THE MANZI-LEVIN BATTLE CONTINUES

(h/t Kevin Drum)

I'm not familiar with Kevin D. Williamson but its enough that he gets to publish in the NRO.

Here's what he has to say about Mark "Foamer" Levin:

I suspect it was the presence of the words "Jim Manzi," rather than the presence of the words "Kevin Williamson," that inspired Mark Levin to take notice of Douthat's post, and to comment:

A small group of hacks repeatedly quoting each other and linking to each other? This is pseudo-intellectual incest. And Douthat relies on it to spread his self-indulgent ramblings. Oh, do we miss William Safire. Instead, we get this crap.

When I first read Manzi's much-remarked-upon remarks re: Mark, I thought them unduly harsh. I am revising that opinion, just a little.

I WAS ASKED WHAT ARIZONA HISPANICS THOUGHT OF SB 1070...

and I didn't have any poll numbers. Andrea Mill at Think Progress has found a poll from Latino Decisions that shows they are overwhelmingly opposed to the immigration law.

GEN. PETRAEUS SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HIMSELF

(h/t David Weigel)

He was at AEI to receive the Irving Kristol Award. Kristol not only despised the soldiers of the Greatest Generation, he also firmly believed the necessity of useful lies.

I WONDER WHAT NATIVE AMERICAN INDIANS THINK ABOUT THIS BOOK TITLE

This seems to be more ethnic studies stupidity from Dr. Augustine Romero.

Students protest elimination of ethnic studies program
Posted: May 07, 2010 10:41 AM Updated: May 07, 2010 10:41 AM
Reporter: Sergio Avila
Web producer: Danya Kline
KGUN 9

Part of the controversy over the program stems from text in the books for the course. One line that keeps coming up is "Kill the gringo, " which is found in a book called " Occupied America, a history of Chicanos. " Augustin Romero who is the director of the program told KGUN9 that the quote is taken out of context. He said, " (Rodolfo) Acuna is talking about a moment in time. The book itself is not advocating for hatred toward any one group. What Acuna is doing is telling the history of a people and using one example."

THE KNOW-NOTHING BRIGADES

Richard Hofstadter wrote a decent book about the history of anti-intellectualism in America and from that I learned that this sort of populism has been around since the creation of the United States. What impressed me is the arrogance of the unlearned, even among devout Christians.

Mark Lilla writes in the NYRB that the Baggers have brought this movement back to life. He makes several interesting observations about their movement:

It appeals to petulant individuals convinced that they can do everything themselves if they are only left alone, and that others are conspiring to keep them from doing just that.

The new Jacobins have two classic American traits that have grown much more pronounced in recent decades: blanket distrust of institutions and an astonishing—and unwarranted—confidence in the self. They are apocalyptic pessimists about public life and childlike optimists swaddled in self-esteem when it comes to their own powers.

They want to say what they have to say without fear of contradiction, and then hear someone on television tell them they’re right.

MORE ON ISRAEL'S "EXCEPTIONALISM"

It's not only the only country in whose armed forces an American can enlist and still retain U.S. citizenship, it also has had a "special" relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):

APNewsBreak: Nuclear agency set to focus on Israel
May 7 05:04 PM US/Eastern
By GEORGE JAHN
Associated Press Writer

VIENNA (AP) - Israel's secretive nuclear activities may undergo unprecedented scrutiny next month, with a key meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency tentatively set to focus on the topic for the first time, according to documents shared Friday with The Associated Press.

The provisional agenda of the IAEA's June 7 board meeting lists "Israeli nuclear capabilities" as the eighth item—the first time that that the agency's decision-making body is being asked to deal with the issue in its 52 years of existence.

HANNITY DOESN'T READ FAUX NEWS

Today on his radio show he claimed that Pres. Obama has done nothing about the flooding around Nashville.

Tennessee Governor "very pleased" with response to flooding by Obama administration
May 6, 2010 | 5:06 PM ET
Row 2 Seat 4
FOX News


"I've never seen this kind of response," said Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen (D), "and we've had our share of tornadoes and so forth." The Volunteer State governor was speaking to reporters on a conference call arranged by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from Nashville, which has been hit hard by rains last weekend.

