Business & Law

The School Board's response:

SRCSB Response to Motion for Order to Show Cause Why the Court Should Not Find Contempt

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Law & Government Business & Law

And exhibit:

SRCSB Response to Motion for Order to Show Cause Why the Court Should Not Find Contempt, Exhibit

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Law & Government Business & Law

What do you think?

Republi-Con Treason

2009-06-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

Why would a Republi-con Congressman tell Chinese officials "the budget numbers that the U.S. Government has put forward should not be believed."

Don't forget that the executive director of the Beijing Private Equity Association and a director of the China National Association of International Studies, has already demanded "inflation-protection measures for China’s existing investments in America, and [requested] additional security or collateral for its continued investments. America should also provide its largest creditor with greater transparency and information."

Because he wants to bankrupt the country for the benefit of his political party.

So who is the real un-American?

Is NW Florida Going Nuclear?

2009-06-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

Didn't we discuss this on the show several months ago? Read NorthEscambia.com, Possible Nuclear Plant? Gulf Power Continues To Buy North Escambia Property.

If NW Florida develops a nuclear program, will there be international sanctions?

Operation Iraqi Shtick

2009-06-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

Must see TV, Stephen Colbert declares victory:

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Word - Why Are You Here?

colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Keyboard Cat

Then gets a hair cut by Gen. Odierno, the commander of the American troops in Iraq:

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Obama Orders Stephen's Haircut - Ray Odierno

colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Keyboard Cat

A week of shows will be/were taped as part of USO shows in Iraq. Watch the highlights.

I wonder if the suit will catch on.

Cursing Obama

2009-06-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

The Mess That is the Middle East

2009-06-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: A new foreign policy for the Middle East:

Some, no make that many, took issue with my frank discussion of the options in the Middle East. As I see it, kill them all (one side or the other, right-wing radical propose killing all the Muslims and letting Allah sort it out, but not very Christian if you ask me), relocating one party to someplace outside the Middle East, such as South Florida (again either party makes no difference for the discussion cause it ain't gonna happen), or relocation within the current borders of Israel, I suggest Palestinians to the north.

Of course the discussion wasn't well received. But I think most people fail to understand the situation in the Middle East. As luck would have it, Thomas Friedman, Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist sums it up well in his article today, Don’t Try This at Home:

"Where to begin? Palestinians are now divided between the West Bank and Gaza, with a secular Palestinian Authority based in Ramallah in the West Bank and a fundamentalist Hamas government based in Gaza. But Hamas is further divided between a military and political wing, and the political wing is further divided between a Gaza-based leadership and a Damascus-based leadership, with the latter taking orders from both Syria and Iran.

Are you still with me?

Best I can tell, the Palestinians from Gaza are simultaneously negotiating a cease-fire with Israel in Cairo, pursuing war-crimes charges against Israel in Europe, digging new tunnels in the Sinai to smuggle more rockets into Gaza to hit Tel Aviv and trying to raise money for reconstruction from Iran. Meanwhile, the West Bank Palestinian leaders are busy publicly collecting food and blankets to help all those Palestinian civilians brutalized by the Israeli incursion into Gaza, while privately demanding to know from senior Israeli officials why they wimped out and didn’t wipe Hamas in Gaza off the face of earth — casualties be damned.

Israel, meanwhile, has a government in which the prime minister, foreign minister and defense minister each has a different peace plan, war strategy and cease-fire conditions for Gaza, and the foreign minister and defense minster are running against each other in Israel’s election on Tuesday. Speaking of that election, a whole new party, Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, which has been accused of having “fascist,” viciously anti-Arab leanings, appears headed to make the biggest gains and possibly become the kingmaker of Israel’s next government. The other day, the Labor Party leader, Ehud Barak, was quoted in the newspaper Haaretz as criticizing Lieberman as a lamb in hawk’s clothing, asking: “When has he ever shot anyone?”

How did this conflict get so fragmented? For starters, it’s gone on way too long. The West Bank is so chopped up and divided now by roads, checkpoints and fences to separate Israel’s crazy settlements from Palestinian villages that a Palestinian could fly from Jerusalem to Paris quicker than he or she could drive from Jenin, here in the northern West Bank, to Hebron in the south.

Another reason is that every idea has been tried and has failed. For the Palestinians, Pan-Arabism, Communism, Islamism have all come and gone, with none having delivered statehood or prosperity. As a result, more and more Palestinians have fallen back on family, clan, town and tribal loyalties. In Israel, Peace Now’s two-state solution was blown up with the crash of the Oslo peace accords, the rising Palestinian birthrate made any plans to annex the West Bank a mortal threat to Israel’s Jewish character, and the rockets that followed Israel’s withdrawals from both Lebanon and Gaza made a mockery of those who said unilateral pullouts were the solution.

All of this has led to a resurgence of religiosity. According to Haaretz, the following questions were posed by a well-known rabbi in one of the pamphlets distributed by the Israeli Army’s Office of Chief Rabbi before the latest Gaza fighting: “Is it possible to compare today’s Palestinians to the Philistines of the past? And if so, is it possible to apply lessons today from the military tactics of Samson and David? A comparison is possible because the Philistines of the past were not natives and had invaded from a foreign land.”

Who in the world would want to try to repair this? I’d rather herd cats, or become John Thain’s image adviser, or have a colonoscopy, or become chairman of the “bad bank” that President Obama might create to hold all the toxic mortgages. Surely, any of those would be more fun. If Mitchell is still up for it, well, then God bless him. My next column will look at some ways we might just start over. "

Here is my suggestion, rearrange the current borders as such:

In short, New Palestine to the north, New Israel to the south, exact borders TBD, BIG wall in between.

Better hurry, before the next war starts.

Sub Today at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-06-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

Usually on Fridays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

But I can't make it today so Mike will substitute. Until the next show, post a comment or two.

Republi-Cons Warp the Public Debate

2009-06-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

Fear, anger, and hatred are powerful weapons. Read the Washington Post, Rush and Newt Are Winning.

More Republi-Con Inspired Violence

2009-06-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: More on why FOX News is responsible for a murder, allegedly on behalf of God, in a house of worship. Read the Washington Post, Why I Turned Down O'Reilly.

Fear, Anger, Hatred + Talk Radio & FOX News = Violence

For another example, read The New York Times, Doctor’s Killer Is Not Alone in the Blame, Some Say.

For Republi-cons, like other zealots, abortion doctors are fair game.

Republi-Con Funny Values

2009-06-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

It is official, Cheney supports gay marriage, but only because he sees marriage as a form of torture.

Hard as it might be to believe, only the last part is the joke. Watch:

Obama Man Can Continued

2009-06-02T06:11:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Here is an argument that the GM bailout won't work. Read The New York Times, The Quagmire Ahead, which argues convincingly that while the Obama plan for General Motors is bureaucratically smart and financially tough-minded, it won’t revolutionize the company’s corporate culture and will likely make things worse.

From the Washington Post, After Many Tuneups, A Historic Overhaul:

"In the space of five head-spinning months, the economic downturn and a few strong-willed financial officials in the Obama administration have done what legions of car executives, consultants and policymakers had failed to do in three decades: overhaul the U.S. car industry."

The auto industry 'restructuring' will be part of Obama's historic legacy -- good or bad as it may be. It will make an interesting comparison to his predecessor's historic legacy.

A Republi-Con Filibuster Rally

2009-06-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words:

A party of angry white men isn't much of a party.

UPDATE: Read the Washington Post, GOP Faces Demographic Dilemma and The New York Times, The Howls of a Fading Species.

Fighting Mother Nature

2009-06-01T05:56:00.000-07:00

Speaking of mother nature, read the Pensacola News Journal, Flouting Nature.

Replacing sand washed away from barrier islands during storms is a waste of taxpayer money.

Nearly everyone around these parts claims to be conservative, but I hardly think a true-red conservative would approve of throwing money at and into the ocean like this. Just one more example of the Republi-con ideology at work.

Caution, Don't Be Stupid

2009-06-01T05:20:00.000-07:00

Should government officials interfere with mother nature's law of survival of the fittest? Read the Washington Post, What Not to Do with a Dead Bat, and you'll know what I mean.

Give new meaning to the saying, stupid is as stupid does.

Potato Chips of the World Unite Against Tax and Spend Judicial Activism

2009-06-01T05:05:00.000-07:00

How dare they call Pringles potato chips. Read The New York Times, The Lord Justice Hath Ruled: Pringles Are Potato Chips.

It is outright judicial activism to advance tax and spend socialism. We know how Sotomayor would rule, don't we. I bet that she would even cite the British case.

Beheaded and Put on Display, Not Cruel and Unusual in Saudi Arabia

2009-05-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

Is it cruel and unusual or just and appropriate? Read CNN, Convicted killer beheaded, put on display in Saudi Arabia.

For Mom & Pop Tammy

2009-05-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: It seems that greed is out of fashion for now. Read The New York Times, A Promise to Be Ethical in an Era of Immorality.

Is it the the goal of a business manager to “serve the greater good” and to act responsibly, ethically and refrain from advancing their “own narrow ambitions” at the expense of others?

And how long will it last?

