Busy, busy ...

Still doing stupid detail shit on the house that's major league time-consuming. We also booked our 20th Anniversary cruise for next year in August the other day. We'll be leaving Amsterdam and heading north, through the Baltic, ending up in Greenwich, England 14 days later aboard the same ship we took to the Med last year, Holland America Line's MS Prinsendam. We'll then be hopping a cab from Greenwich to Southampton to board our old friend RMS Queen Mary 2 for the Transatlantic crossing to Red Hook, Brooklyn. We'll probably retake our wedding vows before the Master of QM2 (still not firm on that yet).

The reason I put this out there now is that this is a pretty unique cruise and if anyone is interested in joining us for all or part of it, you got time to plan.

Heading out to dinner with our cruise pals Annie and Joe to plan this September's piracy and see if they want to join us next year as well. Any questions about the cruise, fares (prices are going down), or cruising in general, feel free to email us anytime. See yas tomorrow.

Saturday Flatpickin' Blogging

Hang on to yer hat!

Eclectic California flatpicker Dan Crary performs a medley comprised of "Fishing Creek Blues," "The Blackbird," "Turkey in the Straw," "Bonaparte's Retreat" and "Arkansas Traveller." From the DVD "Legends of Flatpicking Guitar." More info at http://guitarvideos.com/dvd/13005dvd.htm

Thanks to GtrWorkShp.

Saturday Emmylou Blogging

Emmylou Harris & Guy Clark with Los Lobos ~ I Don't Love You Much Do I

Thanks to 1000Magicians (UK).

In Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of...

A song of true love. Sigh. The song ends a little abruptly. I guess love does too sometimes...

Jim's recent trip to Hells Canyon

David Allan Coe ~ That Old Panhead Of Mine

Thanks to gicheney. Sorry about yer name, bud.

Drip. drip, drip, DICK!

In case you missed this, here it is.

Shorter: First, the Bush White House, meaning Dick, has his shysters build a flimsy box within which torture is made to seem legal, then they operate outside the box.

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Also, good post at Firedoglake:

I could, at this point, throw out the name George W. Bush—he was president at the time, after all—but we now have pretty good evidence that the real authority for waterboarding (to name but the most talked about of many illegally brutal “techniques”), the real orders to “do that,” and “do that again,” came from the vice president. The order to torture came from Dick Cheney.

Let me say that again: Dick Cheney ordered torture.

Not Nancy Pelosi; Dick Cheney.

Before there were any briefings of any Democrats, there was the torture—a violation in-and-of itself—and that torture was ordered by Republican Vice President Dick Cheney.

And to take it one step further, that torture wasn’t ordered up to save us from some imagined “ticking bomb” scenario (not that torture would even solve that particular problem, and not that, even if it did, it could be justified), it was ordered to make detainees produce a specific, desired piece of information (or disinformation). Dick Cheney wanted a connection between the attacks of September 11, 2001 and Iraqi leader Sadam Hussein, and so Cheney told interrogators contractors to torture detainees until they stated that there was a link between al-Qaeda and Iraq. (my em)

They signed off on a reverse-engineered program designed to help US troops survive “brain washing,” and then used that program to elicit false confessions.

All at the behest of tonight’s big fucking elephant, Dick Cheney.

FDL also has a YouTube channel. Do not go there lightly. 875 videos as of now.

Quote of the Day

Athenae:

I don't get this idea that if Pelosi knew about torture it makes torture okay. It doesn't. It just makes Pelosi suck ...

And just something to consider: All the briefings Pelosi and the rest of them got were classified, meaning that even if she knew every sordid detail, she could say nothing legally. While I believe the moral answer should have been: she was willing to go to jail to expose this, she's a politician and saving one's skin comes naturally, as does the inclination to cover one's ass. None of them would willingly risk real jail time on principle.

Nancy Pelosi Restores the Natural Order of Things

I've been thinking along these same lines the last coupla days and The Rude Pundit, obviously a regular reader of my mind, expounds:

Thank Nancy Pelosi for at least one thing: she's making it okay to hate the CIA again.
...

...it was odd, to say the least, to see the left praising and defending the very government entity that had been the cause of so, so many of the very clusterfucks that have plagued this country.

You want a list? Let's take the beginner's tour. For shit and giggles, start with the Vietnam War, work your way through Central and South America, pause to wave at the Contras and the graves of Pinochet's disappeared, take a walk through the School of the Americas, jaunt over to Afghanistan to meet the Mujihadeen, check out the failure to predict the imminent collapse of the Soviet Union, shake hands with Saddam Hussein, and then look over the many, many documents that did say there were WMDs in Iraq. And that's just the start, before we even get to the current "enhanced interrogation" scandal.

