Weekend Open Thread
Welcome to your weekend open thread. I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend. I’m starting to give the house a long-overdue spring cleaning. What are your weekend plans?
Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher has died. He was 85 years old.
Warren M. Christopher, secretary of state in President Clinton’s first term and the chief negotiator for the 1981 release of American hostages in Iran, died Friday night in Los Angeles. He was 85 and had been ill with kidney and bladder cancer.
…
Methodical and self-effacing, Mr. Christopher alternated for nearly five decades between top echelons of both the federal government and legal and political life in California. Among other things, he served as administration point man with Congress in winning ratification of Panama Canal treaties, presided over normalization of diplomatic relations with China and conducted repeated negotiations involving the Middle East and the Balkans.
At home, Mr. Christopher developed a reputation as a riot expert, investigating racial unrest in Detroit and in the Watts district of Los Angeles and later heading a 1991 commission that proposed major reforms of the Los Angeles Police Department following riots prompted by the beating of a black motorist, Rodney King.
He really had a varied and fascinating career. I urge you to go read the whole article. Goodbye, Secretary Christopher. Thank you for your service to the United States.
Ann Coulter is back. She had been dumped for younger, hotter mean girls but I guess Bill O’Reilly was feeling nostalgic. Here’s Ann Coulter telling Bill O’Reilly that radiation is good for you.
On The O’Reilly Factor last night, Coulter spoke about her recent column that cites a number of articles in the New York Times and “a stunning number of physicists” showing radiation has a positive effect on cancer patients.
A skeptical O’Reilly retorted Coulter’s evidence with this, “by your account we should all be heading for the nuclear reactor leaking and kind of sunbathing out there in front of — come on.”
Coulter responded by citing a study, mentioned by the Times , held in Canada finding that tuberculosis patients subjected to multiple chest X-rays had much lower rates of breast cancer than the general population. “There may be some doses of radiation in the human body can ward off infection,” she said.
Joking aside, O’Reilly wanted Coulter to be “responsible” and admit that “some radiation will kill you.” Coulter refused.
I’d love to see the studies of those “stunning number of physicists.” I did here last night that most workers exposed to radiation have not had long term problems. The casualties of Chernobyl were mostly from the initial explosion. After 25 years, they no longer have an increased cancer risk except for thyroid cancer. The people living in the contaminated area do have more cancers and birth defects – just look at post-war Japan.
Tags: Open Thread
Minnesota Republicans want to criminalize poor people who carry more than $20 in cash.
Serious business these people are evil. Remember that the next time they hurl their so-called Christianity at you. Because Jesus would slap the shit out of these people.
Looks like we’re going in to Libya. At least we’re not the only ones this time. And hopefully our allies will keep on keeping on so we don’t get bogged down in another un-ending war. The poor Libyan people.
I must have missed the post lambasting Obama for foolishly getting us involved in yet another Middle Eastern conflict. Would someone mind providing the link, please?
AD, I see them putting the poor in chain gangs. The TEA-BAGGERS would ride rough-shod over them and feel,OH SO SUPERIOR!
It’s “Jim Crow” all again, but an oh so Constitutional variation.
We, the HAVES, vs.the HAVE NOTS.
Minnesota Republicans Want To Bust Poor People
Birthdays, holidays and charity aside, give me a reason those on public assistance would have SO much disposable income. The next step is to imprison anyone with less than $1000 debt on their credit cards or late on the 700% interest on a payday loan. Hell, if you’re foreclosed upon the repugs will have one of the many penal corporations house you. At great cost to the tea party dollar! Thing is, that’s all well & good in Minnesota, but the majority of Americans on the dole live in tornado alley or the dust bowl. In other words, ignorant white people in Dumbfuckistan suck our tax dollars. I’m fine with taxes and I’m fine with assistance but when we are less than honest about where the money goes it’s offensive. If one doesn’t identify the symptoms the sickness will never be healed.
Only a matter of time before Americans with a net worth less than ? will be criminalized.
Rush to War
War of Choice
O’s illegal war
I forgot….
O’s war for oil.
I agree with dominique. Does anyone here seriously believe we are just going to do a drive-by of Quadaughphi’s armories? What happens when militias become the same threat to the local population as the loyalists? Who exactly are we swearing to protect?
I think our wingnut would feel better if there was some pretend yellow cake uranium involved in this thing.
Dominique: Firedoglake has a fairly good running story with several updates on what’s actually happening there:
http://firedoglake.com/2011/03/19/us-tomahawk-missiles-fired-at-tripoli/
This story on 100+ arrests at an anti-war protest outside the White House includes (near the bottom) comments from Rep. Charles Rangel, who’s upset that Congress wasn’t consulted:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WAR_PROTEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-03-19-18-32-15
If you’re seriously interested in the anti-war movement as it pertains to Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Libya, Pacem in Terris is conducting an unfortunately timely symposium called “War Is Not the Answer” tomorrow afternoon at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pennsylvania Ave. & North Rodney Street, from 2-4 p.m. Panelists will be David Swanson, author of War is a Lie, investigative journalist David Lindorff who will discuss “Afghanistan: NOT the ‘Good War’: A War without a Reason or an End,” and Dr. Dahlia Wasfi who will talk about “Iraq: The Forgotten Occupation.” It’s free.
it’s not being wing-nutty. one the one hand, im totally about preventing genocide.
on the other hand.. who are we protecting? what exactly are we targeting? in how many WEEKS will our involvement be over and we can go back to spending billions per week fighting for freedom elsewhere in the neighborhood?
Why, always, the assumption that the US must play a major role in nearly every military action? Other nations assume it and we assume it about ourselves. It’s an assumption that is ruining us.