As a follow up to a radio program in early May on greed, good or bad, with special guest Mom & Pop Tammy, a regualr listener and frequent caller. Read the Washington Post, Greed's Saving Graces.

What do you think Tammy?

Lies, Fear Mongering, and Hope for the Worst

2009-05-31T07:03:00.000-07:00

A pattern is emerging to help understand the Republi-con strategy to win elections -- lies, fear-mongering, and hope for the worst.

And the personification of that strategy: Rusty and the Chicken Hawk.

Here is more evidence of the strategy: The New York Times, Who Is to Blame for the Next Attack and McClatchy Newspapers, Cheney's speech ignored some inconvenient truths.

Be afraid, be very, very afraid! Now, Comrade Republi-Cons, for the party, repeat -- be afraid, be very, very afraid!

Our California Future

2009-05-31T06:40:00.000-07:00

Want to know the future of the country? Read The New York Times, Deep Cuts Threaten to Reshape California. I particularly liked this statement:

“Government doesn’t provide services to rich people,” Mike Genest, the state’s finance director, said on a conference call with reporters on Friday. “It doesn’t even really provide services to the middle class.” He added: “You have to cut where the money is.”

I don't agree. Good government services benefit everyone. Roads are a case in point. But I do think that the poorer you are, the more you depend on government. And since the Republi-con war on the middle class has effectively destroyed millions of good paying jobs in this country, what will people do as the government cuts back?

Watch California, because as California goes, so goes the country.

Does the Star-Spangled Banner Wave Over the Land of the Torturers?

2009-05-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

UPDATE IX: Is Cheney lying about the effectiveness of torture? Read the CNN, Memos don't show what Cheney says they do, so says Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

UPDATE VIII: A couple more articles about torture. Read The New York Times, When Israel Confronted and Rejected Torture and the Washington Post, Torture? No. Except . . .

Finally, who is to blame for the policy? We the citizen, who reelected Bush in 2004. Read the Washington Post, Where This Buck Stops.

UPDATE VII: A couple more must read articles about torture (should it be called the torture scandal?). Read The New York Times, Official Defends Signing Interrogation Memos, in which Judge Bybee's defends "the conclusions of legal memorandums he had signed as a Bush administration lawyer" and yet struggles to come to terms with his actions; and A Torturous Compromise, about the 100 or so detainees that have died in U.S. custody, and the decision to expose but not prosecute those responsible for torture.

At one point, as an attorney, I thought that the lawyers involved in providing 'legal justification' for torture should be disbarred. But now I think that if the lawyers would acknowledge violating their oath to uphold the rule of law, the ABA should simply reprimand them.

What do you think?

UPDATE VI: Did torture prevent terrorist attacks? Yes, in the Bush administration's alternate reality. From The New York Times Magazine, Faith, Certainty and the Presidency of George W. Bush:

"In the summer of 2002, after I had written an article in Esquire that the White House didn't like about Bush's former communications director, Karen Hughes, I had a meeting with a senior adviser to Bush. He expressed the White House's displeasure, and then he told me something that at the time I didn't fully comprehend -- but which I now believe gets to the very heart of the Bush presidency.

The aide said that guys like me were ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' which he defined as people who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. ''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.''"

Cheney has his own special reality for the torture program, code named 24. Now you can read the Congressional debriefing of Cheney to learn about all the terrorist attacks that Cheney and his torture program prevented in this newly declassified report in The New York Times, Vice's Secret Vice.

UPDATE V: A couple of must read articles about torture.

An article in The New York Times, The Banality of Bush White House Evil, gives a good historical synopsis of the torture debate.

Another in the Washington Post, If Everyone Knew, Who's to Blame? , discusses paradoxes of the torture scandal, including this:

"Republicans from Dick Cheney on down have been unflagging in their arguments that these "enhanced interrogation techniques . . . were absolutely crucial" to preventing "a major-casualty attack." This argument, still strongly supported by a great many Americans, is deeply pernicious, for it holds that it is impossible to protect the country without breaking the law. It says that the professed principles of the United States, if genuinely adhered to, doom the country to defeat. It reduces our ideals and laws to a national decoration, to be discarded at the first sign of danger." [Link to definition of pernicious added.]

UPDATE IV: Read the new Senate Armed Services Committee report, which includes testimony from an Army psychologist at Guantanamo Bay who described increasingly relentless pressure from Washington in the summer of 2002 to prove a link between Al Qaeda and Iraq:

"[T]his is my opinion, even though they were giving information and some of it was useful, while we were there a large part of the time we were focused on trying to establish a link between AI Qaeda and Iraq and we were not being successful in establishing a link between Al Qaeda and Iraq. The more frustrated people got in not being able to establish this link...there was more and more pressure to resort to measures that might produce more immediate results."

Sort of ironic if you think about it. American the land of liberty and freedom, abandoned its core values to torture prisoners, adopting "methods used by Communists in the Korean War, methods that had wrung false confessions from Americans," to get information to justify an war which turned out to be a debacle.

Sounds like a Shakespearean plot.

BTW, these recent revelations placing the conduct at Abu Ghraib in a new context. Maybe the soldiers, who Rumsfeld called "a few bad apples," were following orders of higher-ranking military officers or the CIA. Of course who cares? As the war showed, Republi-cons don't mind sacricing a few soldiers for political purposes. The convicted soldiers were just collateral damage necessary for Bush's reelection.

But the soldiers are starting to realize that they were just scapegoats. Read CNN, Abu Ghraib head finds vindication in newly released memos.

UPDATE III: Read the Red Cross report on the CIA's handling of fourteen 'high-value' detainees, which describes the brutal tactics used on detainees, and concludes that the treatment amounted to torture.

UPDATE II: Bush sold America's soul, the Constitution, to the devil, and for what -- lies -- or more accurately false leads procured by torture. Read the Washington Post, Detainee's Harsh Treatment Foiled No Plots.

Time to disbar Bush's lawyers, if the Spanish don't prosecute them first. Read The New York Times, Spanish Court Weighs Inquiry on Torture for 6 Bush-Era Officials.

UPDATE: Read Washington Post, Cleanup Task for a Shining City. For America is to remain that "shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere," there must be a public reckoning of the Bush administration's dark legacy.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The final two lines of the first verse are: "O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave/O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

Read this article and tell me if you think that is still true: The New York Review of Books, US Torture: Voices from the Black Sites.

Makes ya wonder if OBL won.

Tape Replay Today at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-05-29T04:18:00.000-07:00

Usually on Fridays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

But I can't make it today so tune in and enjoy a replay of last week's show. Until the next show, post a comment or two.

Told Ya So: Economic Stimulus

2009-05-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Read the Washington Post, Mortgage Delinquency Reaches Record High.

Read The New York Times, More Homeowners Facing Foreclosure.

Then reread my solution for the economic mess

I think that the economy would be better off if the government had spent the money used to bail out Wall Street financial institutions (some call them banks, but I think that using the term banks when referring to those institutions is a misnomer), and instead had spent it on stabilizing the housing market with a program like Remortgage America, as we discussed at length on several programs.

Of course, all the government officials who own stock in Government Sachs would be poorer, ergo, the looting of the treasury by the robber financial institutions.

Unhappy Anniversary

2009-05-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

For a good reminder about how the current economic mess began, read the Washington Post, An Unhappy Anniversary for the Financial Crisis.

As the old saying goes, may you live in interesting times.

It's a Republi-Con Cat Fight

2009-05-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

UPDATE II: Darn, he gave them good advice. Read the Washington Post, Powell, Answering Critics, Urges GOP to 'Reach Out'.

The only thing a true Republi-con wants to do is reach out and chock ya if you don't agree.

UPDATE: Read the Washington Post, In TV Appearance, Powell Plans To Answer Right-Wing Critics. Here is a preview:

"The Republican Party is in deep trouble," Powell told corporate security executives at a conference in Washington this month, according to the National Journal. The party should realize that the country has changed, he said, adding: "Americans do want to pay taxes for services. Americans are looking for more government in their life, not less."

He said of Limbaugh, "I think what Rush does as an entertainer diminishes the party and intrudes or inserts into our public life a kind of nastiness that we would be better to do without."

Who's the real Republi-con?

Read CBSNews, After Criticism From Cheney And Limbaugh, Powell Returns Fire.

Class Friday at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-05-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

Listen to the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- No political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- Just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

NoBullU will broadcast today from 4:05 to 6 p.m. at 1330 AM WEBY and on line, courtesy of Cyber Smart Computers.

Topics:

Local and regional: why was a poor black kid prosecuted without any evidence, and why did the PNJ disable comments on the story, and are you having problems with the NoBullU website?; and

Nation and international: Cheney disses Bush not Obama, and China's threat to American sovereignty.

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth!

WARNING: You may not want to call in if you have verita s phobia, especially if you are a certain veritasphobic politician.

Why Was a Poor Black Kid Prosecuted Without Any Evidence?

2009-05-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

The question answers itself.

The State knew there was inadequate evidence to prosecute Jamal Lee. Read comments made by the prosecutor just a few days ago at the Pensacola New Journal, Lee goes to trial.

