Saturday Emmylou Blogging

Emmylou gets more of an assist on this one. That's OK. I've been a Linda fan even longer.

Thanks to Larry Privat.

"I wish I had another fifty years in me."

Robert Reich

A few days ago I had breakfast with a man who had been one of my mentors in college, who participated in the struggle for civil rights in the 1960s and has devoted much of the rest of his life in pursuit of equal opportunity for minorities, the poor, women, gays, immigrants — and also for average hard-working people who have been beaten down by the economy. Now in his mid-80s, he's still active.

I asked him if he thought America would ever achieve true equality of opportunity.

"Not without a fight," he said. "Those who have wealth and power and privilege don't want equal opportunity. It's too threatening to them.They'll pretend equal opportunity already exists, and that anyone who doesn't make it in America must be lazy or stupid or otherwise undeserving."
...

But have we really made progress? Inequality is widening. The middle class and the poor are in many ways worse off than they were decades ago."

"Yes, and they're starting to understand that," he said. "And beginning to see that the distinction between the middle class and poor is disappearing. Many who were in the middle have fallen into poverty; many more will do so."

"And, so?"

He smiled. "For decades, those at the top have tried to convince the middle class that their economic enemies are minorities and the poor. But that old divide-and-conquer strategy is starting to fail. And as it fails, it will be possible to create a political coalition of the poor and the middle class. It will be a powerful coalition! Remember, demographics are shifting. Soon America will be a majority of minorities. And women are gaining more and more economic power."

"But the 400 richest Americans are now wealthier than the bottom 150 million Americans put together — and have more political influence than ever."

"Just you wait," he laughed. "I wish I had another fifty years in me."

Me too, and even that may not be long enough. Dammit.

Old men try to turn back clock

This is specific to North Carolina but applies across the U.S.

Asheville Citizen-Times

What we’ve been witnessing at the General Assembly in Raleigh the past few months is the futile attempt by fearful, old, white men to hang onto the power and control to which they assume they’re entitled. These extremists imagine that if they can push women, gays, blacks and Latinos back to the status these groups held before the mid-20th century, they can hang onto their perch at the top of the pecking order.

Now don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against old white men. In fact, I am one. But I do take issue with any group, regardless of skin color, sex or age, that abuses its power in a deceitful and un-American attempt to keep others from experiencing the fruits of liberty — equal rights for all, the unfettered opportunity to vote, a quality education for all our children, clean air and water for every citizen. ...

I could go on.

If you look at the data, it’s clear that the demographic shift taking place in our nation will be the death knell of this Caucasian paternalism. [...]

Soon, please.

Thus, no matter how forcefully the Tea Party (née GOP) shamefully endeavors to suppress the vote, strip women of their rights, push people of color to the back of the bus and keep our children from developing the skills they need in the 21st century, the appalling efforts of our state legislators are doomed to failure in the long run.

I'm hoping it's the last gasp of the throwback mentality but I know it isn't.

It’s obvious from their strident protestations that most of these right-wing zealots imagine they are doing God’s work (though it’s quite clear they are actually following the marching orders of ALEC, the Koch Brothers and Art Pope).
...

So we North Carolinians who are deeply concerned about our state’s current backward direction have choices to make: We can sit around for a decade or two while the old guys pass from the scene; or we can stand up for our values and vote the instigators of the most abhorrent state legislation in the nation out of office.

I wish there was a faster way, but that's how we do it, people.

"2010 NEVER AGAIN!"

Adelson Pays Out to the U.S. Government

The Daily Beast

Adelson’s casino company, Las Vegas Sands Corp., cut its losses this week when it agreed to pay $47 million to the U.S. government to settle a federal money-laundering investigation with ties to a Mexican methamphetamine cartel. In exchange, Obama’s Department of Justice agreed not to prosecute the company for failing to report suspicious activity on the part of Zhenli Ye Gon, a high-rolling customer whose shady money transfers ought to have alarmed casino compliance officials and been reported to authorities.