"FEMA and the White House could not have been more helpful in this thing," Bredesen said. Record amounts of rain fell Saturday and Sunday, more than 13 inches recorded in parts of Tennessee. Officials Thursday reported the state's 20th death from the storm and subsequent flooding.

After speaking with the governor Monday, President Obama signed a disaster declaration for the state Tuesday, sending federal aid to Tennessee to help supplement the state and local recovery efforts. While Governor Bredesen wouldn't put a precise dollar amount on a damage assessment, he admitted, "it's a lot of money, it's a lot of money. I'd be astonished if not a billion dollars."

ST. RONNIE & IMMIGRATION

This is another fact about Ronald Reagan that radio conservatives, especially Sean Hannity, almost never bring up.

An Amnesty by Any Other Name ..
By EDWIN MEESE III
Published: May 24, 2006
NY Times

In the mid-80's, many members of Congress — pushed by the Democratic majority in the House and the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy — advocated amnesty for long-settled illegal immigrants. President Reagan considered it reasonable to adjust the status of what was then a relatively small population, and I supported his decision.

LET'S HOPE THIS IS AN ISOLATED EVENT

I was worried that AZ's new immigration law may increase social strife and now it seems we have the first victim, an Hispanic-American.

Phoenix man accused in neighbor's shooting death

by Jolie McCullough - May. 7, 2010 11:53 AM
The Arizona Republic

Gary Kelley, 50, was arrested after police suspect he shot and killed his 44-year-old neighbor, Juan Varela, on the sidewalk near their houses in 6400 block of South Montezuma Street at about 1 p.m., according to the Phoenix Police Department.

Antonio told police that he came home Thursday afternoon to find Kelley walking toward his brother, who was watering a tree in the front yard, according to a police report.

Police said Kelley repeated a racial slur toward Varela several times before saying, "Hurry up and go back to Mexico, or you're going to die!"

Varela was said to have attempted to kick Kelley, but missed. Kelley allegedly pulled out a revolver and shot Varela once in the neck area, police said.

Police said he pointed the gun at the brother as well, before running into his house.

Kelley, holding a beer, left his house when police arrived. Police said he appeared intoxicated.

Kelley was not complying with officers' commands, police said, so he was pepper sprayed and taken into custody.

Varela was taken to a local hospital where he died.

Kelley was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and aggravated assault with a weapon, police said.

Maria Lopez, Varela's niece, said he was a second-generation American who was born in Phoenix. He had a wife and a 13-year-old daughter.

Lopez said when Kelley had been drinking, he sometimes made racial comments to her uncle and cousins, who lived next door. When Kelley wasn't drinking, Lopez said there were no issues.

MORE EVIDENCE THAT HAYEK WAS CORRECT

In 1961, Hayek published a short article harshly critical of conservatives in America. He concluded that an American conservative is "essentially opportunist and lacks principles" and I've pointed out that Mark Levin is a good example of this.

John Amato posts another great example, wingnut law professor and radio host Hugh Hewitt:

MI: And he waived, and he waived his Miranda rights. Look, there probably will be a discussion of this. But all I’m saying is we are still a country of laws. You can’t just make it up as you go along.

HH: But that’s cliché.

MI: And you know, maybe…

HH: That’s just cliché. We’re a country of laws. I know that. I teach it.

Yes, the Rule of Law is a cliche when it prevents conservatives from getting their way.

THIS CAN'T BE BENEFICIAL

The Wall Street Journal has a perfect description of the madness that briefly took over equity trading in America:

With Accenture, for example, 20,365 shares changed hands at around $39.98 during the minute of 2:46 p.m., then another 68,516 shares were traded at $38 per share during the minute of 2:47. But then in the 2:49 p.m. minute, 66,277 shares traded at one cent. By 2:50 p.m., the stock was back up to $39.51.