So the Judge was forced to dismiss the case. Read the Pensacola News Journal, Jamal Lee goes free.

More telling is that the newspaper disabled comments by readers on the story. If you read comments on earlier stories, you'd know why.

UPDATE: For a full account of the trial, read the Pensacola News Journal, Judge acquits Lee of murder. Still no comment allowed.

UPDATE II: A comment from another blog: "I’m guessing the PNJ disabled the comments for that story because they knew it’d be like a KKK rally on there. All the racists that post on there would be up in arms, much like they were for the fights at the beach by the folks from Mobile this past weekend."

The Worst Slide Story

2009-05-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

Really cute, especially if you are a fan of West Side Story:

Check out these other editorial cartoons by Pulitzer Prize winning and nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist Walt Handelsman, including Republicans Sing the Blues.

Who's Drinking the Kool-Aid Now

2009-05-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

First "the well-trained Republican loyalists who danced like organ grinder monkeys every time their leadership played a new tune. But [you] hear that organ grinder warming up for the Democrats."

Read the Pensacola News Journal, Democrats should not drink the Kool-Aid.

Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-05-15T03:07:00.000-07:00

Local and regional: is it contempt of court, or contempt for God, with guest Matthew Cotton, founder of OK2Pray.org. and are you having problems with the NoBullU website?; and

Nation and international: the Republi-con family feud, with a poll, would you vote for Crist or Rubio in the 2010 Senate race, or just watch to see if the party implodes, and China's threat to American sovereignty.

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth!

WARNING: You may not want to call in if you have verita s phobia, especially if you are a certain veritasphobic politician.

Don't Confuse the Stimlus With Bailouts

2009-05-15T02:23:00.000-07:00

Republi-consare now, as true hypocrites, criticizing any deficit spending. But they are only half right. Don't confuse government bailouts with stimulus spending. Bailouts are generally unnecessary, while spending designed to stimulate the economy is, thanks to the Republi-cons' war on the middle class, now necessary.

To understand why, read Time, If Consumers Won't Kick-Start the Economy, What Will?

The End of America's Zenith?

2009-05-15T02:03:00.000-07:00

UPDATE II: Will the dollar soon be worth less (pun intended)? Read The New York Times, The Almighty Renminbi?

And if you doubt the growing power of China, read The New York Times, China’s Heart of Gold, in which the writer, the executive director of the Beijing Private Equity Association and a director of the China National Association of International Studies, demands "inflation-protection measures for China’s existing investments in America, and [requests] additional security or collateral for its continued investments. America should also provide its largest creditor with greater transparency and information."

This is a stunning demand and challenge to American sovereignty.

This is also the beginning of the end of America's debt addiction, and the withdrawal/detox of the American economy is going to be ugly.

All thanks to Republi-con unfair trade policies as part of their war on the middle class.

UPDATE: Read The New York Times, America the Tarnished.

Will this decade prove to be America's zenith? I predict that the economic mess will be the event leading to the emergence of Chinese economic and military dominance.

Read Washington Post, In Downturn, China Sees Path to Growth.

Bon Appétit

2009-05-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Manly BBQ needs a Man's Grill! Now this is a BBQ guaranteed to get everyone's attention. It should be towed with the barrel facing backwards, then you wouldn't have to worry about anyone tailgating you! My guess is the owner is from Texas!!!!!!

Ok, ya don't like French, but this ain't French cooking:

Looks yummy.

Called "The Bacon Explosion," but modestly called by its inventors "the BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes." It has swept the Internet blogs and I blog so I thought I'd let ya know.

Get the recipe at: The New York Times, Take Bacon. Add Sausage. Blog.
And invite me to your Superbowl party for a taste.

UPDATE: For more details, see BBQAddicts.com, Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes.

Thriving Socialism

2009-05-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

You hear it said everyday by the Republi-cons, socialism will bankrupt the country. But maybe it ain't true. Read The New York Times, Thriving Norway Provides an Economics Lesson, which points out an interesting fact:

"[I]n the midst of the worst global downturn since the Depression, Norway’s economy grew last year by just under 3 percent. The government enjoys a budget surplus of 11 percent and its ledger is entirely free of debt.
By comparison, the United States is expected to chalk up a fiscal deficit this year equal to 12.9 percent of its gross domestic product and push its total debt to $11 trillion, or 65 percent of the size of its economy."

Republi-Con Desperation, Delusion, and Hatred

2009-05-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

First, I heard Open Mike talk about an Obama takeover of Cheerios. Apparently Obama is personally responsible for anything that the government does wrong (but not what it does right of course), like an unannounced Air Force flyover of New York City.

Then I heard about an article on Bush moving to Dallas in D Magazine, in which David Feherty wrote;

"From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this, though: despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Osama bin Laden, there’s a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death."

The new Republi-con strategy is desperation, delusion, and hatred.

It won't be any more successful than fear, anger, and hatred.

Talking about the events above today, even Boortz realizes it is a loser strategy. He referred to an article at Salon.com, Radio rage.

It's almost as if the Republi-cons are determined to lose the next election. Don't believe me? Then read the Washington Post, A Driving Desire To Lose, written by Michael Gerson, a former Bushie.

At this rate, the Naive-crats won't even have to campaign.

A Final Word On Torture?

2009-05-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

Read these previous posts:

Does the Star-Spangled Banner Wave Over the Land of the Torturers?

WWJT (Who Would Jesus Torture) and

Bush, the Hypocrite-in-Chief

Then read this article from the Washington Post, Treatment of Terror Suspects a 'Collective Failure.'

Republi-Con Gun Control

2009-05-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

No guns once the government designates you a suspected terrorist. See H.R. 2159, sponsored by four Republi-cons: Rep. Peter King [R, NY-3], Rep. Michael Castle [R, DE-0], Rep. Mark Kirk [R, IL-10], Rep. Christopher Smith [R, NJ-4].

And who is a 'suspected terrorist? Anyone the government says is a 'suspected' terrorist.

"In any case in which the Attorney General has denied the transfer of a firearm to a prospective transferee pursuant to section 922A or has made a determination regarding a firearm permit applicant pursuant to section 922B, an action challenging the determination may be brought against the United States. The petition must be filed not later than 60 days after the petitioner has received actual notice of the Attorney General’s determination made pursuant to section 922A or 922B. The court shall sustain the Attorney General’s determination on a showing by the United States by a preponderance of evidence that the Attorney General’s determination satisfied the requirements of section 922A or 922B. To make this showing, the United States may submit, and the court may rely on, summaries or redacted versions of documents containing information the disclosure of which the Attorney General has determined would likely compromise national security. On request of the petitioner or the court’s own motion, the court may review the full, undisclosed documents ex parte and in camera. The court shall determine whether the summaries or redacted versions, as the case may be, are fair and accurate representations of the underlying documents. The court shall not consider the full, undisclosed documents in deciding whether the Attorney General’s determination satisfies the requirements of section 922A or 922B.’."

They have already started compiling the list -- 'militia' members, 'disgruntled' military veterans, and 'rightwing extremists' -- to name a few. See the Missouri Analysis and Information Center (MIAC) and Department of Homeland Security reports.

Collapse of the Republi-Con Ideology, and the Party

2009-05-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

UPDATE VI: The 2010 Florida Senate race is shaping up to be Washington leadership v. grassroots, whether to moderate the political agenda or go all-in conservative hypocrisy, whether the campaign theme should be hope for the future or fear and loathing, whether the party can include people like "a four-star general who spent his life serving his country" or should be limited to those like a chickenhawk, "who had five deferments himself to get out of going to Vietnam, [and] a blowhard entertainer who has had three divorces and a drug problem (who also avoided Vietnam)."

Read the Washington Post, Fla. Governor's Senate Bid Renews Optimism of Some in GOP and The New York Times, Rogue Diva of Doom.

It should be an interesting campaign.

UPDATE V: The 2010 Florida Senate race will help divine the future of those wild and crazy Republi-cons. It is possible we may witness the implosion of the party. And those of us in NW Florida will have a ring-side seat.

UPDATE IV: This man thinks this man is the future of the Republi-con party. Also read The New York Times, G.O.P. Worries About Sounding a Negative Tone.

Of course, playing in the gutter won't help.

The future ain't lookin too bright for those Comrade Republi-cons.

Maybe they should read the Washington Post, An Anti-Obama Agenda for the GOP.

UPDATE III: Republi-cons are "starting to look like the Federalists of the early 19th century: an embittered, over-the-top, out-of-touch regional party en route to extinction, doubling down on dogma the electorate has already rejected."

Read Time, Republicans in the Wilderness: Is the Party Over?

UPDATE II: Republi-cons, the party of "phony-baloney, dime-store philosophies . . . that doesn’t seem to care about anything other than devotion to a set of so-called principles that never amounted to more than cult-like rhetoric." Couldn't have said it better myself.

Read The New York Times, Out of Touch.

UPDATE: It's extreme makeover, Republi-con edition. Read CNN, Republican Party plans comeback.

But if you listen to rabid right-wing radio, it doesn't seem that the 'fear, anger, hatred' group wants a makeover. Read The New York Times, G.O.P. Debate: A Broader Party or a Purer One?

