Thursday, November 24, 2011
The Obama & NATO Human Rights Victory Celebration Continues in Libya
INDEPENDENT
The detention of 7,000 people in prisons and camps by the anti-Gaddafi forces is not surprising. The conflict in Libya was always much more of a civil war between Libyans than foreign governments pretended or the foreign media reported.
The winning anti-Gaddafi militia are not proving merciful. Often they have had relatives killed in the fighting or imprisoned by the old regime who they want to avenge. Sometimes they come from tribes and towns traditionally hostile to neighbouring tribes and towns. Gaddafi supporters are being hunted down. According to one person in Gaddafi's home town of Sirte, they are facing a "continuing reign of terror".
"There is a deep and spreading frenzy, particularly among some of the youth militia and the Islamists, to hunt down anyone associated with the former regime," the source said.
The National Transitional Council, whose control is largely theoretical, is not in a position to stop this purge because many of its members are themselves frightened of being accused of links with the old regime.
Some groups are particularly vulnerable. The then-rebels were convinced earlier this year that many of those they were fighting were mercenaries recruited in Central or West Africa. But when these alleged "mercenaries" were arrested in Tripoli, many turned out to be black migrant labourers without identity papers.
According to Amnesty International, some of those who were put on television by the rebels as mercenaries were later quietly freed because they were migrant workers. Others faced mob justice before they were able to prove their identities.
The international media was overwhelmingly hostile to Gaddafi's regime and tended to highlight atrocities committed by it and disregard or underplay human rights violations carried out by his opponents. An example of this occurred when eight or nine bodies of Libyan soldiers were found who appeared to have been executed. The rebels claimed they had been shot by Gaddafi's men because they tried to change sides. But Amnesty located a film of the soldiers being captured alive by the rebels and it was presumably the rebels who killed them.
The purge of Gaddafi supporters is made more dangerous by the infighting between the militias, and between them and the politicians. Association with the old regime can be used to discredit an opponent. There may also be self-interest since death squads are reported to be taking their property.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Obama owns this.
ReplyDeleteBarack Obama, US president
ReplyDelete“Our consensus was strong, and our resolve is clear. The people of Libya must be protected and in the absence of an immediate end to the violence against civilians, our coalition is prepared to act and act with urgency.”
Libyan Government spokesman Mussa Ibraham quoting Col Gaddafi
ReplyDelete“You will regret it if you take a step towards interfering in our internal affairs.” -
Jeh C. Johnson, the Pentagon general counsel, and Caroline D. Krass, the acting head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, had told the White House that they believed that the United States military’s activities in the NATO-led air war amounted to “hostilities.” Under the War Powers Resolution, that would have required Mr. Obama to terminate or scale back the mission after May 20.
ReplyDelete584,000,000 Barrels of Oil/Yr.
ReplyDeleteX $110.00 = $64,240,000,000.00
Sixty-four Billion Dollars/yr over, say, twenty years.
$1.28 Trillion + whatever price increases take place.
Them is spoils worth fighting over.
Jeh C. Johnson, the Pentagon general counsel, is making a political claim.
ReplyDeleteThe War Powers Act exempts NATO commanded operations, which the Libyan adventure definitely was.
So, it was not covered by the War Powers Act.
This is classic Obama:
ReplyDelete1. He does not know what he does not know.
2. No sense of history and culture outside of his dogmatic intellectual imprisonment.
3. No experience at leadership. Sometimes it is more important to say “NO".
4. He is more interested in theatrics than policy.
5. He is completely devoid of concern for others except as to how it plays to the camera.
6. There is no reflection on the consequences of his action, no thought, no concern. He is on to the next thing to pick up and spoil. He is bereft of maturity, like a child at Christmas, picking up a new toy, grabbing one from the hands of another, excited about the wrappings and tearing them off and then on to the next present, one at a time each discarded and forgotten in turn.