Known as “Mr. Ye” on the Strip, the Chinese businessman gambled at least $126 million from 2006 to early 2007—most of that at the Sands’s Venetian and Palazzo on the Las Vegas Strip—prior to his arrest by Drug Enforcement Administration agents. A suspected money launderer with alleged ties to the violent Sinaloa cartel, Ye Gon currently faces potential drug-trafficking charges in Mexico. (Similar charges in the U.S. were dismissed.)

When Ye Gon’s home near Mexico City was raided in 2008, agents found approximately $207 million in U.S. currency. Some of the fat stacks of $100s were held in place by Venetian casino wrappers. In the non-prosecution memo in the case, Adelson’s company admits Ye Gon was “the largest all-cash, up-front gambler the Venetian-Palazzo had ever had to that point.”
...

For his part, the usually loquacious Adelson is so far uncharacteristically quiet. The mercurial and litigious casino baron, whose profits from casinos in Triad-infested Macau have helped drive his personal net worth above $25 billion according to published reports, is suspiciously silent.

When he was busy trying to pave Mitt Romney’s path to the White House last year, Adelson was a veritable quote machine. Perhaps he figured sometimes it’s better to shut up and cut the check.

$47mil is about half of what Adelson flushed down the shitter to try to get Willard elected, or at least someone who could stop the investigation. It's a drop in the bucket but at least he's STFU.

Doom, gloom, shut up and smile

If it's Wednesday it must be Morford on climate change.

Good news is, climate change is an equal opportunity offender: you will be affected no matter if you’re a vegan libertarian, shrugging nihilist, Wall Street millionaire or a Tea Party dingbat who believes that thousands of the world’s most distinguished scientists, climate researchers and Nobel Prize winners are no match for your skeptical 5th-grade home-schooled right-wing dumbed-down Christian mal-education.
...

Elsewhere and not long ago, for a sexy but little seen publication, I wrote the following:

Some Hindu scholars believe we are in the midst of what’s called the Kali Yuga, the fourth and final, darkest stage of grand cycle of humanity marked by vice and greed, violence and superstition. The Kali Yuga is the most intense, nonspiritual period when man is most divorced from his higher self, deceit and duplicity run rampant, and our natural storehouse of wisdom and virtue is nearly empty, soon dwindling to zilch until Shiva cracks his third eye and it all starts over again.

Or maybe not. [...]

All will be revealed. Go...

Just sayin'...

If I were Emperor (EOTUS) and be glad I'm not, and it was up to me to retaliate against Syria, here's what I would do:

The chemical rockets were apparently fired from four military bases. I would send FIVE strikes. The four bases and Assad's Palace or White House or whatever it's called. Then five more just to make the rubble bounce because I could.

Then, after a decent interval to allow people's ears to stop ringing and let government agents swarm these places looking for survivors or whatever, five more strikes with chemical weapons, mustard gas, tear gas, shit plant residue, whatfuckinever, to render them uninhabitable for a long fucking time.

Then, just for shits and giggles, I'd find a very remote spot in Syria and blow off a nuke right in the middle of it. Sort of a "knock off the cheap shit" message.

Without too much provocation, I'd do the same thing in the more egregious red states too.

And I'm supposed to be a pussy peace/love/dope Liberal. Heh.

I know I'm gonna get suggestions. Let 'er rip!

Quote of the Day

From El Rude-o on the CIA's admission that the U.S. was complicit in Saddam's use of chemical weapons.

We are a nation that has been led by war criminals. Hell, they even worried a little bit about that in those CIA files.

Once again, once again, we're in the position of now Knowing For Sure what we knew but didn't have confirmed.

I think it was pretty well confirmed years ago but it's never for sure until the lawyers say it's OK to say it on TV.

Da Jesus Book

Dis is jus' too good! Via my Facebook and actual frien' Jeff Apaka.

Dis, da Hawai`i Pidgin New Testament (Da Jesus Book) wit 39% a da Ol Testament (Da Befo Jesus Book) dat stay ready fo use. You can find any chapta an verse. Fo any word, you can find all da places wea get dat word. Make um easy fo read an study da Bible.