I don't think it is an issue of purity, it is delusional rabid McCarthist ideology and forty years in the wilderness for the Republi-cons.

Just have faith in the market, while Republi-con policies undermine middle class America. But what happens when people quit believing and start questioning certain assumption? Read the Washington Post, Capitalism's Reality Check and The Financial Times, How libertarian dogma led the Fed astray.

With the collapse of the Republi-con ideology it looks like forty years in the wilderness for the Republi-cons.

Bankrupt America

2009-05-11T05:52:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: The title says it all. Read The New York Times, Estimate of Budget Deficit Now Tops $1.84 Trillion.

Holy bankrupt America, bat-taxpayers, that's a lot of money! The government can't even figure out how to cut $100 million from the budget, "about 13 minutes of federal spending, and 0.0029 percent -- about a quarter of one-hundredth of 1 percent -- of $3.5 trillion."

The real question is not how much we want to tax, but how much we want to spend. Read The New York Times, The G.D.P. Question.

Tax reform won't work unless there is spending reform.

PSA for The Arc Santa Rosa

2009-05-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Arc Santa Rosa, Inc. is inviting everyone in the community to attend the 3rd Annual "Spring Fling" on Saturday, May 9th, from 9:00 am until 2:00. This year's event will again include a PLANT SALE, ARTS AND CRAFTS along with a YARD SALE!

The Spring Fling will be held at the Arc's office and Garden Center in Milton, four miles South of NAS Whiting Field.

The Arc Santa Rosa, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing services that allow approximately 200 people with physical and developmental disabilities lead productive and independent lives. The Arc Santa Rosa, Inc. is located at 6225 Dixie Road in Milton. For more information about the Spring Fling, contact Debbie Goss at (850) 995-8806 or The Arc Santa Rosa, Inc. at (850) 623-9320.

Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-05-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

Local and state: TBD; and

Nation and international: greed, good or bad, with special guest Mom & Pop Tammy at 4:35 p.m. (BTW, there's talk of a sequel to the movie Wall Street. Remember this quote from the movie by Gordon Gekko: "The richest one percent of this country owns half our country's wealth, five trillion dollars. One third of that comes from hard work, two thirds comes from inheritance, interest on interest accumulating to widows and idiot sons and what I do, stock and real estate speculation. It's bullshit. You got ninety percent of the American public out there with little or no net worth. I create nothing. I own. We make the rules, pal. The news, war, peace, famine, upheaval, the price per paper clip. We pick that rabbit out of the hat while everybody sits out there wondering how the hell we did it. Now you're not naive enough to think we're living in a democracy, are you buddy? It's the free market. And you're a part of it. You've got that killer instinct. Stick around pal, I've still got a lot to teach you.")

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth!

WARNING: You may not want to call in if you have verita s phobia, especially if you are a certain veritasphobic politician.

Government Sachs

2009-05-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

From the beginning I have said that the bailout of the financial institution was designed to save Goldman Sachs. "Former Goldman Sachs employees such as Henry Paulson and Robert Rubin have held high positions in the federal government, regardless of which party was in the White House." As a result, some call the company Government Sachs hereafter just GS.

Finally the conflict of interest became too much for even the Wall Street Journal to ignore. Stephen Friedman was chairman of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, but also sat on the Board of Directors of GS and had a large holding in GS stock. As a federal reserve official, Friedman helped GS receive speedy approval to become a bank holding company in September and a $10 billion capital injection soon after. Then in December and January he purchased more GS stock.

This is illegal. See 18 U.S.C. 208.

There should be some arrests.

Republi-Cons Have No Shame

2009-05-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

UPDATE II: A new email, a new low. From an email titled A mother's love:

"A little boy said to his mother , "Mommy, how come I'm black and you're white?"

His mother replied, "Don't even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky you don't bark!""

First nude pictures, now this!

Republi-cons need counseling. I am serious, their hatred for Democrats has warped their judgment (and their intelligence).

UPDATE: Snopes.com lists the claim as undermined. However, WikiAnswers.com reports that the "photos are misleadingly attributed to Ann Dunhum."

[EDITOR'S NOTE: I have not included the photo of Stanley Ann Dunham. Are they relevant to the discussion? If you think that the photos are relevant, I will post edited copies only.]

The term "McCarthyism" was coined in 1950s in reference to Senator Joseph McCarthy, a Republican from the state of Wisconsin, who engaged in demagogic, reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks, on the character or patriotism of political opponents.

I am reminded of the term after receiving the following email:

"Is Barack Obama's Momma In Nude Porn Pictures?

Some photos have been making their rounds on the internet that claim to be nude shots of Barack Obama's mom. Those photos are attached.

One photo is of the Obama family. Look closely at is his mom so you can compare her face to the face in the porn photos.

It's amazing what can be done these days with PhotoShop. So these may very well be fakes. But the sites I have been to to research this allegation claim the photos are authentic, and that it really is Obama's momma (Stanley Ann Dunham). Snopes lists it as "undetermined."

I seek only the truth. Sooner or later a listener will call me on the air and bring this up. I'd like to respond with a well-documented, or at least well-researched, answer.

Do you have any information on this that I can use to prove or disprove the allegations that Obama's momma posed for nudie shots that are now circulating on the web?"

The writer, a proud member of the right-wing media, later stated that he was only "seeking information to DISPROVE the allegation that those titties belong to Obama's momma. "

I would think that something like this is below even Republi-con low standards for newsworthiness. But I guess if you are a Republi-con, you can have no shame for the sake of the party.

This email proves that there is no limit to shameless Republi-con hatred.

What do you think?

Republi-Cons Have No Shame, Still

2009-05-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: And Republi-cons have no intelligence:

Never heard of the "Hoot-Smalley Act." Maybe she was referring to the disastrous Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, signed by Hoover, not FDR.

Trying to blame FDR. the Hoot-Smalley Act, and the New Deal for the depression, just Republi-con revisionist history and delusion, like democracy in Iraq.

So little time, so many stupid and delusional Republi-cons.

As I said before, the term "McCarthyism" was coined in 1950s in reference to Senator Joseph McCarthy, a Republican from the state of Wisconsin, who engaged in demagogic, reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks, on the character or patriotism of political opponents.

I am reminded of the term after reading that Rep. Michelle Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota, who said that the outbreak of swine flu in 1976 took place “under another Democrat [sic] President, Jimmy Carter — and I’m not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it’s an interesting coincidence.” Watch it:

She is both shameless and STUPID. Carter was sworn in as President until January 20, 1977.

I guess if you are a Republi-con, you can have no shame for the sake of the party.

This proves yet again that there is no limit to shameless Republi-con hatred.

What do you think?

Let's Start a BOTM Club

2009-05-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Looks like BO and Joe started a BOTM Club. Read the Washington Post, Say Cheese: Obama Lunch Turns Juicy Eat-and-Greet.

Now here is a group I'd like to join, the Burger of the Month Club. Read The New York Times, Turkey Burgers Don’t Count.

If you live in the NW Florida area, and you'd like to start a club, let me know.

Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold, on Oprah

2009-05-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

Would you forgive your husband, who was running for president at the same time his mistress was "making a baby that could well be his," while you were raising young kids and battling deadly cancer? Read The New York Times, John Edwards’s Wife Speaks About His Affair and A Complicated Question, which includes the following:

"Elizabeth said when they married, the only gift she asked John for was to be faithful.

“It didn’t occur to me that at a fancy hotel in New York, where he sat with a potential donor to his antipoverty work,” Elizabeth writes in her book, “he would be targeted by a woman who would confirm that the man at the table was John Edwards and then would wait for him outside the hotel hours later when he returned from a dinner, wait with the come-on line ‘You are so hot’ and an idea that she should travel with him and make videos. And if you had asked me to wager that house we were building on whether my husband of then 28 years would have responded to a come-on line like that, I would have said no.”

She may be smart, but she doesn’t seem to know much about men."

Anyone ready to defend men? But I digress:

"Like Hillary with Monica, the feminist struck out at the girlfriend, implying that Rielle was a wacky stalker.

“We’re basically old-fashioned people,” Elizabeth told O magazine. “So this was a pretty big leap for him. Maybe it’s being so different is what was attractive.”

She’s still helping her husband hedge on Rielle’s baby, whom she refers to as “it,” telling Oprah that she has “no idea” if the baby is John’s, and adding: “It doesn’t look like my children, but I don’t have any idea.”

Asked by Oprah in a taping for Thursday’s show whether she’s still in love with her husband, she replied, “You know, that’s a complicated question.”

The really complicated question is what she hopes to gain from this book. "

I'll tell you what she hoped to gain, revenge.

Umpire or an Empathizer?

2009-05-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Should the judge be an umpire or an empathizer? Read the Washington Post, Behind Justice's Blindfold.

Who Will Be the Republi-Con's Clinton?

2009-05-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

More about those phony-baloney, cult-like Republi-cons.

Read The New York Times, Jack Kemp’s Futile Quest, A Hole in the Center, and/or The Long Voyage Home.

Poor, poor Republi-cons, it is looking like forty years in the wilderness for the Republi-cons.