ReplyDeleteNothing in this joint resolution shall be construed to require any further specific statutory authorization to permit members of United States Armed Forces to participate jointly with members of the armed forces of one or more foreign countries in the headquarters operations of high-level military commands which were established prior to the date of enactment of this joint resolution and pursuant to the United Nations Charter or any treaty ratified by the United States prior to such date.
The UAV's are not troops.
Technology leaving the War Powers Act behind, in the dust bin of history.
I despise this age of legalism. The German’s worshiped legalisms, always did, to cover every sordid and evil deed. Every Jew murdered, every piece of property stolen, every atrocity and abomination sanitized by some filthy antiseptic law. The German’s became Nazi’s because of the moral stupor induced by another law.
ReplyDeleteA human being just has to know when to say “Fuck you."
ReplyDeleteI'm no middle east scholar but this outcome has been obvious to me from the outset. In wars people die, some deserve it but mostly it's the innocent who get slaughtered. There are either some very stupid or very dishonest people in the corridors of power in this country. Libya was a secularist which made Gaddafi unpopular with the religious extremists that the west has now brought to power.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Deuce, but you gotta know where to pick your spots.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, I can report that this is a very sub-optimum strategy for dealing with the friendly folks down at the Eye R Ess. :)
Shush yo mouth boy!
ReplyDeleteThe Federals are engaged in a full out disinformation campaign.
ReplyDeleteHave been, since at least 1960, when after Fleming V. Nestor the Federals continued to refer to Social Security as "Insurance".
When the "legailize" destroyed the storyline of Federal propaganda, but that story was not abandoned.
The Federals ignored the Law and promoted the misinformation. Elements of the Federals were still at it, last August during the debt ceiling debacle.
Portugal's rating cut to junk by Fitch. Last I saw they were sporting a 12% ten-year.
ReplyDeleteI spent 33 years in the Marines. Most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for capitalism. If interested , click the link on my name.
ReplyDeleteObama supported the rebels without Congressional approval, prompting Rep. Kucinich to suggest Obama should be impeached. When does Obama's "incompetence" become recognized as treason?
ReplyDeleteThe Colonel was an enemy of the United States for as long as I can remember.
ReplyDeleteLibya is in the French?Italian sphere of influence. They led the way, through NATO.
As it was designed to be used.
As we are using it, in Afghanistan.
There are responsibilities that must be covered, when in a military alliance.
Few in the Federal Government, and no Republican but Dr Paul, wants US to "roll back" from those alliances.
Certainly not Mr Romney nor the Newt.
ReplyDeleteWe all know the General, here at the EB.
ReplyDeleteHe is a friend of ours.
…a quote from Smed’s web site:
ReplyDelete"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." ~ H. L. Mencken
I was amazed from the outset that anyone got excited by the "Arab Spring"
ReplyDeleteThen again, I was amazed in the same way concerning OWS.
Where Ronald W. Reagan failed
ReplyDeleteBarack H. Obama succeeded
Where George W. Bush failed
Barack H. Obama succeeded.
The lead dog terrorists are dying, during the tenure of Barack Obama.
The enemies remained the same.
The outcomes changed.
6. There is no reflection on the consequences of his action, no thought, no concern. He is on to the next thing to pick up and spoil.
ReplyDeleteThe two guys that wrote the best stuff on Hussein before the election spotted this trait.
No job was good enough for The Won, on to bigger things more worthy, but of course they never are.
Can't accuse 'Rat of always moving on to new shit.
ReplyDeleteSOS
He delegates and then does not seem to check back, to evaluate results.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, he's been a little busy trying to clean up Bushco's attempt to utterly, and completely destroy the world economy.
ReplyDelete"I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.” - Jon Stewart
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, he's been a little busy trying to clean up Bushco's attempt to utterly, and completely destroy the world economy.
ReplyDeleteYou are such a kind man!
He supported his NATO partners without getting any American Troops killed; and he's within thirty days of getting 150,000 troops out of Iraq.
ReplyDeleteDeuce: I despise this age of legalism. The German’s worshiped legalisms, always did, to cover every sordid and evil deed. Every Jew murdered, every piece of property stolen, every atrocity and abomination sanitized by some filthy antiseptic law. The German’s became Nazi’s because of the moral stupor induced by another law.