So when Speaker of the House Pelosi, finally sick of all the bullshit swirling around about when she was or wasn't briefed about waterboarding, said that the CIA lied to her in 2002 and that "They mislead us all the time," well, it was one of the ballsiest things we've heard from a top Democrat in Congress for a long damn time. Pelosi upset the motherfuckin' apple cart by breaching the ass-kissing we're supposed to be giving anyone who is remotely connected with fighting terrorism (at least since the 2004 report on pre-war intelligence failures).

Oh, the Republicans went nutzoid, leading House Minority Leader John Boehner to make the idiotic statement that he couldn't imagine "anyone in our intelligence area would ever mislead a member of Congress." This was followed by Senator Kit Bond, a man who lets other men call him "Kit," fanning himself and saying, in essence, "Oh, my stars and garters, I believe this has given me the vapors."

I was actually thinking Boner's attitude was more along the lines of "The CIA? Lie? I'm SHOCKED, shocked, I tell you!" but RP probably came pretty close on Bond.

The Rude One didn't go back far enough, but then I'm probably a lot older than he is. I would have started with Iran and Guatemala and that still probably doesn't go back far enough.

The CIA pretty much ran the operational side of foreign policy for this country from '47 'til the Church Committee reined 'em in a little in '75. They installed more right-wing dictators around the world on behalf of big business than they care to be reminded of, I am sure.

They're not quite as bad as they were, but they're still spooks.

And while some Democrats and some in the press wonder what the fuck Pelosi is thinking, getting into a fight with the CIA never being a good idea, the Rude Pundit's said it before and he'll say it again: you don't fuck with Nancy Pelosi. You might disagree with her (and there's a great deal to do so on), but she's mostly a straight-shooter, and when she's cornered, she is like a fuckin' rat on meth: she'll chew right through you to get out. And one of the things she's done here is to put the universe right again: the CIA ought to be feared, for its ability to fuck up the world, for its pettiness, and for its inbred sense of privilege, that it's somehow above oversight. C'mon - the only records of these briefings to members of Congress are from the CIA. As Bob Graham has already demonstrated, the CIA ain't exactly on its game with the record-keeping.

My ems. Heh. Yeah man, ol' Granma Nance'll burn ya down to yer socks, ya fuck with her! Yer toast, CIA.

Wait - the CIA engaged in subterfuge? Why, that's unthinkable.

I'm SHOCKED, shocked, I tell you!

Yeah, right.

Oldest Army soldier killed in Iraq

USA Today

PHOENIX (AP) — A 60-year-old reservist from Arizona has become the oldest Army soldier killed in combat in Iraq.

Better do some PT, Fixer. We're liable to go yet.

Dawn Johnsen's belief in the rule of law disqualifies her from Senate confirmation

Glenn Greenwald in Salon on the nomination of Dawn Johnsen to OLC. Links at site:

One of the best things Barack Obama has done since being elected President was selecting Dawn Johnsen to head the Office of Legal Counsel -- the office of Jay Bybee, John Yoo, Stephen Bradbury, torture memos, and theories of presidential omnipotence. Johnsen expressed outrage over the extremism and lawlessness of the Bush administration not (like most political and media elites) in the last few weeks when doing so was easy and irrelevant, but did so loudly and continuously while those crimes were actually taking place. Her arguments were grounded in one simple belief: that the duty of the OLC is to tell the President when his desired policies are unconstitutional or otherwise illegal. But as a vivid reflection of how perverse Washington culture is, those attributes -- outrage over high-level government extremism and criminality, and a belief in the rule of law -- are apparently disqualifying:

The Senate that is refusing to confirm Dawn Johnsen is the same Senate that confirmed Gen. Michael Hayden as CIA Director -- with overwhelming Democratic support -- even after it was revealed that he oversaw Bush's illegal NSA spying program. It's the same Senate that confirmed Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General -- with substantial Democratic support -- even once everyone knew that he had played a key role in Bush's torture program. It's the same Senate that -- thanks to Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer -- confirmed Michael Mukasey as Attorney General even after he refused to say whether waterboarding was torture and endorsed some of the most extremist presidential powers ever asserted in the U.S.

And the Washington culture that finds Dawn Johnsen too inappropriate and extreme for their upstanding halls of power is the same culture that venerates as Serious centrists the "Blue Dogs" despite -- or, really, because of -- things like this:

Blue Dog Dems Rake in Health Care Contributions, Protest Exclusion from Debate

To recap the Washington hierarchy of Seriousness: Implementing an illegal spying program aimed at Americans is Serious, as is legalizing a torture regime, endorsing the President's right to imprison Americans without charges, and obediently carrying out the agenda of groups that stuff your pockets full of cash. But arguing that it is intolerable for the President to break the law in secret and that he must be held accountable when doing so is deeply unSerious, disqualifying from holding high political office, including when Democrats are in control of the Congress (the objections over Johnsen's involvement in NARAL are quite obviously pure pretext since NARAL's positions are squarely within the mainstream of abortion views and Johnsen was previously the acting OLC chief under Clinton without any objections; what changed, clearly, are both the tone and substance of her objections to Bush radicalism and lawbreaking {my em}).