Dana: I believe it’s a logical if undesirable extension of post-WWII policy. We (and our allies) didn’t want Germany and Japan to rearm after WWII, and instead took their defense upon ourselves for the duration of the Cold War. It’s an easy step from there to being the world’s policeman, and another easy step from protection to offensive action.
And the Chinese, who GET a LOT of their oil from Libya, sit on the sidelines and watch. Don’t spend ONE of the MANY DOLLARS they hold of ours and will reap ALL the benefits.
Let’s look at Afghanistan and Pakistan,THEIR next door neighbors.
Why isn’t that problem their problem?
Why aren’t they worried about the political situation and balance of power there?
I’ll tell you.
It’s because they know we Americans have IDIOTS who still think we can save the world and be # 1.
Well, we can’t.
The sooner we wake up and face that fact the better.
The U.S. spends more on the military than every other country in the world combined so it makes sense for us to be involved in the world’s military actions. Plus Geezer’s right, “world’s policeman” is the role we’ve taken upon ourselves since WWII. We have to wean ourselves away from that role. If you actually read the speech Obama gave about the military action in Libya, he does lay out a vision of multilateral action. It’s quite a change from the Bush doctrine, that’s for sure. Another significant thing was that France was the first country to make a strike in Libya. I think the U.S. is trying not to make it look like the U.S. vs Libya.
NYTimes: Clinton and Susan Rice pushed Obama into Libya. This is another illegal war for imperialism. NATO and UN cannot overrule the Congress of the US. Kucinch and Ron Paul both gave rousing speeches proclaiming “only Congress can declare war”….why have the american people forgotten that? Bombing the hell out of Libya, destroying their infrastructure…you break it, you fix it!
So long NY Times…
The change in the NYT won’t affect me.
“So long NY Times…”
So what? I’ll just subscribe. If it means fewer ads and diminished needs to attract ads, that’s great.
So what? I’ll just subscribe.
Spoken like a true liberal elite.
I’ll just not subscribe.
Somewhere deep inside the control system for the Japanese nuke plant, in a room glowing with blistering heat and radiation instantly fatal to humans, there is a system control computer with its screen blinking; “Please insert your original Windows Genuine CD and press Enter.”
“The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.”
presidential candidate Barack Obama.
@Avagadro “… unilaterally authorize …”
But he has almost the ENTIRE United Nations behind him. There’s nothing at all unilateral about this.
But he has almost the ENTIRE United Nations behind him. There’s nothing at all unilateral about this.
I hear you, but remember Bush had UN backing too. So while I support the Libya intervention, I am acutely aware of the potential for hypocrisy.
So instead of a vain search for distinctions, and trying to find a controlling legal authority, I am comfortable with saying the invasion of Iraq was the wrong thing to do, while the intervention in Libya is the right thing to do… so far.
Thanks LE, I couln’t have satirized the left any better myself.
The Iraq War was not a UN action. Remember the “coalition of the willing?”
People who can’t see the large differences between Libya and the invasion of Iraq are not being honest. Either that or they are just stupid. Either way, is it really worth a responding to them?
“Joking aside, O’Reilly wanted Coulter to be “responsible” and admit that “some radiation will kill you.” Coulter refused.”
Holy shi… That’s how stupid and/or dishonest you have to be in order to be a hero to wingnuts.
“…but remember Bush had UN backing too.”
Ha!
The Iraq war was based on a pack of blatant and deliberate lies (e.g. Colin Powell played for sucker). Where are the lies this time?
…and that’s the difference between a “conservative” president and a moderate president.
Wow. You guys will find a way to justify anything he does. Amazing.
Libya is not a threat to us or to any of our allies. I keep hearing nonsense about this being a humanitarian effort. I call bullshit. This uprising has only been underway for a few weeks. There has been no mass genocide. Why would we intervene in this INTERNAL issue and not, say, Darfur or Rwanda?
I’m still waiting for someone to present a VALID reason to spend hundreds of millions of dollars that WE DON’T HAVE on this. While you’re at it, please explain why we’re still in Afghanistan and why Gitmo’s still open. Also…exactly what change! has he brought over the past two years? Or are we still running with the ‘he hasn’t had enough time’ meme?
Because Hillary Clinton said so..?
Oh good, Dom has gotten off of the “where are the jobs?” meme on to the “why are we still in Afghanistan?” and “Why haven’t we closed Gitmo?” meme. Is that progress?
As for why we get involved here, I would say that there is a real situation here that demanded intervention. Yes, Darfur and Rwanda are bad places, but they aren’t using fighter jets and helicopters to gun down their own people.
In Libya, there is a real likelihood that Ghadaffi would slaughter thousands more of his people with his superior air power. Hopefully, the strikes will diminish that capability and they can kill each other like civilized people.
Here’s what Ghadaffi has done with that superior power:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-22/libya-protests-shocking-photos-and-video/
As for Bush having UN backing, he did not. He tried, but even Colin Powell throwing his credibility out the window didn’t get them the resolution that they wanted.
“Why would we intervene in this INTERNAL issue and not, say, Darfur or Rwanda?”
Really? You’ve forgotten how to spell “oil”?
“The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.”
presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Just one of many lies. But are you as upset about Afghanistan, or only the wars and issues useful for bashing this particular political pawn?
“Wow. You guys will find a way to justify anything he does. Amazing.”
And you’ll find a way to criticize anything he does. What’s the difference?
” It doesn’t matter if it’s in-going or out-going.All that matters is who gets greased. And that doesn’t make any difference at all.”-Anonymous “grunt” quoted in Michael Herr’s,DISPATCHES.