ReplyDelete"To the reader unfamiliar with the subject, or viewing it only on the surface, it would perhaps never occur that, as used in the great controversies respecting the Territories of the United States, it does not, never did, and never could, imply the addition of a single slave to the number already existing. The question was merely whether the slaveholder should be permitted to go, with his slaves, into territory (the common property of all) into which the non-slaveholder could go with his property of any sort. There was no proposal nor desire on the part of the Southern States to reopen the slave-trade, which they had been foremost in suppressing, or to add to the number of slaves. It was a question of the distribution, or dispersion, of the slaves, rather than of the “extension of slavery.” Removal is not extension." Jefferson Davis: Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government
600,000 Americans died for that.
ReplyDeleteWe will re-visit the subject of the worst US president soon enough.
ReplyDeletePrepare your defenses.
ReplyDeleteYou will need them.
ReplyDeleteDR: The War Powers Act exempts NATO commanded operations, which the Libyan adventure definitely was.
ReplyDeleteSo, it was not covered by the War Powers Act.
So you default to Executive prerogative? I would default to the Constitution, that grants Congress alone the power to declare war. If the War Powers Act doesn't apply, then we roll old school.
Jefferson Davis lacked imagination. All the South had to do would have been to release half the slaves. Give them a free pass to go to New York or Pennsylavnia. Take the pass to the nearest US post Office and return it with the postage stamped and they would ahve been free to stay in PA or NY. I am certain the good people in NY and Pennsy would have invited the other 50%.
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeleteIf the War Powers Act doesn't apply, then we roll old school.
Good point T. Not that it will make any difference with the current crowd in OZ.
The sad part is we have sunk to the level of using hypocrisy, euphemisms, and the legalism Deuce abjures to cynically try to justify our actions.
Ah well, Happy Thanksgiving anyway.
.
Medvedev: “Given the intrinsic link between strategic offensive and defensive arms, conditions for our withdrawal from the New START treaty could also arise.”
ReplyDeleteThat suits me just fine. It was the only Democratic Party arms control treaty ratified by the Senate.
Republicans voting yes included such RINOs as Collins and Snowe. Zero Democrats voted no.
Europe is the first car to the "peak oil" mess. The North Sea Production is Plunging, and Libya is off-line.
ReplyDeleteAnd, they've already picked most of their low-lying fruit. They already drive small, gas efficient cars, and are well advanced in electrified transport.
They believed small, diesel cars, and electric trams would save them. As a result, they're Way behind in the move toward biofuels. Bad call.
ReplyDeleteFrance was floating the balloon, this morning of a Militarized, "Humanitarian" Highway into Syria to take Relief supplies to the "people."
ReplyDeleteThis only makes sense in relation to Iran. The Euros would dearly love to have that 3.5 Million Barrels of Oil/Day that Iran produces.
Also, look for a little help from Italy, and France down in Libya. A few (tens of) thousands of troops to help protect the "peepulz."
Rufus II said...
ReplyDeleteFrance was floating the balloon, this morning of a Militarized, "Humanitarian" Highway into Syria to take Relief supplies to the "people."
Knock yourself out, France. Where's the western endpoint of that? Beirut? About time you learned how to play dodge the IEDs.
I don't care what religion Romney is as long as it isn't a religion that wants me dead.
ReplyDeleteI hear OWS is going to occupy the store Bed BATH and Beyond on Friday. We can only hope.
ReplyDeleteThe Book of Mormon (The Musical) - Baptize Me
ReplyDeleteIf Occupy Wall Street represents 99% of America, How come all the makers of hygiene products haven't filed bankruptcy yet?
ReplyDeleteThe White House named their pardoned turkey "Peace"
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately for ours we named it "Piece"
Rufus II said...
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, he's been a little busy trying to clean up Bushco's attempt to utterly, and completely destroy the world economy.
---
Why don't you join the occupiers?