Dawn Johnsen is probably someone who is actually too good for Washington, or at least too good to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. It's still possible that her confirmation can be engineered -- Christy lists some phone numbers that might be worth calling -- but, at this point, at least, it looks doubtful. Examining Johnsen's apparent inability to get confirmed, and contrasting it with those who are hailed as the Serious centrists in Washington, reveals all anyone really needs to know about our political establishment.

Get the money, get re-elected, and don't derail the gravy train. The people and the country don't mean nothin'.

See also: this post from earlier today on how the term "Hard Left" is exploited by dishonest pundits in the torture debate, and this one on the mysterious collapse of the Right.

Go read those too. Mr. Greenwald hits both of 'em dead nuts.

UPDATE: I have one question for the great fighter-leader, Harry Reid: during Reid's tenure as Majority Leader, Michael Mukasey was confirmed as Bush's Attorney General with a grand total of 53 Senate votes. How come Dawn Johnsen "needs 60 votes" or else she'll be rejected?

Because he's a pussy, Glenn.

More.

Tell me lies and the torture will stop...

THE ENTIRE TORTURE PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED TO OBTAIN FALSE CONFESSIONS SO THEY COULD LIE US INTO THEIR GODDAM WAR. - Gordon, April 23, 2009

The important thing to take away from Keith's report is that Cheney wanted interrogators to torture a legitimate Iraqi Prisoner Of War, not an al Qaeda terrorist, into giving a false confession to get the false Saddam/al Qaeda connection he needed.

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Dear Chrysler,

It'd have been nice, during this tumultuous time for the auto industry, if you'd have thought about your parts supply chain before embarking on this 'reorganization'. I have 3 Jeeps in various states of repair because I can't get parts from you and they aren't available in the aftermarket. Get yer shit together, I'm running out of room.

Regards,

Fixer

Cross-posted at F&G.

It ain't the Abu Ghraib pix ...

That'll "inflame anti-American sentiment":

...

We're currently occupying two Muslim countries. We're killing civilians regularly (as usual) -- with airplanes and unmanned sky robots. We're imprisoning tens of thousands of Muslims with no trial, for years. Our government continues to insist that it has the power to abduct people -- virtually all Muslim -- ship them to Bagram, put them in cages, and keep them there indefinitely with no charges of any kind. We're denying our torture victims any ability to obtain justice for what was done to them by insisting that the way we tortured them is a "state secret" and that we need to "look to the future." We provide Israel with the arms and money used to do things like devastate Gaza. Independent of whether any or all of these policies are justifiable, the extent to which those actions "inflame anti-American sentiment" is impossible to overstate. [em in orig]

...

I'm trying to figure out what the fuck is going on in the White House and who's in charge there. Or is it that one succumbs to assholus contagiosa once they move in? What, does Barry now feel a dictatorship is good "so long as [he's] the dictator"? It seems, when it comes to war crimes and 'detainees', he thinks it's just fine to use the playbook left behind by the previous administration.

You know times are hard ...

If you're thinking about applying for this job.

Joke of the Day

I got this from my old school pal Steve, a retired Master Chief who still knows how to get a dig in:

[Four retired Chiefs are walking down a street in Norfolk, Virginia. They turn a corner and see a sign that says, 'Old Timers Bar - all drinks 10 cents.' They look at each other, and then go in, thinking this Is too good to be true.

The bartender says in a voice that carries across the room, 'Come on in and let me pour one for you! What'll it be, Gentlemen?' There seemed to be a fully-stocked bar, so each of the men asks for a martini. In short order, the bartender serves up four iced martinis...shaken, not stirred, and says, 'That'll be 10 cents each, please.' The four men stare at the bartender for a moment. Then look at each other...They can't believe their good luck. They pay the 40 cents, finish their martinis, and order another round.

Again, four excellent martinis are produced with the bartender again saying, 'That's 40 cents, please.' They pay the 40 cents, but their curiosity is more than they can stand. They have each had two martinis and so far they've spent less than a dollar. Finally one of the men says, 'How can you afford to serve martinis as good as these for a dime a piece?' 'I'm a retired tailor from Boston,' the bartender said, 'and I always wanted to own a bar. Last year I hit the Lottery for $25 million and decided to open this place. Every drink costs a dime - wine, liquor, beer, it's all the same.'