On da firs' day, Godfella him go surfin'...

Former U.S. Attorney Reads Breitbart's Butt Boy The Riot Act

Via TPM.

The conservative video maker James O'Keefe has turned his cameras on the former federal prosecutor whose office brought charges against him and his accomplices in the phone-tampering of a Democratic U.S. senator.

In a video released by O'Keefe's Project Veritas on Monday, former U.S. Attorney James Letten can be seen shouting at O'Keefe and his colleagues. Letten can also be seen filming O'Keefe with his own smart phone.

"You went to my house, you terrorized my wife, you're violating federal law, you're trespassing, you're a nasty little cowardly spud," Letten says in the video. "All of you, you're hobbits. You are less than I can ever tell you. You are scum. Do you understand?"

That ain't the half of it! Not sure that "hobbits" is the correct choice of words, but they probably won't be offended since they don't exist.

This is an O'Keefe video, so the usual caveats and grains of salt apply.

Just turn it off when the shit starts getting deep.

Oh, the irony...

Ironic Times

Solar Panels Re-Installed At White House
First installed by Carter, then removed by Reagan, they'll remain until next Republican president removes them.

29% of Louisiana Republicans Blame Obama for Poor Katrina Response
42% blame Carter for Watergate.

Geez, Carter got two mentions already today!

Review of 63 Scientific Studies: Atheists Smarter Than Believers
But, believers say, according to The Bible, they're smarter.

Heh. Keep telling yourselves that, believers. It's what you want to hear.

GOP Congressman: Businesses Can't Find Enough “Sober,” “Drug-Free” Workers
And when they do, they turn out to be humorless party poopers.

Who won't work for minimum wage. Dope 'n booze cost money, you know!

The Nor Cal Tea Party and Fracking

An entertaining read at YubaNet. Shorter: the frackers know exactly where to go to find people who will fall for their snake oil.

The Nor Cal Tea Party Patriots were sponsoring a discussion on "fracking" by an "energy expert". This energy expert was a person my wife had tried to hear at an industry summit, but she was turned away at the door for being on a "Do Not Admit" list. No Enviros Allowed.

This was a "two for one" in my twisted mind: an industry apologist and a meeting of right wing extremists. [...]
...

John McDonald is part of the Industry Front group: the Coalition of Energy Users. Their sole purpose is to create the political and intellectual space for large scale Fracking operations to begin in California.

"Low cost energy is freedom" McDonald said, "High cost energy leads to the Obama Plantation" Yes, he actually said that. John started out with economic and social advantages with the new fracking revolution that has increased gas and oil production in the United States, disproving Hubberts peak. "If you care about the poor, you want low cost energy". McDonald swooned.

This led McDonald into talking about the wonders of Texas. "Texas is amazing" stating that if Texas was its own country, they would go from being 12th in the world in oil production to 9th, this year alone. Texas is currently pumping 3 million barrels a day, because of fracking. All of it on private land. And with oil production comes money to the Texas coffers: Texas will bring in "900 million dollars in revenue due to oil".

But is it safe? "All my life, when I look at what Environmentalists really state, I find lies", adding: "They lie every time". In a more hopeful tone, swarming to the enraptured crowd of Social Security pensioners, "You can combat the lies".

I guess I should have given you a "liquid alert". Sorry 'bout that...

On to the business of oil: "You can't get around the laws of business". We shouldn't "demonize things that are precious and beautiful. It is wrong to criticize oil companies". "We need to be kind and loving to our oil companies". We need to tell these companies we love them".

Yes, he said that. All of it.
...

The crowd was pretty excited about all the money that awaits us because California has 2/3rds of the recoverable oil and gas in the United States. We just need to stop the nasty Liberals and Environmentalists from getting in the way of the prosperity that is our birthright.

Most of the attendees at this snake oil commercial won't be around when their grandchildren enjoy the "prosperity" of having to buy "safe" drinking water from Nestle et al because of the fracking.