ANOTHER TALE FROM THE FREE MARKET FAIRY

Stock exchanges lose close to $1 Trillion in about 30 minutes and Nasdaq turns Communist and decides to cancel some trades. CNBC reports one possible cause of the free fall:

According to multiple sources, a trader entered a "b" for billion instead of an "m" for million in a trade possibly involving Procter & Gamble [PG 60.75 -1.41 (-2.27%) ], a component in the Dow.

I can't wait to read a MOTU defending this.

CAN'T GET ON A PLANE BECAUSE YOU ARE ON THE NO-FLY LIST?

UPDATE: Digby has a link to a site where you can sign a petition against this insanity.

Don't worry, you can still legally purchase Glocks and AK-47s. I had thought the NRA had lost a LOT of influence but on this issue, they have a lot of influence with many senators. BTW, I don't recall that the NRA made a fuss about the 4th Amendment during the Bush years.

Terrorists who want to buy guns have friends on Capitol Hill
By Dana Milbank
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Washington Post

The Bush administration urged Congress to pass a law barring people on the terrorist watch list from buying explosives and guns. The gun lobby objected. Now the Obama administration is urging Congress to pass the same legislation, and the gun lobby continues to object.

Still, Lieberman's hearing was fascinating because it forced the pro-gun crowd to take their philosophy to its logical extreme: Are they so absolute about the Second Amendment that they'd risk national security by fighting for the right of would-be terrorists to own guns? Alarmingly, they are.

Lindsey Graham was one of NRA defenders:

"But we're talking about a constitutional right here," Graham went on. He then changed the subject, pretending the discussion was about a general ban on handguns. "The NRA -- " he began, then rephrased. "Some people believe banning handguns is the right answer to the gun violence problem. I'm not in that camp."

Even Susan Collins played NRA sock puppet:

“Let me emphasize that none of us wants a terrorist to be able to purchase a gun,” said Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who nevertheless went on to argue against allowing the government to use the terrorist watch list to keep anyone from being able to purchase, um, a gun.

HILLSDALE COLLEGE ISN'T FUNDIE

This the conservative factory that Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin and other radio gasbags have been doing promotions and I wondered if it was 100% Fundie. A good way to find out is look at the biology courses offered - none mention Creationism or Intelligent Design. You can't tell from the catalogue what's taught in the seminars, so there is still some chance for the nonsense to be snuck in.

THIS UPCOMING FAIL BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE DEMS

You may recall that the credit ratings agencies (S&P, Moody's, Fitch) gave AAA ratings to junk and that helped create the housing bubble. Neither the House nor the Senate bill are cracking down on these thieves. All each one offers is this pablum:

Both bills would require a measure of certification that due diligence had been done by someone, but neither would dictate who'd pay for it.

Let's recall that the due diligence companies were also in a race to the bottom:

All over the mortgage world in 2003-2006 there were credit analysts being backed into corners by furious salespeople and traders and everyone else whose visions of the deep end of the bonus pool were evaporating when the credit people wouldn't race to the bottom on due diligence levels.

WHICH VOTERS ARE BEING BOUGHT?

(h/t ql at Atrios)

The wingers claim that the Democrats try to buy off voting blocs by giving each one lots of Federal goodies. Dana Milbank lets us know that its the Republicans who seem to be doing the buying. (h/t Diane)

An analysis of data from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation by Washington Post database specialist Dan Keating found that people in states that voted Republican were by far the biggest beneficiaries of federal spending. In states that voted strongly Republican, people received an average of $1.50 back from the federal government for every dollar they paid in federal taxes. In moderately Republican states, the amount was $1.19. In moderately Democratic states, people received on average of 99 cents in federal funds for each dollar they paid in taxes. In strongly Democratic states, people got back just 86 cents on the tax dollar.

SEE HOW EASY THIS WAS?

There was absolutely no good reason to temporarily hide the fact that the no-fly list system failed with the Times Square bomber.

Bomb Plot Prompts Change To Federal No-Fly List

by NPR Staff and Wires
May 5, 2010

The Department of Homeland Security has ordered airlines to check the federal "no fly" list more quickly to close a loophole that nearly allowed the man accused of plotting to bomb New York's Times Square to flee the country.