Whenever and whoever (ECB?) takes a break from buying European bonds, bad things happen:
ReplyDeleteFRANKFURT (MarketWatch) -- Italy's 10-year government bond yield edged above 7% again on Thursday, highlighting worries about the third-largest euro-zone economy's ability to meet its funding needs. The 10-year yield IT:10YR_ITA +0.29% rose 18 basis points to 7.01%, according to FactSet Research.
Josh Gad Guest Stars on Tonight's MODERN FAMILY
ReplyDeleteRufie thinks it was Diesel Kars, not Socialism that brought down the Euros!
ReplyDeleteFunny Guy!
If Occupy Wall Street represents 99% of America, How come all the makers of hygiene products haven't filed bankruptcy yet?
ReplyDelete---
When they move back in to Mommy and Daddy's, they catch up on their missed facials.
re: Rufus’ link …BEIRUT — The European Union said Thursday that protecting civilians caught up in Syria’s crackdown on anti-government protests “is an increasingly urgent and important aspect” of responding to the bloodshed there. At least three more people were killed by Syrian security forces.
ReplyDeleteFighting for the People tm
ReplyDelete...and forgiveness of student loans.
Is anyone keeping score and where is the humanitarian indignation of the Left?
ReplyDeleteWhen Assad goes, it'll be the end of Christians in the ME.
ReplyDeleteIf we had taken him out in 2003, the effect would have been quite different.
...but we didn't.
My last two remaining brain cells are in complete agreement that the Euro currency is doomed, and has absolutely zero chance of survival.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there's a faint voice emanating from that spot next to my spine, down between my shoulder blades, that says, "ahh, I don't know."
It's "Europe," Jake.
Libya is a wonderful foreign policy success. A muzzie country has been broken up and they will be preoccupied butchering one another for a long time to come.
ReplyDeleteAnd not one dead American.
Obama is a genius.
And it puts the lie to the idiotic idea that islam overcomes tribal divisions, for all the world to see.
gobblegobble
b
Cain, scorned and laughed at was correct about Al Qaeda in Libya. We "liberated" Libya from free education, free healthcare, free housing, no interest loans, and a government that would pay for half of the price of your new car so they could be downgraded to a fascist hellhole flying the Al Qaeda flag over their "government" buildings.
ReplyDeleteI didn't say that, Doug.
ReplyDeleteI said that they thought that small, diesel cars, and electric trams would insulate them from, at least the early effects of, peak oil.
As for what "brought them down:" Too much Socialism (anti-capitalism) is surely one of the (if not the) largest contributing factors.
Of course, there's a very large question (in some peoples' minds, not mine) as to whether 13, or 17, or whatever it is, "Perfectly" run countries could survive a "Common Currency."
A report in the London-based Arabic language Al Quds-Al Arabi said Thursday that the three Russian warships floating off the Syrian coast are carrying technicians who will help the Syrians to set up units of 'super-advanced' S-300 anti-missile systems that have been delivered to Syria over the past several weeks.
ReplyDeleteRussia has long supported arms sales to Syria. It can hardly stand by and see another client state fall to NATO air attacks without as much as one plane being taken down.
ReplyDeleteRussia also knows that if Syria falls, so will Iran.
ReplyDeleteunless of course Netanyahu and Mitt Romney saves Ahmadinejad from his inevitable street justice.
ReplyDeleteSyrian Migs don't exactly have a good track record against IDF F-15s.
ReplyDeleteThe Congress authorized the Libyan Operation when they ratified the NATO Treaty.
ReplyDeleteNow if one wants to argue against US participation in NATO, that's something else, entirely.
Otherwise, when all 27 of your alliance members are in agreement as to a course of military action, the US can either go along or quit the alliance.
Few that opposed US participation in Libya advocate for leaving NATO.
desert rat said...
ReplyDeleteThe Congress authorized the Libyan Operation when they ratified the NATO Treaty.
More of the legalisms that Deuce says he despises. NATO couldn't hold a bake sale unless the US DoD provided the folding chairs.