Justice, or Not, in NW Florida

2009-05-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

UPDATE IV: The Supreme Court accepted the case and will consider whether sentencing a juvenile to life without the possibility of parole is cruel and unusual punishment. Read The New York Times, Justices Agree to Take Up Sentencing for Young Offenders.

UPDATE III: Also read a recent update on the King boys at Pensacola News Journal, Derek King nears release.

UPDATE II: For more about the case, read Pensacola News Journal, Cruel and unusual sentence? Unlike The New York Times article, the PNJ article discusses Sullivan's criminal and behavioral history, which included a "long criminal record" for among other things, an assault on a counselor at the Lakeview Center and killing a dog during a burglary.

UPDATE: Remember, a person is not guilty just because of an arrest, or even after a jury verdict of guilt. Listen or read NPR, Family Of Man Cleared By DNA Still Seeks Justice. You might also read John Grisham, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town.

Justice is the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, fairness and equity.

So read The New York Times, Defining ‘Cruel and Unusual’ When Offender Is 13.

Then compare Joe Sullivan's case with that of the King boys.

Alex and Derek King were 12-and-13-years-old, respectively, when they killed their father on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, 2001, with a baseball bat, in his Cantonment home near Pensacola, then set the house afire.

After the boys were convicted of second-degree murder, for which they could have been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison, an Escambia County Circuit Court granted a motion to throw out the convictions and ordered mediation. Yes, mediation in a murder case.

After a week of mediation the State agreed that in exchange for a plea to third-degree murder, Alex would serve seven years in prison and Derek would serve eight years.

After the case the court-appointed mediator, Bill Eddins, an attorney in private practice at the time, said the plea deal was intended to provide structure for the boys, whose mother left them when they were young. He is quoted as saying "They have had instability in their life, it became very important to give them structure and stability."

FYI, Eddins is now the State Attorney for 1st Judicial Circuit of Florida, which includes Pensacola. Makes you wonder what he might say about sentencing a 13-year-old to life for rape.

Tell me, justice, or not, in NW Florida?

Bush, the Hypocrite-in-Chief

2009-05-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

On June 26, 2003, then President Bush issued a proclamation to mark the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. In it Bush said that the United States is "committed to the worldwide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example" and vowed to prosecute torture and to prevent "other cruel and unusual punishment."

Not surprisingly, the statement upset members of the CIA, who Bush had authorized to use brutal tactics on members of Al Qaeda.

Read The New York Times, Interrogation Debate Sharply Divided Bush White House.

Can you say hypocrite.

WWJT (Who Would Jesus Torture)

2009-05-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

"The more often you go to church, the more you approve of torture." Read the Washington Post, Why the Faithful Approve of Torture.

Some people are ChINOs (Christians in name only).

The YDKB Challenge Friday at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-05-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

Local and state: after all the pissing and moaning following the last show, it is time for the You Don't Know Bert challenge, you name the topic and give a brief description where you stand on the issue and I respond, one topic only per call; and

Nation and international: Fear, Anger, Hatred + Talk Radio & FOX News = Violence.

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth!

WARNING: You may not want to call in if you have verita s phobia, especially if you are a certain veritasphobic politician.

Our VP, the Stupid Politician Tautology

2009-05-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that this man is only a heartbeat away from the presidency:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Obama should sent him to Mexico, on an airplane, in coach, and tell to ride the subway for an hour; or start looking for a new VP.

Who is Your Real Friend?

2009-05-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

Here is the test: Lock your partner and your dog in the trunk of the car for an hour.

When you open the trunk, who is really happy to see you?

Bush's Legacy

2009-04-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

UPDATE II: As I have said before, while Clinton was a great Republican president, in the sense that he united and strengthened the Republi-con party, Bush was a great Democratic president.

The Republi-cons "overreached in interpreting the results of the presidential election of 2004 as a mandate for the party. This resulted in the disastrous elections of 2006 and 2008, which combined for a total loss of 51 Republicans in the House and 13 in the Senate — with a corresponding shift of the Congressional majority and the White House to the Democrats." So says one of the few remaining moderate Republicans. Read The New York Times, We Didn’t Have to Lose Arlen Specter.

Then read the Washington Post, Arlen Specter's Switch for first thoughts by politicians, strategists and political observers. With the exception of Gingrich, the consensus is that the switch does not bode well for Republi-cons.

All hail Bush, God's chosen one to destroy the evil Republi-con party and savior of the Naive-crats.

UPDATE II: From the Washington Post, Arlen Specter's Switch and GOP's Identity Crisis:
"Specter's move is about his own political survival. . .

But there is also something to Specter's public explanation of his decision: "Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."

Moderates like Specter have been run out of what, as November's election showed, has become a niche regional party in thrall to its far right wing. Just take a look at this map that illustrates how votes shifted between the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections."

If you were a contrarian, you might argue that this is good news for the Republi-cons. Read the Washington Post, Good News for Republicans! Maybe it is good news for the Republi-cons, maybe they are delusional, only time will tell.

One Republi-con has had enough, rumor has it that Senator Arlen Specter will change party affiliation to Democrat AKA Naive-crat. Thanks to Bush the Republi-cons are most a party of angery, old, white guys in the South.

Cheney for President

2009-04-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

It is too bad Cheney didn't run for president in 2008, it would have put a stake through the heart of the Republi-con ideology. Read The New York Times, Cheney for President, which notes that:

"At the very least, a Cheney-Obama contest would have clarified conservatism’s present political predicament. In the wake of two straight drubbings at the polls, much of the American right has comforted itself with the idea that conservatives lost the country primarily because the Bush-era Republican Party spent too much money on social programs. And John McCain’s defeat has been taken as the vindication of this premise.

We tried running the maverick reformer, the argument goes, and look what it got us. What Americans want is real conservatism, not some crypto-liberal imitation."

Maybe Cheney will run in 2012! Imagine, Palin/Cheney, wouldn't that be a dream ticket, for the Naive-crats that is.

Kiss a Sick Person Today, It Might Save Your Life Tomorrow

2009-04-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

You may want to get the flu now, while it is mild, because you'll have immunity if a deadlier form develops. Read The New York Times, Where Will the Swine Flu Go Next? As the article notes, past well-known flu pandemics seem to have come in waves, the second wave generally being the deadliest.

Of course, you can wait and hope an effective vaccine is developed.

:-x

Fear, Anger, Hatred + Talk Radio & FOX News = Violence

2009-04-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Two deputies were shot on Saturday in Fort Walton Beach. (I actually saw a bit of the response. I was driving to a local soccer tournament when a patrol car came around the corner with lights flashing and siren blaring, nearly out of control. It was about 1 p.m. and he was likely responding to the shooting.) The wife of the man who shot the deputies said that "her husband believed that the US Government was conspiring against him. She said he had been severely disturbed that Barack Obama had been elected President."

The local paper, the Northwest Florida Daily News, wrote an article titled 'None of it makes sense'. But the shooting does make sense, and you can thank your local Republi-cons.

The Republi-cons have a great election strategy, FEAR, ANGER and HATRED, although as Bush showed, it has proven to be a less than successful governing strategy. It has proven to lead to violence.

This is one example.

And only one county over a man shot five Chilean students, killing two. A neighbor of the shooter recalls him (the shooter) asking "if I was ready for the revolution to begin and if I had any immigrants in my house to get them out." Thanks again Republi-cons.

The local affiliate for the Republi-con fear, anger and hatred, NewTalk 1260 WFTW, with the regulars promoters of the same: Rusty, Sheepish, and Stupid (respectively Rush, Hannity, and Savage).

The area votes overwhelmingly Republi-con.

There has also been an Obama sign war brewing in the county, before the last election someone burned Obama signs, and since the local paper thinks it newsworthy to report on every anti-Obama sign.

Of course the influence of talk radio reaches beyond NW FL. In Pittsburgh, a man shot three police officers. He "had been upset about losing his job and feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns." Another right-wing media myth perpetuated by talk radio with help from FOXNews, and the NRA.

Another example, in Tennessee a man went on a fatal shotgun rampage in a church "prompted by a hatred of liberalism and Democratic leaders who have hamstrung the nation's war on terror."

As the Rwandan Genocide showed, the news media can incite and fuel violence.

So thanks to the Republi-cons, it all makes sense. The equation is Fear, Anger, Hatred + Talk Radio & FOXNews = Violence.

It Ain't Over 'Til the Fat Lady Gets a Job

2009-04-28T04:27:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: The fat lady still ain't got a job, and her prospects ain't good. Read The New York Times, G.M.’s Latest Plan Envisions a Much Smaller Automaker and Workers Walk the Plank. The later article notes that "[w]hile Wall Street is breaking out the Champagne, the rest of the economy is beyond terrible, and will be for the foreseeable future."

You can thank those Republi-cons and their war on the middle class.

Are happy days here again? Is the economic mess behind us?

There is an old saying, it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings, which means that one shouldn't assume the outcome of some event until it has actually finished.