Faisal Shahzad was able to purchase a last-minute ticket from Emirates airlines and board a Dubai-bound airplane at John F. Kennedy International Airport late Monday night. Customs agents pulled him off the plane and arrested him just before the flight was to take off.

Authorities said Shahzad was added to the federal no-fly list early Monday afternoon, only hours before he boarded the Dubai-bound Emirates flight in New York.

Until now, airlines had been required to check the list 24 hours prior to any given outbound flight. Emirates apparently failed to check the latest version that included Shahzad's name even though it had been electronically notified of a change on the list.

Homeland Security officials said that effective immediately, airlines must check the list against their passenger manifest within two hours of being notified of any changes.

DOUHAT DOESN'T KNOW HIS HOBBES

(h/t DougJ for linking to the Douhat column)

In a 2009 column nominally about the old "science vs. faith" conflict, Ross Douhat argued that "One can reason productively about questions that cannot be resolved through falsification tests." and gave as one of his examples "there are clear contradictions between the "truth claims" of, say, Locke and Hobbes."

The problem with this choice is that Hobbes contradicts himself. On one hand, he asserts that the power of the monarch is absolute, on the other he claims each person has an absolute right to self-defense. Hobbes never resolved this issue. (h/t A. P. Martinich)

CORRECTION

I went with Ryan Grim's Greenspan story without reading the original documents and both Alan & I got it wrong. Greenspan wasn't talking about the housing bubble. (h/t Kevin Drum)

HAH! THE BAGGERS AND BECK LOSE ANOTHER ELECTION

It's only a primary but their choice for the GOP Indiana U.S. senate election, state Sen. Marlin Stutzman, lost to Dan Coats. In addition to Beck, Stutzman "was endorsed by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, and former Rep. John Hostettler." Pres. Obama just barely won Indiana in 2008.

(SIGH) ANOTHER UNFORCED ERROR

Even a casual follower of the news will wonder why Shahzad was able to board a plane so the Administration should've been upfront about this. In this case, they've managed to give more ammunition to the wingers.

Security Slip Let Suspect on Plane, Near Takeoff
Security slip let Times Square bomb suspect board plane; he was moments away from takeoff
By EILEEN SULLIVAN and MATT APUZZO Associated Press Writers
WASHINGTON May 4, 2010 (AP)

The Obama administration played down the fact that Shahzad, a U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, made it aboard the plane. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wouldn't talk about it, other than to say Customs officials prevented the plane from taking off. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the security system has fallback procedures in place for times like this, and they worked.

And Attorney General Eric Holder said he "was never in any fear that we were in danger of losing him."

RULE OF LAW MY ASS!!!

The wingers are trying to make a stink about the Times Square bomber getting Miranda rights and it's not just the radio gasbags:

“I hope that [Attorney General Eric] Holder did discuss this with the intelligence community. If they believe they got enough from him, how much more should they get? Did they Mirandize him? I know he’s an American citizen but still.” — Rep. Peter King (R-NY)

Today, Michael Savage and back-bencher John Gibson both attacked Glenn Beck for his support of abiding by Miranda.

STEWART RHODES NAMES SOME GASBAGS

Rhodes founded the Oath Keepers and in the past has seemed less of a wacko than other nominal conservatives. In an interview with The Raw Story, he points out that several print, radio & TV gasbags weren't too concerned about the Constitution when Bush was president.

"I'm not sure where he's at, he kinda jumps around," Rhodes said of Beck. "He was, early on during the Ron Paul campaign, horrible to Ron Paul. He even suggested that some of his followers were potential domestic terrorists and wanted to use the military against them. So, he seems kind of erratic."

"I think, some of the things he's been saying lately, I would agree with," he continued. "But, I'm always skeptical of someone who is erratic and not very consistent."

"Go back into the Bush years," he continued. "I didn't see him being very outspoken against Bush, so that would be my biggest beef with him. You won't find that from me. I challenge anyone to go back and find me saying anything good about President Bush."