DR: Otherwise, when all 27 of your alliance members are in agreement as to a course of military action, the US can either go along or quit the alliance.
ReplyDeleteSure, just like Turkey quit the alliance rather than go along with the 4th ID's northern front idea.
Teresita said...
ReplyDeleteA report in the London-based Arabic language Al Quds-Al Arabi said Thursday that the three Russian warships floating off the Syrian coast are carrying technicians who will help the Syrians to set up units of 'super-advanced' S-300 anti-missile systems that have been delivered to Syria over the past several weeks.
Mr T, you are such a low life....
When you quote someone else's blog you should give credit...
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/
You are an example of a troll, really... One LAZY troll...
But I guess in your warped mind it helps fill up for your lack of self esteem by trying to sound informed and smart (by posting other peoples words verbatim )
Carl In Jerusalem's website widely known and respected. The fact you can post his words without credit shows how much of a lowlife you really are.
What is Ignorance: When you quote someone else's blog you should give credit...
ReplyDeletehttp://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/
Well, genius, I did precisely that. Except that I made it blue and clickable, just like this.
<a href="http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/">You fucking moron</a>
You fucking moron
Romney-Rubio-12 is the new McCain-Palin-08. Surest way to lose. With Obama polling in the 30s the Pubs are basically being handed Marse Robert's Special Order 191 wrapped around three cigars and they're going to screw the pooch just like McClellan did.
ReplyDeleteTeresita said...
ReplyDeleteWhat is Ignorance: When you quote someone else's blog you should give credit...
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/
Well, genius, I did precisely that. Except that I made it blue and clickable, just like this.
You fucking moron
burying the credit in the hyperlink aint giving credit Mr T....
but you know that you fucking nitwit...
interesting Mr T's 1st post is now deleted...
ReplyDeleteI guess it's telling the truth if you can delete the offending lies....
WiO: burying the credit in the hyperlink aint giving credit Mr T...
ReplyDeleteWow, look, even WiO made a blue and clickable link to his buddy's blog by quoting my post.
Anyway, it's better than giving credit. It does all the work for ya, takes you right there.
What is "Occupation" said... interesting Mr T's 1st post is now deleted...
ReplyDeleteYou know, Anonymous Bob at least has an excuse for advanced dementia, he's old enough to fart dust.
Teresita said...
ReplyDeleteWhat is "Occupation" said... interesting Mr T's 1st post is now deleted...
You know, Anonymous Bob at least has an excuse for advanced dementia, he's old enough to fart dust.
And you are quite the "woman" now that you have had your sex change operation what is your point?
Thank you Lord for the gift of a difficult neighbor, for even the heathens love their good neighbors.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanks Giving Day!
ReplyDeleteAnd Miss T, your excuse is?......
ReplyDeleteb
600,000 Americans. The bloodiest civil war in history ocurred 150 years ago in North America. One people with the same culture and speaking the same language fought to death over two concepts of political union; one in the form of United States of America the other in the form of Confederated States of America. The statists prevailed. For that you celebrate Lincoln?
ReplyDeleteThose "Super 300's" aren't going to do them any good. The Israelis (Americans) will turn out their lights just like they did last time.
ReplyDeleteNO; It wasn't two peoples of the "Same" Culture.
ReplyDeleteOne was a Slave-owning Culture, and one was a culture of Civilization, and Freedom of Man.
It doesn't matter, because there's no way on God's green earth that Obama is going to get involved in Syria. And, Syria is not about to mess with Israel, again.
ReplyDeleteAnd to which civilization did two of your Presidents, Washington and Jefferson belong? Your revolution was a turning point against slavery. It was an evolving process. One third of your signers to your declaration of independence owned slaves as did Benjamin Franklin at one time. Slavery was inexcusable but was dying because its time had past. Your opinion is your own but you are wrong about your history. You are wrong about Lincoln.
ReplyDeleteLincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus, which allowed him to arrest thousands of U.S. citizens and hold them without cause or trial.