(FYI: The phrase refers to the final scene of German composer Richard Wagner's opera Der Ring des Nibelungen, aka the Ring cycle, a full performance of which could take place over four nights with a total playing time of 15 hours, in which a heavy-set woman dressed like a valkyrie (Brünnhilde) rides into the funeral pyre of her lover (Siegfried), while singing of course because it is an opera, as the the set collapses and the entire cycle ends up in the Rhine river, where it started.)

Read The New York Times, As Stocks Surge, Fears Linger About the Economy.

After the looting and robbery of the treasury of trillions of dollars, the government has succeeded in propping up the stock market. But the stock market decline wasn't the problem, it was just a symptom.

The real event was an economic downturn, which was caused by massive fraud on Wall Street that was facilitated by deregulation and lack of government oversight, all part of a larger Republi-con decades-long war on the middle class, but that is a subject for another post.

Bottomline, the trillions were a mere band aid to hide the gaping wounds of the economic downturn. And my bet is, it ain't over.

The Banks (and Other Financial Institutions) are Robbing Our Future

2009-04-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

UPDATE VI: Ever wonder who the inside man was for the financial industry coup d'état that seized control of the U.S. Treasury. Read The New York Times, Geithner, as Member and Overseer, Forged Ties to Finance Club.

UPDATE V: How much has been looted from the treasury? Read the Washington Post, IMF Estimates Cost of Financial Crisis at $4 Trillion.

And besides paying bonuses, buying toxic assets with government money, guaranteeing loans, and posting huge profits, what else is being done with our money? Read the Washington Post, Bailout Recipients Spent Millions on Lobbying, Records Show.

Once a foob, always a foob?

UPDATE IV: You might not have realized it, but our government was overthrown in a coup recently. Read The Atlantic, The Quiet Coup, and find out how the Geithner, as Member and Overseer, Forged Ties to Finance Club has effectively captured our government.

New York financial institutions are using our treasury to more pay bonuses, buy toxic assets with government money, guarantee loans, and post huge profits.

Read the Washington Post, Fannie, Freddie Budget $210 Million On Bonuses, Draw Lawmakers' Fire and Reuters, US banks with taxpayer money could buy toxic assets, The New York Times, U.S. Program Lends a Hand to Banks, Quietly, and The New York Times, Big Profits, Big Questions.

At the center of it all, Goldman Sachs, the former firm of former Treasury Secretary Paulson. The AIG bailout never made sense, except if you understood that the money was meant to save Goldman Sachs. Since early on it has been clear that payments to AIG were just a cover to get money to Goldman Sachs. And when the original terms of the bailout proved too onerous, the terms were waived for another sweetheart deal.

UPDATE III: In an editorial, Joseph Stiglitz, an economist and professor at Columbia University, and winner of the 2001 the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, calls the Obama plan ersatz capitalism, "a win-win-lose proposal: the banks win, investors win — and taxpayers lose." He says:

"Some Americans are afraid that the government might temporarily “nationalize” the banks, but that option would be preferable to the Geithner plan. After all, the F.D.I.C. has taken control of failing banks before, and done it well. It has even nationalized large institutions like Continental Illinois (taken over in 1984, back in private hands a few years later), and Washington Mutual (seized last September, and immediately resold).

What the Obama administration is doing is far worse than nationalization: it is ersatz capitalism, the privatizing of gains and the socializing of losses. It is a “partnership” in which one partner robs the other. And such partnerships — with the private sector in control — have perverse incentives, worse even than the ones that got us into the mess."

Read The New York Times, Obama’s Ersatz Capitalism.

UPDATE II: An update from on my post in February. Joseph Stiglitz, an economist and professor at Columbia University, and winner of the 2001 the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, agrees that the Obama public-private partnership to buy up to $1 trillion of 'toxic' bank assets "amounts to robbery of the American people." Read The Daily Telegraph, Geithner rescue package 'robbery of the American people.'

The winner of the 2008 the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Paul Krugman, an economist and professor of economics and international affairs at Princeton University, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times, also doesn't like the plan. Read The New York Times, Financial Policy Despair.

UPDATE: Next week Uncle Sam is expected to triple down on AIG. Read the appropriately named article in The New York Times, Propping Up a House of Cards, in which the writer predicts that the government will spend "quarter of a trillion dollars" to prop up AIG. All for the purpose of saving Goldman Sacks, the former firm of former Treasury Secretary Paulson, the focus of an initial bailout proposal that never made sense, beneficiary of over a hundred billion bailout dollars, and then a hundred billion more.

It is robbery of the future!

The government is aiding and abetting the robbery of our future by investment banks and other financial institutions. Read The Big Picture, Citigroup: World’s Worst Investment to Get Even Worse, in which Barry Ritholtz wrote:

"Losers double down.

That’s the classic trading rule which the USA is about to violate in an enormous way. According to trading maven Dennis Gartman, one should “never, ever, ever, under any circumstance, add to a losing position.”

And yet that is what we are about to do.

To review: Former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson made a terrible investment on behalf of the taxpayers by purchasing a 7.8% stake in Citigroup (C) for an initial $25 billion dollars. He further put the US on the hook by guaranteeing against 90% of future losses on $301 billion in assets. Subsequently, we (the taxpayers) injected another $20 billion dollars.

At the time, Citigroup had a market cap of about ~$50 billion dollars. Today, its worth ~$13 billion.

So for about 100% of the market value of Citi, plus insurance guarantees worth of as much as 500% of its value (~$275 billion), we got less than 1/10 of a company that in total was worth 1/5 of our investment.

Pretty good deal, eh?

That $45 billion dollar stake now has a market value of just over a billion.

And, its about to get even worse.

Rather than do what is the FDIC-mandated-by-law thing, we will instead convert the nearly worthless common into preferred shares. The taxpayers stake will rise to near 40% of Citigroup.

NYT:

“Under the terms of the deal, the Treasury Department has agreed to convert up to $25 billion of its preferred stock investment in Citigroup into common stock. It will convert its stake to the extent that Citigroup can persuade private investors, including several big foreign government investment funds, to do so alongside the government, two people close to the deal said.”

What does this do for us? Well, the higher investment stake creates an enormous incentive for John Q. Public to continue to pour money into Citi, regardless of valuation. The inept banking giant then has access to infinite amount of capital, courtesy of you, the 1040 filers.

Its just another example of why these insolvent banks should be nationalized, or for you squeemish free marketers, FDIC mandated, pre-packaged Chapter 11, government funded reorganization.

If Obama continues to listen to the god-awful advice of Larry Summers and Tim Geithner, he will doom his presidency, and finsh marginally ahead of George W. Bush on the list of worst presidents.

This is not change we an believe in . . ."

Let me say again, the taxpayers paid $45 billion dollar for stock in an investment bank that now has a market value of only about $1 billion.

It is bank robbery of taxpayers. The government is robbing our future to save the Ponzi scheme that was Wall Street. The banks know it. Read The Baseline Scenario, Robbery Note - From The Banking Oligarchs This Morning, in which Simon Johnson, former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, wrote:

"The modern bank robber calmly hands a note to the teller, asking for money and making a moderately specific scary threat. The robber, of course, expects the teller to hand over unmarked bills without a fuss.

This morning’s “research” note from a major international bank is entitled, “Falling Short: The government needs to buy toxic assets,” and the heart of their one page argument is, with the emphasis as in the original,

One main stumbling block to the purchasing of troubled assets has been pricing, specifically how does the government price a diverse set of assets in a way that does not put the taxpayer on the hook. However, this should not be the standard by which we judge the efficacy of the plan, because a more prolonged deterioration in the economy will result in a higher terminal unemployment rate and a greater deterioration of the tax base. As such, the decline in tax revenues will crimp many of the essential services provided by the government. Ultimately, the taxpayer will pay one way or another, either through greatly diminished job prospects and/or significantly higher taxes down the line to pay for the massive debt issuance required to fund current and prospective fiscal spending initiatives. We think the government should do the following: estimate the highest price it can pay for the various toxic assets residing on financial institution balance sheets which would still return the principal to taxpayers.

Tell me if you think I am overreacting - it has been a difficult week - but I interpret this as saying: “give us as much money as you can, or else.” And the “or else” appears to be unemployment up around 20% and debt/GDP in the red-for-danger zone.

Can bankers really trump the American government in this fashion? It’s painful to read, but probably helpful that the oligarchs put their cards (and notes) on the table so brazenly. This is, after all, a critical fight to save American democracy, and it’s good to know what we are up against."

All the while the investment banks and other financial institutions pay dividends and bonuses, and have lavish retreats and their CEOs get 'golden parachutes.

This is why it is time to refresh the tree of liberty.

Don't Judge a Person By Her Appearance

2009-04-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

UPDATE II: Snap judgments can be wrong, but scientists say they're only natural. Read The New York Times, Yes, Looks Do Matter.

UPDATE: Should Boyle get a makeover and cash-in? Read the Washington Post, Susan Boyle Makeover Would Add Grace Notes.

"Don't judge a book by its cover" is a metaphorical phrase which means don't determine the worth of something based on its appearance.

But conservative columnist George Will, thinks you should judge a person who wears denim as shabby. Read the Washington Post, Denim Demon, in which he writes:

"Denim is the infantile uniform of a nation in which entertainment frequently features childlike adults ('Seinfeld,' 'Two and a Half Men') and cartoons for adults ('King of the Hill'). Seventy-five percent of American 'gamers' -- people who play video games -- are older than 18 and nevertheless are allowed to vote."