Sheriff Joe: Armed militias beware or be shot

This one's for Badtux from PoliceOne.com:

PHOENIX — Tough-talking Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio is warning civilians who embark on armed patrols in remote desert terrain that they could end up "seeing 30 rounds fired into them" by one of his deputies.

His unapologetically terse comments came Tuesday after a member of an Arizona Minuteman border-watch movement was arrested over the weekend for pointing a rifle at a Maricopa County sheriff's deputy he apparently mistook for a drug smuggler.

"If they continue this there could be some dead militia out there," Arpaio said.

Yeah, like that'd be a big loss. Heh. Go read the rest.

¡Sin Precio!

The Political Carnival puts a little el spinno and logical expansion on Canuckistanian Cuban Cruz's supporters' viewpoint.

Thanks to The Texas Tribune.

Our own Lucian (@lwdgrfx) spotted more right wing hypocrisy, stupidity, and even found some humor in this eye-popping post at Raw Story.

Birther Christina Katok, of course, an avid Ted Cruz fan, proves once again how so many of these right wing extremists are of very little, if any, brain.

Brain? They're Teabaggers. Don't need no steenkin' brain!

But Katok doesn’t seem to understand a few basics, as you can see in the video where you can watch her say the following at a Texas tea party rally:

“As far as I’m concerned, Canada is not really foreign soil,” she explained, adding that she was more worried about the president’s “strong ties to Kenya.” She noted that Obama had not released his long-form birth certificate until after he was elected.

What if Canadians were brown people who didn’t speak English, Birther Christina? Would you make the same claim, as far as you’re concerned? What if President Obama’s skin was as white as yours?

I’ll dispense with further snarky commentary, because Lucian nailed it in two sentences. As he points out so astutely:

“If Canada ‘is not really foreign soil’ because they’re our neighbors, then neither is Mexico. Therefore, we no longer need to worry about deporting Mexican citizens here without papers because hey, what’s the problem – they’re not foreigners!


Trying to maintain Ted Cruz is eligible for the presidency but President Obama is not? Priceless.”

I have only three things to add:

1. IOKIYAR

2. Bwahahahaha!

3. ¡Hola, amigos!

Saturday Emmylou Blogging

Published on Aug 20, 2013
Click here for complete concert - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
***
Vorst Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium
26th May 2006

Thanks to Best KNOPFLER Channel.

Arpaio's Cops and Militia Dolts Almost Kill Each Other

Operative word is "almost". Dammit.

The Rude Pundit is back from his vacation to Cape Breton Island (Canuckistan) and seems very relaxed. Heh.

So it must have been something of a surprise when one of these armed assholes at the border, thinking some Messicans were about to jump him, pointed his gun and yelled orders at one of Arpaio's deputies. The pure comedy part? When the deputy identified himself, the Minuteman, who we'll call "Cooter," because fuck that guy, said, "You aren’t taking my weapons." Poor Cooter. He never had a chance. Of course they took his weapons. Of course they arrested Cooter.

And, of course, Sheriff Joe made a statement where he said his deputies could have put "30 rounds" in the guy and added, without a hint of his own complicity, that there will be chaos "if you’re going to have private citizens dressed just like our deputies taking the law into their own hands." It's like Jeffrey Dahmer saying that the latest Cleveland serial killer should cut it out. Cooter, for his part, went full Zimmerman, saying that he was standing his ground. According to his statement, "[H]e had the right to point his rifle at the individual because he had reasonable suspicion to believe a crime was occurring."

Now Cooter faces felony assault charges. And the Minutemen no longer have Sheriff Joe on their side. But the more important lesson here is for every barrel-fellating gun nut who thinks that he can defend himself from the evil government: you can't, Cooter. You just can't. In this case, the deputies of the man the militias thought was on their side disarmed the 2nd Amendment lover and threatened to kill him. Oh, Cooter, it's different facing armed authorities and not poor immigrants. And when you're cornered, you'll surrender without a fight (my em).

That last line tells the whole story on the wannabe militias.

Question of the Day

Why Is Ted Cruz Giving Up His Chance to Be Prime Minister of Britain?