The four of them sipped at their martinis and couldn't help but notice seven other people at the end of the bar who didn't have drinks in front of them, and hadn't ordered anything the whole time they were there. One man gestures at the seven at the end of the bar without drinks and asks the bartender, 'What's with them?' The bartender says, 'Oh, they're all old retired Marine Gunny Sergeants. They're waiting for happy hour when drinks are half price.']

And yer point is...?

I got yer 'personal mobility'...

When you retire and go on Social Security, you get all kinds of interesting offers. Mrs. G got one yesterday. Her reply*:

Dear The Scooter Store,

Thanks, but this 'personal mobility device' is all I need for now:



You'll need yer goddam little electric cripmobile before I will.

I suggest you call the Social Security person who sold you my name and ask for your money back, suckers.

Love
Mrs. G

*She mighta had a little help...

White House Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs'

From the Murdoch Street Journal

Kerlikowske Says Analogy Is Counterproductive; Shift Aligns With Administration Preference for Treatment Over Incarceration

"That the War on Drugs has been a complete failure is not even a question anymore."

In his first interview since being confirmed to head the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowske said Wednesday the bellicose analogy was a barrier to dealing with the nation's drug issues.

"Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product,' people see a war as a war on them," he said. "We're not at war with people in this country."

Well, up to now they certainly have been, particularly as a way of continuing the oppression of minorities since slavery and Jim Crow laws have gone the way of the buffalo.

Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that supports legalization of medical marijuana, said he is "cautiously optimistic" about Mr. Kerlikowske. "The analogy we have is this is like turning around an ocean liner," he said. "What's important is the damn thing is beginning to turn."

James Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest law-enforcement labor organization, said that while he holds Mr. Kerlikowske in high regard, police officers are wary.

"While I don't necessarily disagree with Gil's focus on treatment and demand reduction, I don't want to see it at the expense of law enforcement. People need to understand that when they violate the law there are consequences."

Change the fucking law, you idiot.

If this is a subject that interests you, it's not a bad article considering the source.

"Give Me a Water Board, Dick Cheney and One Hour..."

Thanks to heathr456.

Update:

More at Kos.

Socialism ...

As with everything they do, the Rethugs and their "base" (Big Insurance, Big Pharma) are trying to scare you out of demanding serious healthcare reform. Avedon (who lives with the British system) lends a little reality:

Depending on what poll you read, anywhere from 60% to 80% of Americans like the sound of single-payer, and the same is even truer of physicians. But every effort is being made to keep single-payer off the table. This is because, we are told, Americans want to keep paying insurance company bureaucrats to try to prevent them from getting healthcare rather than cutting out the middle-man and the profit motive (and get their health insurance from a less avaricious and cold-hearted source). And because some people actually believe the stories they hear about how bad all that "socialized medicine" in the rest of the world is. I'll tell you for free that there is nothing superior about commercial medicine in America to the genuinely socialized (not just single-payer) system in the United Kingdom. Yes, some UK hospitals aren't as good as they should be, and yes, some UK doctors are jerks, and yes, you might not get elective surgery scheduled within a week of asking for it, but that's even more true in America. Under the NHS, though, you don't have to spend weeks or months on the phone with the insurance company trying to convince them that they should deliver on getting you healthcare you actually need and have been paying for - and you don't have to worry about what it will cost. There is no arguing between your doctor and bean-counters, and there's no co-pay, either. You will get the treatment your doctor recommends in reasonable time. But, as with so many things, we've got the memes running in the other direction until we don't even know how many Americans are in agreement with us.

Pigsty ...

Just as we've shitted up our planet, we've also turned the space around it into a junkyard. How long before we can't launch anything for fear of hitting a piece of crap in orbit? I wonder if anyone ever thought about cleaning up after ourselves over the past 50 years?

This is why ...

My ass puckers every time the Mrs. flies in and out of little podunk airports (too often for my liking, thank you) on business:

The lack of experience, fatigue and low pay of the Buffalo-bound prop jet pilots involved in the worst U.S. plane crash in seven years created a "recipe for an accident," the government said Wednesday.

...

Transcripts of the flight's final moments reveal that Renslow, 47, and Shaw, 24, were chatting about their careers and her lack of experience operating a plane in icy conditions, according to the cockpit voice recorder.

...

Federal investigators hammered Colgan Air executives about the pay of their pilots — in [Copilot] Shaw's case, she made between $16,000 and $20,000 a year, according to testimony — as well as whether they were discouraged from getting second jobs and felt pressure by the company not to call in sick.

...

With those two in the cockpit, that flight was doomed as soon as the first ice crystals formed on the leading edges of the wings. How can these little shitbag commuter airlines expect to recruit quality people when they'd make a better living flipping burgers? The pilot should have never been in command of an aircraft and the copilot would probably have held nothing more than 'flight trainee' status in the Air Force. And I'm putting my wife in these peoples' hands? Time for the FAA to start squeezing some testicles.

Great thanks to Da Fez for the link.