Wills goes on to say that he thinks we should all dress like Fred Astaire, except the womenfolk, of course, who should dress like Grace Kelly. I suppose he would endorse a dress code for the voting booth.

But forgive Will, he is just picking up where Daniel Akst left off in his opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, Down With Denim, in which he writes:

"Although a powerful force for evil, denim has achieved a status that will come as no surprise to fashion historians. Like camouflage fabric, aviator sunglasses and work boots, blue jeans were probably destined for ubiquity thanks to an iron-clad rule of attire adoption. "The sort of garments that become fashionable most rapidly and most completely," Alison Lurie reminds us in "The Language of Clothes," "are those which were originally designed for warfare, dangerous work or strenuous sports.""

Sounds like these two conservatives don't like being seen in the company of fellow shabby Republi-cons, who generally wear denim, camouflage fabric, aviator sunglasses and/or work boots.

Juxtapose those opinions endorsing the idea to judge people by their appearance with Susan Boyle. When

"the frizzy-haired, squarely built Boyle walked onto the stage of "Britain's Got Talent" to barely suppressed snickers from the audience and skeptical eye rolls from Cowell, the unfailingly caustic judge on both "American Idol" and the British TV show.

The audience laughed mercilessly as Boyle did a saucy hip wiggle and said she'd like a chance to prove she could be as good as Elaine Paige, a legendary singer often called the first lady of British musical theater.

Those present were clearly prepared to howl.

Then Boyle opened her mouth."

You might say that "all that is gold does not glitter." Close your eyes and listen.

So the next time you hear a hypocritical Republi-con spew forth fear, anger, and hatred, tell him to read Matthews 7:1, "Judge not, that ye be not judged."

P.S.

You might also reference:

Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

Luke 6:41 "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Romans 14:10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

Romans 14:13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this-- not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.

Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-04-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

Local and state: 'Pensacola Jeff' will be a guest at 4:35 p.m.; and

Nation and international: is it EIT (enhanced interrogation tehniques) or just torture by another name; the New York bankers' coup d'état; and judge not.

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth!

WARNING: You may not want to call in if you have verita s phobia, especially if you are a certain veritasphobic politician.

Not All Republi-Cons are Delusional

2009-04-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

Many Republi-cons seem delusional nowadays, but not all. Read the Washington Post, True Confessions From the Trail.

Obama Thinks You are Stupid

2009-04-24T06:48:00.000-07:00

UPDATE II: Did you know that Bush funded an "education policy attaché" based in Paris, whose annual salary, housing allowance and business expenses exceed $630,000? It will be one of the 'symbolic' budget cuts. Read the Washington Post, President's Critics See a Dull Knife.

UPDATE: Conservative columnist George Will notes that $100 million is "about 13 minutes of federal spending, and 0.0029 percent -- about a quarter of one-hundredth of 1 percent -- of $3.5 trillion. The title of his column in the Washington Post sums it up well, Obama's Budget Follies.

In a worthless gesture you might expect from a Republi-con, Obama has given his Cabinet 90 days to cut $100 million from the federal budget. Read AP, Obama's latest budget-tightening effort hardly makes a dime's worth of difference.

$100 million just ain't what it used to be.

To Bow or to Kiss, What Should a President Do?

2009-04-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

Everyone is upset that Obama bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia:

But personally, I prefer that to holding hands and kissing the King:

Of course, maybe Bush and the King had a bromance.

So what should a President do, bow or kiss?

PS

I vote none of the above.

Who Needs the Truth When You Have Right-Wing Media

2009-04-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: 'Pensacola Jeff' will be a guest tomorrow at 4:35 p.m. at NoBullU on WEBY.

BTW, a bit of triva, 'Pensacola Jeff' is a trivia master. He was a 2007 Jeopardy Tournament of Champions wildcard semifinalist. So get those answers ready, and lets see if he know the questions.

A couple of blurbs about right-wing media, and the truth:

From RicksBlog.biz:

"The Virginian-Pilot reports that retired Rear Adm. Lou Sarosdy denies that he wrote a wide-circulated email that criticizes President Barack Obama for not authorizing the military to act more aggressively during the stand-off, which ended with snipers killing three Somali pirates. The e-mail claims that Obama rejected two proposed rescue plans and that Phillips was saved only after naval officers at the scene decided on their own to proceed."

And 'Pensacola Jeff': One brave soul speaks the truth, and is greeted by boos, at teabagging party in Pensacola, FL.

Is 'Pensacola Jeff' the new Joe the Plumber? Watch the MSNBC video where he preaches the truth to the disbelieving Republi-cons:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Pensacola Jeff has a blog.

I'll try to get him as a guest for the next show.

How to Tell the Sex of a Fly

2009-04-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

From an email:

A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a fly swatter

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Hunting flies" he responded.

"Oh! Killing any?" she asked.

"Yep, 3 males, 2 females,' he replied.

Intrigued, she asked "How can you tell them apart?"

He responded, "3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the phone."

Too cute.

An Impressive Weapon in the War Against the Middle Class

2009-04-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

Want to know why most stuff is manufactured in China? There are over 1.3 billion people who want your job, and they are willing to work for a fraction of the average American wage.

And how are those goods transported to America? The Emma Maersk.

Some stats:

Country of origin - Denmark
Length - 1,302 ft
Width - 207 ft
First Trip - Sept. 08, 2006
Construction cost - US $145,000,000+
Engine - 14 in-line cylinders diesel engine (110,000 BHP)
Cruise Speed - 31 knots
Crew - 13 people
Typical Pacific transit time - 4 days
Net cargo - 123,200 tons, approx. 15,000 containers

Silicone painting applied to the ship bottom reduces water resistance and saves 317,000 gallons of diesel per year.

This is how Wal-Mart gets all its stuff from China.

According to an email I received "almost all of these containers are shipped back to China EMPTY! You heard that right. We send nothing back on most of these ships. What does that tell you about the current financial state of this country!"

As I said before, this decade may prove to be America's zenith. I predict that the economic mess will be the event leading to the emergence of Chinese economic and military dominance.

Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-04-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

Local and state: Sansom indicted, now he should resign from office; and

Nation and international: told ya so, Navy Seals to the rescue, taxes; is it EIT (enhanced interrogation tehniques) or just torture by another name; the New York bankers' coup d'état; and judge not.

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth!

WARNING: You may not want to call in if you have verita s phobia, especially if you are a certain veritasphobic politician.

Mike & Bert's Coming Out

2009-04-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Maybe Mike & I just have a bromance. Watch this and you'll know what I mean:

NOTE: The audio segment from Friday's show will be ready and posted soon. Check back later if you missed it -- it was hilarious.

The emails, in chronological order:

Mike wrote:

"Is Barack Obama's Momma In Nude Porn Pictures?

Some photos have been making their rounds on the internet that claim to be nude shots of Barack Obama's mom. Those photos are attached.

One photo is of the Obama family. Look closely at is his mom so you can compare her face to the face in the porn photos.

It's amazing what can be done these days with PhotoShop. So these may very well be fakes. But the sites I have been to to research this allegation claim the photos are authentic, and that it really is Obama's momma (Stanley Ann Dunham). Snopes lists it as "undetermined."

I seek only the truth. Sooner or later a listener will call me on the air and bring this up. I'd like to respond with a well-documented, or at least well-researched, answer.

Do you have any information on this that I can use to prove or disprove the allegations that Obama's momma posed for nudie shots that are now circulating on the web?

Thanks,
Mike"

[EDITOR'S NOTE: I have not included the photo of Stanley Ann Dunham. Are they relevant to the discussion?]

Bert wrote:

"I would think that something like this is below even Republi-con low standards for newsworthiness. But I guess there is no shame for the sake of the party."

Mike wrote:

"I seek only the truth.

And if you read it through to the end (if you could keep your eyes off Obama's momma long enough to read my entire text), you would notice that I am seeking information to DISPROVE the allegation that those titties belong to Obama's momma."

Bert wrote:

"And on my next show I will seek information to DISPROVE the allegation that you are a homosexual wife beater."

Mike wrote:

"That would be understandable if photos existed showing me engaged in homosexual behavior or wife-beating.

This is not made of whole cloth. In fact, if you look closely, it appears that "Obama's momma" is not wearing any cloth at all!"

The photo showing Mike engaged in homosexual behavior, with me (!?!), and disclosed to me during the final segment of the show Friday:

On Taxes

2009-04-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

Taxes, everyone hates them, but wants something from the government.

After you have prepared your tax return and finished with your local AstroTurf tax protest, sponsored no doubt by your local Republi-con party, read these articles:

The New York Times, Taxing, a Ritual to Save the Species,

The New York Times, Tax Revolts: Some Succeed, Most Don’t, and

The New York Times, Gorging the Beast, in which the writer argues that Obama seems to be trying to do too much at once, spending too much money without making the tough decisions about how to pay for it all. She also includes An Ode to Taxes:

Oh, little tax return form
No longer are you sad and lorn.
Fly away with your friends in a crowd
And try to make your filers proud.
Maybe you’ll fix a road or a park
Just please don’t turn into another earmark.