Note to Cruz: Don't limit your options. You stand a way better chance of being Blighty's PM than you do of ever being POTUS and I'm all for it. You'd be a pain in their bum instead of ours. Heh.

Bang-head-on-keyboard Headline of the Day

New Poll Shows Louisiana Republicans Blame Obama For How Bush Handled Hurricane Katrina

The stoopid, it burns...

DOJ Asks Court to Grant Immunity to George W. Bush For Iraq War

War Is A Crime.org

In court papers filed today (PDF), the United States Department of Justice requested that George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Paul Wolfowitz be granted procedural immunity in a case alleging that they planned and waged the Iraq War in violation of international law.

Plaintiff Sundus Shaker Saleh, an Iraqi single mother and refugee now living in Jordan, filed a complaint in March 2013 in San Francisco federal court alleging that the planning and waging of the war constituted a “crime of aggression” against Iraq, a legal theory that was used by the Nuremberg Tribunal to convict Nazi war criminals after World War II.

"The DOJ claims that in planning and waging the Iraq War, ex-President Bush and key members of his Administration were acting within the legitimate scope of their employment and are thus immune from suit,” chief counsel Inder Comar of Comar Law said.

The “Westfall Act certification,” submitted pursuant to the Westfall Act of 1988, permits the Attorney General, at his or her discretion, to substitute the United States as the defendant and essentially grant absolute immunity to government employees for actions taken within the scope of their employment.

In her lawsuit, Saleh alleges that:

-- Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz began planning the Iraq War in 1998 through their involvement with the “Project for the New American Century,” a Washington DC non-profit that advocated for the military overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

-- Once they came to power, Saleh alleges that Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz convinced other Bush officials to invade Iraq by using 9/11 as an excuse to mislead and scare the American public into supporting a war.

-- Finally, she claims that the United States failed to obtain United Nations approval prior to the invasion, rendering the invasion illegal and an act of impermissible aggression.

“The good news is that while we were disappointed with the certification, we were prepared for it,” Comar stated. “We do not see how a Westfall Act certification is appropriate given that Ms. Saleh alleges that the conduct at issue began prior to these defendants even entering into office. I think the Nuremberg prosecutors, particularly American Chief Prosecutor Robert Jackson, would be surprised to learn that planning a war of aggression at a private non-profit, misleading a fearful public, and foregoing proper legal authorization somehow constitute lawful employment duties for the American president and his or her cabinet.”

Best of luck to Ms. Saleh and her attorneys but I think the fix is in on this one.

Pyongyang Ice

Sounds like North Korea has more in common with the U.S. than we knew. Heh.

WSJ

The 25-year-old North Korean man knew there would be no turning back once he escaped from North Korea across to the Chinese side of the frozen Tumen River. It was February 2009 and he knew he’d need to be swift to avoid detection by the armed North Korean and Chinese border guards.

He says only one thing could give him that clarity—the narcotic crystal meth, or methamphetamine.

“I inhaled about ten hits before I went to the river,” said the man, who now lives in Seoul and asked for his name not to be used. “I felt really focused, all I could think was go, go, go. I didn’t sleep for two days after that.”

Before his defection to South Korea, he says he used the drug, known as “bingdu” or “ice” in the North, off and on for about three years. He says it was easy to score, dealers worked the streets of his hometown of Hamhung, South Hamgyung Province.

I wonder if they get Breaking Bad on state-controlled TV?

Oh, the irony...

Ironic Times

AREA 51 DECLASSIFIED
All extraterrestrial artifacts, remains, ongoing research transferred to still-classified Area 52.

GOP Votes to Bar CNN, NBC From Hosting '16 Debates
In talks with SyFy, Cartoon Network

They coulda left out the comma...

Shift Seen in Federal Policy On Crime, Drugs
Justice Department hints it might start going after actual criminals.

Actual crime-fighting as opposed to busting stoners at the Sara Lee display?!

Gen X Slackers Reach Middle Age
Time to take stock and think seriously about moving out of parents' house.

Aw, Mom 'n Dad dudes...