Thursday Open Thread
Happy Veterans’ Day to all our veterans out there. It’s time for our open thread. The floor is yours.
WTF Amazon? Why would you do this?
Online retail giant Amazon.com came under a storm of electronic protest Wednesday for selling a self-published electronic book called “The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure.”
The title — published Oct. 28 by Phillip R. Greaves — has been flooded with angry criticism mostly aimed at the Seattle-based retailer for offering it for sale. The controversy raises the question of whether Amazon has any set procedures for vetting books to be sold in its online stores.
Amazon allows writers to publish their own works in its online stores and share in the revenue. The guidebook, described by its author as an “attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles … by establishing certain rules for these adults to follow,” is available for the Amazon Kindle reader.
The book has attracted almost 800 reviews on its Amazon page, with 760 giving it the lowest possible ranking of one star. Many reviewers threatened to boycott the company unless the book is removed.
A lot of people in my Twitter feed are talking about this and some are saying they are sending their Kindles back to Amazon. Sure, some people are screaming “First Amendment!!!” but I guess I don’t see how the First Amendment means you have to sell a book in your store. I have no idea why Amazon has let this controversy drag on for even a few hours. Amazon, after first responding with a braindead statement about censorship, then pulled the book.
I think one benefit of Republican gains this year is to watch the infighting. Already Republicans are backing away from promises to end earmarks and are doing a pretty good job of cutting teabaggers off at the pass. Michele Bachmann has dropped out of the race for a leadership position in the House.
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), who had attempted to leverage her superstar status among Tea Party activists into a role in the House Republican leadership as GOP Conference Chair, instead ended her bid tonight and endorsed the leadership’s favored candidate, Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas.
Bachmann had argued that her role in mobilizing Tea Party activists for the Republican Party: “I have been able to bring a voice and motivate people to, in effect, put that gavel in John Boehner’s hands, so that Republicans can lead going forward.”
However, she only picked up the public support of five other House members: Her close ally Steve King of Iowa, Louie Gohmert of Texas, and her fellow Minnesotans John Kline, Erik Paulsen and Chip Cravaack.
I look forward to Republicans facing teabaggers in their primary challenges in 2012. The Tea Party wants to knock off popular incumbents like Olympia Snowe, Orrin Hatch and Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Best of luck to them!
Tags: Open Thread
Mongo is a veteran.
This article highlights a fact that most of us veterans know–we have served with homosexuals, and it wasn’t really a problem.
In fact, some of Mongo’s most competent and devoted shipmates were gay. No one really cared, as long as you could do your job.
For your discussion, Mongo submits this article from the Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/10/AR2010111007381.html
Mongo
so about that Obama trying to uphold DADT….
what is the long term game that is being played there? I know a lot of people want him to executive order that bitch out the door (or the closet if you prefer) But could it be that in order to make sure it survives a Palin Presidency (because one would assume the next president will overturn everything they can on day one) he is intentionally making it a congressional issue?
I think the logic is this: the law was made by Congress so it must be repealed by Congress. Executive order won’t work because it could be rescinded by another president and doesn’t carry the force of law. As far as defending the law, the justice department believes that it is under obligation to defend laws even if they don’t agree with them.
That’s the logic as I see it. I believe they also think on-again-off-again enforcement is disruptive.
Actually I see them addressing the law in 2 ways: 1) rewriting the rules such that only 3-star generals or higher can dismiss a soldier on DADT grounds and 2) legislative repeal.
That being said I don’t agree with their idea to keep pursuing injuctions to keep the law working that they want to repeal. It does send an incoherent message.
Here’s today’s conservative freakout. It’s a good one.
Yeah, my understanding is that the military wants to make sure that they have their I’s dotted and their t’s crossed. I agree with the courts that the ban is unconstitutional. It should be repealed and it should be soon.
But even once school segregation was ruled illegal, the states had time to determine how they were going to implement the change. Delaware was particularly bad at this. However, there aren’t 50 different military’s that will have to come up with implementation plans, there is just one Commander-in-Chief that has asked his generals to come up with a plan.
Once all of that is in place, I expect the policy to disappear into the history books more quickly than most bad policies.
Thanks, Mongo. The hospital I was stationed at was about 45% gay and lesbian and we were one of the best Army medical centers in the country. We did our jobs and no one ever questioned us (and it was an open secret about who was gay).
Democracynow.org tonight. Comcast Chan. 20 at 7:00….the Obama Deficit Committee taking a lashing. National Single Payer Health Care Strategy Session in Phila. this weekend. Nope its not over yet.
check out this video on conservative family values – having babies is akin to ‘multiplying like rats”
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=166166723414837&oid=172945319711&comments
nice touch Mr.Todd of Tennessee
Something the Right-wing and the Tea baggers ought to think about
Definiation of Facism:
The most notable characteristic of a fascist country is the separation and persecution or denial of equality to a specific segment of the population based upon su…perficial qualities or belief systems.
sound familiar
Clark’s transition team is up at Delaware Dialogue. Many members who do regular business with the county. NO CIVICS.
LG, do you want to develop a discussion about Delaware’s failings in deseg? It’s a topic i find particularly interesting.
@heragain–RE: DESEG
I’m 40 years old. I was in the 1st class of 3rd graders to be bussed from the suburbs to the city for elementary education.
Please, engage me in a Deseg conversation.
We must have been classmates. Warner Elementary? Damn that was an hour bus ride each way. What a waste of time.