When a U.S. Circuit Court overturned Lincoln on this, he ignored them.
Lincoln won re-election zChicago style, including using Union troops redeployed to states to pressurize and intimidate voters.
Lincoln planned to have blacks and coloreds shipped back to Africa.
Lincoln was for slavery in border states before he was against it and only turned to emancipating slaves as a last-ditch strategy for weakening the Confederacy.
Lincoln was not a Christian.
Lincoln arrested Maryland politicians without regard to the law, all for his political purposes.
Lincoln had neither a heart for black slaves or red Indians. He responded to a Sioux Indian rebellion, protesting against the US abrogating treaties by sending troops out to kill The Sioux.
Lincoln abolished their reservations, broke and cancelled all treaties with the Sioux, and placed a $25 bounty on their scalps.
Why was Lincoln great?
I didn't say anything about Lincoln. But, if I had, I would have said that Abraham Lincoln is one of three American Presidents that won "an existential war."
ReplyDeleteThus, cementing his selection as one of the Three Great Presidents.
ReplyDeleteget this straight said...
ReplyDelete"Why was Lincoln great?"
'Cause Bill OReilly says so, mofo.
Now You're A Man,
a man, man, man!
...and don't you forget it
I don't wanna sound like a queer or nothin
ReplyDeleteT-Rex
ReplyDeleteMr T!
I Missed Our Sexlife
ReplyDeleteNow, Doug's off his fucking meds. WTF?
ReplyDeleteOne people with the same culture and speaking the same language fought to death over two concepts of political union
ReplyDeleteNo, you had basically a four year riot. Some criminals opened fire on a military installation and forced the soldiers there to flee. Then the 6th Massachusetts Regiment was attacked in Baltimore while they were trying to march to Washington, and some more criminals tried to raise trouble in the western counties of Virginia all because they were loyal to the stars and stripes. The rioters blocked free navigation on the Big Muddy from New Orleans to Cairo, invaded the north twice, in Sept. 1862 and again in June 1863, and sent the CSS Alabama out into the blue water to raid whatever it could. Lincoln was just taking out the trash.
Oh, Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone.
ReplyDelete'cept Doug, of course. :)
MENA reported that the Cairo prosecutor general imposed the four-day detention period and the trio was questioned in the presence of a defense lawyer, a US embassy official and a translator.
ReplyDeleteIn Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Wednesday that US consular officials were able to visit them "and our officials in Cairo do remain in close contact with Egyptian authorities regarding their cases."
He added, "My understanding is that no formal charges have been brought against them."
Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite holiday besides the 4th of July. All in all there is a lot to be thankful for. Off to dinner!
ReplyDeleteWell, a Girl Potato and Boy Potato had eyes for each other,and finally they got married, and had a little sweet potato, which they called 'Yam'.
ReplyDeleteOf course, they wanted the best for Yam.
When it was time, they told her about the facts of life. They warned her about going out and getting half-baked, so she wouldn't get accidentally mashed, and get a bad name for herself like 'Hot Potato'.
Yam said not to worry, no Spud would get her into the sack and make a rotten potato out of her!
But on the other hand she wouldn't stay home and become a Couch Potato either.
She would eat properly so as not to be skinny like her Shoestring Cousins.
When she went off to Europe, Mr. And Mrs. Potato told Yam to watch out for those hard-boiled guys from Ireland and the greasy guys from France called the French Fries.
And when she went out West, she must watch out for the Indians so she wouldn't get scalloped.
They sent Yam to Idaho P.U. (that's Potato University ).
So that when she graduated she'd really be "in the Chips".
But in spite of all they did for her, one-day Yam came home and announced she was going to marry Chris Berman.
"Chris Berman!!!!", they cried. They were very upset and told Yam "You can't possibly marry Chris Berman because he's just ......
a COMMONTATER!"
He's fucking weird.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good clean joke up to then.
ReplyDelete...and it's PASSED, not "past" !