The Fashion Police

2009-04-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Already more than one in 100 American adults is behind bars. Why should you care? Because it costs a lot of money to lock someone up.

In some places you can even be arrested for failing to be fashionable. Read The New York Times, Ban on Drooping Drawers Faces Legal Challenge.

What do you think, should drooping drawers = jail?

Those Crazy Republi-Cons

2009-04-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

A great article about those crazy Republi-cons and their AstroTurf tax parties. Read The New York Times, Tea Parties Forever.

Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-04-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

I'm back after a four week absence.

Listen to the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- No political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- Just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

NoBullU will broadcast today from 4:05 to 6 p.m. at 1330 AM WEBY and on line, courtesy of Cyber Smart Computers.

Topics:

Local and state: TBD, and

Nation and international: TBD.

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth!

WARNING: You may not want to call in if you have verita s phobia, especially if you are a certain veritasphobic politician.

A Couple of Good Obama-toons

2009-04-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

Obama should lose the teleprompter crutch:

BTW, the Obama teleprompter has a blog.

And here is another great editorial cartoon:

The Republi-Con Fear, Anger, and Hatred Machine

2009-04-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

For an interesting perspective on the right-wing media, read the Washington Post, The News From Planet Hannity.

With due respect to FDR, the only thing we have to fear is (Republi-con) fear, anger, and hatred.

Republi-con Family Values

2009-04-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

UPDATE II: It is a Republi-con axiom that it matters not what you do, it is what you say that counts. Ergo, pay lip service to those so-called conservative values, and do what you want.

In this case, those lip's belonged to the pitbull herself, Sarah Palin. It seems that she was letting her daughter's boyfriend 'stay over.' Read Us Magazine, Levi Johnston: The Palin Family Is Lying.

Not looking good for Palin, the Party Mom, in 2012!

What do you think?

UPDATE: Remember Sarah Palin. After she was selected as John McCain's running mate, the public learned that her 17-year old daughter was pregnant. To deflect questions about Republi-con family values, the campaign quickly flew in the father-to-be and claimed that the couple were engaged and planning to marry.

Of course, as most Republi-cons know, talk is cheap, and it turns out that it was all a cheap political stunt. Now that the campaign is over, Palin's daughter and her 'fiancé' have split. Apparently, the happy couple had "mutually decided 'a while ago' to end their relationship." I wonder how long ago 'a while ago' was, October perhaps.

Republi-con family values, like claims of fiscal conservatism, all cheap political talk.

The Palin family saga continues: Bristol is now an high school drop out, unwed mother. Not to be outdone, the baby's father also dropped out of high school. And his mother was arrest on felony drug charges.

And this from the party that claims to protect family values. Can you say hypocrisy?

But I sure do miss the skits on SNL. What about you?

No Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-04-03T02:29:00.000-07:00

Usually on Fridays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

But I can't make it today so Ken or Mike will substitute. Until the next show, post a comment or two.

Bailout Scorecard

2009-04-02T05:24:00.000-07:00

How much money has been allocated and spent, for what and and when? See CNN Money, Economy rescue: Adding up the dollars to keep score.

Are You a Hedgehog or a Fox?

2009-04-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

Don't know what I mean, then read The New York Times, Learning How to Think.

Hint: "The Hedgehog and the Fox" was the title of an essay by Isaiah Berlin about Russian author Leo Tolstoy's theory of history.

So I ask again, are you a hedgehog, or a fox?

Republi-Con Fear Mongering

2009-03-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: More on the old and unimproved right-wing fear-mongering media strategy for Obama. Read The New York Times, Fox News’s Mad, Apocalyptic, Tearful Rising Star.

And remember . . .

Be afraid, be very, very afraid, while the robber investment banks and financial institutions loot the treasury and buy FoxNews ads:

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

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The purpose of terrorism is to terrify the target public.

Thanks to the Republi-cons and FoxNews, OBL has won.

How Do You Feel About the Economy?

2009-03-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

The New York Times wants to know. You can enter the word that best describes your current mood.

I said I was disgusted.

Why, although you are not asked to explain your feeling, I'm disgusted because the banks (and other financial institutions) are robbing our future.

What did you say? And why?

What is Your Congressman's ROR?

2009-03-31T06:07:00.000-07:00

UPDATE III: An update from my initial post in February. Congressman with ties to the PMA Group, AKA Murtha Men, may want to start worrying. The lobbying firm, one of the 10 biggest in Washington, and started by Paul Magliocchetti, a protégé of Representative John Murtha, is closing after prosecutors raided Magliocchetti's office and home last week. See The New York Times, Star Lobbyist Closes Shop Amid F.B.I. Inquiry.

UPDATE II: See The Seattle Times, The Favor Factory 2008, for a database of lawmakers, earmarks, and campaign giving.

It seems that our local Congressman's overall ROR was only 9,050% over five years. In 2008, Miller's total defense earmarks were $7,400,000 and his 2003-08 campaign contributions from earmark recipients was $81,750. However, his PMA ROR remains unchanged.

Is your Congressman a Murtha Man?

Read Congressional Quarterly, Firm with Murtha Ties Got Earmarks From Nearly One-Fourth of House.

Or read The New York Times, 104 Will Get You $300 Million:

"A lobbying powerhouse recently raided by federal agents has hurriedly gone out of business, but not before leaving a detailed blueprint of how the political money churn works in Congress. It was already clear that the PMA Group had heavy clout through Representative John Murtha and his powerful clique of defense appropriators. They, in turn, netted hefty campaign donations from PMA’s grateful roster of defense contractors.

But now, just as the firm implodes in the face of a growing scandal, new Congressional disclosure regulations are revealing the breathtaking breadth of PMA’s influence. The lobbying group — a revolving-door boîte created and run by staff alumni of the Murtha appropriations team — scored a singular coup last year. It convinced 104 different House members to add separate earmarks into the defense appropriations bill worth $300 million to PMA Group clients.

These same lawmakers who looked out for the PMA Group have received $1.8 million in campaign donations from the lobbying firm since 2001, according to an analysis of new disclosure filings by Congressional Quarterly and Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group.

Quid pro quo is the hardest of Congressional crimes to prove. But the new disclosure requirements — created by Democrats after the Republicans’ Jack Abramoff scandal — reveal the shameless back-scratching of lobbyist and lawmaker, tracking the flow of taxpayers’ funds to contractors and back as booty to lawmakers.

The raid on the PMA Group was part of an investigation into possible illicit campaign donations. Fast as PMA quit town, members of Congress have begun donating the lobbyists’ money to charity. Investigators should show the same diligence and enthusiasm following the full PMA money trail."

Then check to see if your congressman is on the list at Congressional Quarterly, Lobbying Firm's Capitol Hill Connections.

Our local Congressman, Jeff Miller, was one of the 104. He secured $3,800,000 in earmarks for clients of The PMA Group in the fiscal 2008 defense appropriations law, which was enacted in 2007. He has received $7,000 from PMA Group's political action committee or its employees since 2001. That is a rate of return (ROR) of over 54,285% over 6 years. Not bad for PMA.

(The actual ROR is probably much higher because there were likely earmarks made in other years. But why quibble whether it was a ROR of 54,000% or 55,000% or more, it is an great ROR for PMA in any case.)

But makes ya wonder why Congressman are so cheap.

UPDATE: It appears that my Senator, Bill Nelson, sold out to the Stanforn Financial Group for $45,000. As The New York Times reported "the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Robert Allen Stanford, the firm’s chief, of conducting 'a massive ongoing fraud' in the sale of about $8 billion of high-yielding certificates of deposit held in the firm’s bank in Antigua."

Is there no shame in Congress.

An Outrage to Liberty and Freedom

2009-03-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Thanks to those who took time to express their concern and outrage. As a result, Missouri the scraps MIAC report.

Chuck Baldwin is the pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida, and was the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party for the 2008 U.S. Presidential election.

Baldwin alleges that there is a a secret Missouri state police report that categorized supporters of Congressman Ron Paul, Bob Barr, and himself as "'militia' influenced terrorists" and that the report "instructs the Missouri police to be on the lookout for supporters displaying bumper stickers and other paraphernalia associated with the Constitutional, Campaign for Liberty, and Libertarian parties."

See his letter.

If this is true, it would be an outrage to liberty and freedom and someone should be fired and prosecuted.

Write Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and demand an explanation.

No Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-03-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

Usually on Fridays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

But I can't make it today so Ken or Mike will substitute. Until the next show, post a comment or two.

Economic Mess for Non-Dummies

2009-03-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

Still having a hard time understanding the economic mess. My previous post, Economic Mess for Dummies, not challenging enough. Then read Charles I. Jones, A Supplement to Macroeconomics (W.W. Norton, 2008), The Global Financial Crisis of 2007–20??.

Also still wondering who's to blame. Read, NPR, Planet Money, He Blames Greenspan.

No Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

2009-03-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Usually on Fridays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

But I can't make it today so Ken or Mike will substitute. Until the next show, post a comment or two.