Wednesday Open Thread
Welcome to your Wednesday open thread. That snowstorm was a disappointment. If it’s going to snow, at least snow enough where I have to shovel. I only got about 2″ at my house and work is open as usual.
From Chapter Five, page 139:
“Local resentment became a media theme and then a self-fulfilling prophesy. Even those who privately thought the federal government was doing the best it could under the circumstances could not say so publicly. Coast Guard responders watched Governor Jindal — and the TV cameras following him — return to what appeared to be the same spot of oiled marsh day after day to complain about the inadequacy of the federal response, even though only a small amount of marsh was then oiled. When the Coast Guard sought to clean up that piece of affected marsh, Governor Jindal refused to confirm its location. Journalists encouraged state and local officials and residents to display their anger at the federal response, and offered coverage when they did. Anderson Cooper reportedly asked a Parish President to bring an angry, unemployed offshore oil worker on his show. When the Parish President could not promise the worker would be ‘angry,’ both were disinvited.”
Bobby Jindal is a fake, what a surprise! Jindal was a shameless self-promoter during the spill and he ended up wasting millions of dollars on those useless sand berms too.
Mother Jones has a good article explaining the sovereign citizens’ movement and their ideas about grammar control.
To theorists like Robert Kelly, publisher of The American’s Sovereign Bulletin, the leading publication in the sovereign-citizen world, it all started with the Constitution’s Reconstruction Amendments—the 13th, 14th, and 15th—which established a secondary class of citizens under the control of the government. This was done by cleverly deploying phrases such as “citizens subject to the jurisdiction thereof” and “inalienable rights” (supposedly denoting rights that can be surrendered, as opposed to “unalienable rights” that can never be taken away). People in the sovereign citizens’ movement believe that these subterfuges were originally used to limit African Americans’ rights, but have been expanded over time to make all of us second-class citizens with limited rights. (Another favorite case in point: the use of the phrase “man or other animals” in the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act—implying, they argue, that humans have no more legal rights than animals).
The sovereign citizen movement argues that if you closely study the Constitution, you can prove that federal laws are illegitimate—leaving you free to choose not to, say, pay taxes or follow traffic laws. In their view, the minute you get a Social Security number or driver’s license, you enter into a contract giving up your sovereignty. (Several sovereign-citizen adherents have told me that home births are popular in the movement for this reason.) To become a sovereign citizen, you retroactively withdraw from this contract. Some also argue that you aren’t bound to government contracts if you sign documents in red crayon or use lowercase lettering, alternative punctuation for your name (say, “Justine,,, Sharrock”), or add the letters “TDC” for “under threat, duress, and coercion.”) There are myriad theories on how to prove your sovereignty in a court of law, with plenty of experts willing to help—for a fee.
“They are innovative with the pseudolegal and historical tactics,” says Mark Pitcavage, a researcher with the Anti-Defamation League. “They are always coming up with new things.” Most sovereign citizens employ what the FBI calls “paper terrorism”—using legal documents fraudulently to harass public officials—when fighting the government in the courts. People identifying as sovereign citizens have also on occasion fired on police officers trying to enforce laws, and there are rare cases of extreme violence—most notably Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols, who identified as a sovereign citizen and even tried to use the movement’s arguments in his legal defense.
There are a lot of strange people in the world but of the truly strange, this is the type I’ve run into the most. The hyper-rulebound (but only as to how it helps themselves) who tie everyone up with endless paperwork about how people are violating this ordinance or another. It’s bizarre. Has anyone else ever had to deal
with someone like this? When I was in grad school there was a retired chem professor who would place these newsletters in everyone’s mailbox about how county government was violating all these laws and they should all go to jail for 100 years. They were cuckoo.
Tags: Open Thread
two words for today: blood libel
David Mark Moderator : Politico Arena
Sarah Palin released a video statement Wednesday calling the rush to pin blame on conservatives for the Tucson shooting “reprehensible” and a “blood libel.”
The term “blood libel” usually refers to the false accusation that Jews use the blood of Christian children in some religious rituals. Do you think Palin knew of the historical context surrounding the phrase? Is this an effort to link herself with victims throughout history? Will Palin’s video release divert attention from President Obama’s Tucson speech? And will Palin’s comments draw sympathy, since even some on the left have admitted overplaying their hand by linking her past words to the Tucson shootings when no such evidence exists?l
http://www.politico.com/arena/
If you have DailyKos accounts, please consider recommending this diary just posted on our efforts at Delaware Right to Marry: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2011/1/12/935427/-Can-You-Chip-In-10-Bucks-For-A-Wedding-Gift
Thanks!