ReplyDelete(get this straight said... )
ReplyDelete"The chaos prevailing in Cairo and the resulting grave human rights violations are as bad as in the darkest hours of the revolution's earlier phase, in January and February," the media rights group said in a statement.
ReplyDeleteIn February, CBS News reporter Lara Logan described in detail how she was victim of a sexual assault near Tahrir the same day President Hosni Mubarak fell from power.
Once back in the US, Logan said she was molested for more than 40 minutes by a group of 200 or 300 men.
Them's Freedom Fighters, Lara!
ReplyDeletePBUH and Them.
Kelly Fucking Ayotte!
ReplyDeleteIf that doesn't unfloat Newt's boat, nothing will.
Why not Snowe, or Pelosi, for Veep?
Thanksgiving Remarks Omit God
ReplyDeleteGuess Who?
Killjoy was here.
ReplyDeleteAnd Remains
Mitt Romney yesterday ripped rival Newt Gingrich’s immigration proposals as amounting to “amnesty” after the former House Speaker defended his own “humane” plan to let illegals gain official status.
ReplyDeleteOh for fuck sake.
ReplyDeleteI'm really beginning to think no matter what the man says or does, whether right or wrong, it will be picked apart.
I didn't thank God for anything today, either. but I am thankful.
What everyone in Philly has been waiting a lifetime to view --
ReplyDeleteEinstein's Brain On Display For First Time In Philly
See the brain of the man that got it all wrong about the speed of light being some kind of absolute.
And led physics astray for a century.......
b
If these Occupy assholes keep it up and the cities and the police don't get a handle on it and it escalates sooner or later the skinheads may show up and we'll have street fights like in......Weimer Republic.
ReplyDeletePilgrims! ..... I'm stuffed.
ReplyDeleteb
He might sometimes come off as a bit slick, but please don’t call him “Willie.”
ReplyDeleteIn what may be the first known instance of Mitt Romney relenting to high-pressure lobbying tactics, he ditched his given first name, Willard, after enduring schoolyard taunts.
He's just an America Hating Shitwad, Mel, what do you expect?
ReplyDeleteThe Boy and his two friends did their usual layout.
ReplyDeleteAlways a lot, this thanksgiving was bacon wrapped ham, unbelievable Turkey, homemade stuffing, gravy and cranberries, pumpkin pie from mom, and enough other stuff to stuff Doug right on up.
The fundies here want Obama to thank Allah errrrr God.
ReplyDeleteFigures. What boneheads.
For an alternative view of all our Thankful Days see Slotkin Rejuvenation Through Violence.
ReplyDeleteRichard Slotkin And His Works
If your OWS kids keep it up, Ash, one of these fine days the skin heads will knock shit out of them...
b
So sorry, that should read Regeneration Through Violence.
ReplyDeleteb
.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry, that should read Regeneration Through Violence.
That's ok Bobbo. You were probably thinking of Richard Slutkin's book Rejuvenation Through Viagra.
A common mistake.
.
Is it cold out there in the tent in front of Costco tonight, Quirk?
ReplyDeleteb
Got your Coleman stove, mittens, ear muffs and Costco Card, and checkbook?
ReplyDeleteb
.
ReplyDeleteActually, I'm a Sam's Club guy.
And frankly, if there are more than 3 or 4 people in front of me, I don't stand in line for nuttin.
Temp in the 30's tonight. Don't look for me in any videos of the shoppers.
.
Actually Ash, I wouldn't give a shit if he gave thanks to Matt Stone and Trey Parker, it's just that he constantly gives evidence of his total lack of appreciation for this country as it is, as it was, and the sources of it's greatness.
ReplyDeleteHardly a fundie here:
Just wish he had respect for the fundamental centrality of freedom and property.
Speaking of Sluts...
ReplyDeleteOl Georgie, and his crew, just loved them some "America, Freedom, and Property" to death. And, they got us in one hell of a mess.
ReplyDeleteI'll settle for a little Competence.
There’s more at stake here than the missing $1.2 billion. Besides MF, other companies that use Pricewaterhouse’s New York office as their auditor include Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Both banks presumably are too big to fail, meaning taxpayers would be on the hook if they ever blew up. A Pricewaterhouse spokesman, Caroline Nolan, declined to comment on the firm’s work for MF.
ReplyDeleteIf Pricewaterhouse can’t spot control weaknesses at a relatively small shop like MF, which had $41 billion of assets, it’s a bit much to expect that the firm would catch anything materially amiss at Goldman, which has $949 billion (GS) of assets, or at a serial acquirer such as JPMorgan, with $2.3 trillion (JPM) of assets.
Fortunately for Pricewaterhouse, there’s no better alternative. What’s Goldman or JPMorgan going to do? Switch to KPMG LLP? Or Ernst & Young LLP? Or Deloitte & Touche LLP? Their track records are no better.
The reason MF had to get an outside audit report on its internal controls was that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act required it. That law was enacted in 2002 in response to a wave of audit failures at big companies such as WorldCom Inc. and Enron Corp.
Thanks in part to the new workload, audit fees at the Big Four accounting firms skyrocketed. So, too, did the number of financial restatements by public companies, which seemed to show the auditors were drilling down and catching lots of errors. For a while, it looked like the new rules were working.
Audit Backlash
Then a backlash hit. Corporate executives, lawmakers and even Securities and Exchange Commission officials complained that the auditors were being too strict. The number of restatements plunged. Audit fees stopped soaring and overall have been little changed since 2007, according to a report in July by Jack Ciesielski, editor of the Analyst’s Accounting Observer newsletter.
Many companies’ audit fees plunged, suggesting that the auditors there were doing less work. For fiscal 2007, MF Global paid Pricewaterhouse $17.1 million in audit fees. By fiscal 2011, that had fallen to $10.9 million, even as warning signs about MF’s internal controls were surfacing publicly.
In 2007, MF and one of its executives paid a combined $77 million to settle CFTC allegations of mishandling hedge-fund clients’ accounts, as well as supervisory and record-keeping violations. In 2009, the commission fined MF $10 million for four instances of risk-supervision failures, including one that resulted in $141 million of trading losses on wheat futures. Suffice it to say, Pricewaterhouse should have been on high alert.
On top of that, Pricewaterhouse’s main regulator, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, released a nasty report this week on the firm’s audit performance. . . .
These Thieving Motherfuckers are goint to Break Us, Yet
ReplyDeleteRenewable energy is surpassing fossil fuels for the first time in new power-plant investments, shaking off setbacks from the financial crisis and an impasse at the United Nations global warming talks.
ReplyDeleteElectricity from the wind, sun, waves and biomass drew $187 billion last year compared with $157 billion for natural gas, oil and coal, according to calculations by Bloomberg New Energy Finance using the lastest data. Accelerating installations of solar and wind power led to lower equipment prices, making clean energy more competitive with coal.
“The progress of renewables has been nothing short of remarkable,” United Nations Environment Program Executive Secretary Achim Steiner said in an interview. “You have record investment in the midst of an economic and financial crisis.”
Renewable Energy Development Tops Fossil Fuels for First Time
Pepper Spray Gives Shopper Advantage In Competitive Shopping Spree
ReplyDeleteb
"People started screaming, pulling and pushing each other, and then the whole area filled up with pepper spray," the Sylmar resident said. "I guess what triggered it was people started pulling the plastic off the pallets and then shoving and bombarding the display of games. It started with people pushing and screaming because they were getting shoved onto the boxes."
ReplyDeletefrom the article above
And, these people are voters
This was at a Wal-Mart and I just hope Quirk made it through the night OK.
b
ReplyDelete"I did not want to get involved. I was too scared. I just stayed in the toy aisle," she said.
There's a thinking shopper, kept her head when everyone was losing theirs.
Between electronics and toys, always choose toys for safety.
b
Electronics can be a killer.
ReplyDeleteb
Garden Supplies is usually a good place to hide out, in winter. Down there between the Roundup and the Weedeaters.
ReplyDeleteb