Using the term “blood libel” for modern events is perfectly fine if borne out by facts. Sometimes it is the perfect term.
For example, when Republicans, or Catholic officials blame pro-choice voters and politicians for promoting the deaths of innocents, or a “culture of death,” that is a blood libel.
What bothers me about Palin using the term is that it is true and not any kind of libel at all. Palin is in the forefront of the crowd screaming for blood, and blood we got.
Haley to be sworn in as South Carolina governor
AP 1/12/11
Nikki Haley will step into history when she’s sworn in as South Carolina’s 90th governor. The 38-year-old Republican becomes South Carolina’s first female and first minority governor when she takes the oath of office Wednesday. She’ll also be the nation’s second Indian-American chief executive of a state.
You had it right with your first try nancy “Blood Liberal”
Whatever happens you can count on Palin playing the victim card. How does her assassination rhetoric make her the victim and the person shot in the head the perpetrator? You have to be a Republican to follow the logic.
It seems that Sussex County doesn’t have the only GOP committee in turmoil – http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/2011/01/11/20110111gabrielle-giffords-arizona-shooting-resignations.html
Bill and the Delaware Right to Marry group are close to their goal! If you can, check in and donate….
Don’t you read your own blog? 😉
http://delawareliberal.net//2011/01/12/the-tea-party-in-delaware-and-arizona-have-a-lot-in-common/
Here we go again.
“According to the statement, Charles Turner Habermann, a 32-year-old Palm Springs, Calif., resident, was arrested Wednesday morning after making threatening phone calls to the office of the Seattle Democrat.
Federal prosecutors in Seattle described statements left by Habermann in two Dec. 9 phone calls as an “expletive-laden” effort to influence McDermott’s vote on tax policy. According to charging documents, Habermann to have threatened to kill McDermott’s friends and family, then, in the second call, threatened to put McDermott “in the trash.”
BREAKING NEWS – initial media reports that Palin’s link/or video had been pulled? from her FB page, maybe due to the term “blood Libel” comment
either that or the FB page is overwhelemed – time will tell
DG, I noticed that several sites have been pulling some of right nonsense statements that do the … “it’s a terrible tragedy, but we are victims of the liberal media” type postings.
I have seen it occur on a few of the right wing sites where the editors are actually reading what their nutjob mouthpieces are actually writing.
cassandra.. do you have any connection to that group? Just tried calling them and got some real odd phone recording. Just wanted to see if they had any operations down in sussex.
I may be a conservative rep., but I do not compromise on civil rights. And I will actually offer time, not money that VA pension only goes so far.
I am actually suprised they need money. Delaware is liberal and you really do not have to convince too many people. it is not like texas or new york where you have to actually lobby a ton of legistators.
Paratrooper, I do not have any connection to that group other than being in full support of their goal and sending them some money earlier this month. Some of the folks who do read here and will likely come by to respond to you, I imagine.
Thanks cass. I did find an email link on their site, so I submitted my info.
Seeing as to how this is an open thread.
I have a question. How does one dispose of a crucifix?
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED… Tucson Tea Party Leader Receives Death Threats This Week
gateway pundit 1/12/11 Jim Hoft
After blaming the tea party for the mass slaughter on Saturday one tea party leader is receiving death threats. The sheriff’s office told Tucson tea party leader Trent Humphries to stay home.
The Tuscon Tea Party leader started receiving death threats since the shootings at the Safeway on Saturday. Talking Points Memo reported, via Free Republic:
Trent Humphries, the leader of the largest tea party group in this mourning southern Arizona city, has nothing but praise for the way President Obama has led the nation through the aftermath of Saturday’s mass shooting at a constituent event for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). But Humphries won’t be there tonight when Obama speaks at a memorial rally intended to unify Tucson after six people were killed in the tragedy.
Humphries says he’s been getting threats at his home from people who seem to hold him and his organization partially responsible for the shootings Saturday.
Humphries told TPM he’s called the Sheriff’s department more than once in the past few days to make them aware of threatening phone calls.
It’s like what Dee Snider was tryin to say to Tipper Gore back in the day. That isn’t what I said or meant; it’s your own dirty, guilt-ridden mind that’s taking you there!