Rhodes added: "That's the problem with people like Michelle Malkin, and apparently Glenn Beck -- and Rush Limbaugh is in the same camp -- during the Bush administration, you didn't hear a peep out of them about, oh, the president is overstepping constitutional boundaries, he's endangering the country, this stuff is unconstitutional. I didn't hear anything like that from those people."

"In fact, [it was] quite the opposite," he said. "Michelle Malkin was running around arguing why the internment of Japanese Americans was proper and necessary, [like] they were really dangerous people. You know, [she was] laying the groundwork, overtly, for interning Arab Americans."

"Apparently Glenn Beck is the same way," Rhodes concluded. "He was kissing Bush's booty and now he's counting his change... It's all complete hypocrisy... Even Rush Limbaugh admitted that he was just carrying their water."

SOMETIMES THE TAIL DOES WAG THE DOG

According to this POLITICO story, Israel, not Britain, has a truly "special" relationship with America:

There is one exception to the existing law: Americans are allowed to serve in the Israeli Defense Forces without losing their citizenship.

So, it's OK to have a divided allegiance as long as the other country is Israel. How did this happen?

GRANPA "WALNUTS" MCCAIN DOESN'T LIKE THE CONSTITUTION

He wants to deny the Times Square bomber, an American citizen, of his Miranda rights. Glenn Beck, Judge Napolitano, Ed Morissey at Hot Air and Moe Lane at Red State unequivocally support Miranda rights.

McCain just can't stop pandering to right-wing extremists because he's afraid of losing the primary to J. D. Hayworth.

IT IS REASONABLE TO QUESTION THEIR MOTIVES

(h/t Atrios)

Conservatives have a history of hiding their real motivations behind all sort of idealistic disguises. Here's another example in a long line of anti-gay conservatives who are gay themselves.

THIS CRAP PISSES ME OFF

Wingers make some truly stupid claim about liberals/leftists/Democrats and the rubes take it as Absolute Truth. The NY Post turd-maker Ralph Peters starts off this way:

American and European leftists share the conviction that the immigrant, legal or illegal, is always right -- and the native-born citizen's always wrong.

This bigotry toward the law-abiding American, Brit, Frenchman or Italian doesn't help the immigrant in the end. Instead, it's a powerful engine driving divisiveness.

The fact that Peters was a Lt. Colonel should be a little more evidence that the military isn't anywhere near as good as the wingers claim.

ANOTHER CONSERVATIVE RAG IS IN TROUBLE

The American Spectator is going through hard times and wants its current subscribers to donate $10/month to keep the agit-prop flowing.

THIS COMPLETES THE CIRCLE, PART II

Coast to Coast AM, when George Noory is hosting, has become a secondary stage for the wingnuts and that's kind of sad. Last night I listened to a krazy from World Nut Daily spew for a couple of hours.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T LIVE IN ARIZONA

I'd like to point out that the recent immigration bill could end up causing a great deal of social strife in which innocent people could get hurt. This could turn out to be much more than an ideologically significant action.

WE DON'T NEED TO WRITE JOKES ABOUT SARAH PALIN

She provides them all by herself:

But as a major proponent of offshore drilling, the former Republican vice presidential nominee said that she’d still wants “our country to be able to trust the oil industry.”

MJ NEEDS TO ROLL A FAT ONE & CHILL

M. J. Rosenberg of TPM accuses Bill Maher of being a bigot because Maher made a strong defense of some of the vales of Western Civilization. MJ couldn't be more wrong about this. Of course many of our values are superior to those of extremist Muslims because we've been through our intolerant period and have seen its failings.

FATS HAS JUMPED THE SHARK AGAIN

I don't know if Limbaugh can say anything that will convince his listeners that he's a buffoon. A month ago, he said that the words "storefront," "factory," and "worker" are "Marxist-Leninst terms." Here's the transcript:

OBAMA: Today is an encouraging day. We learned that the economy actually produced a substantial number of jobs instead of losing a substantial number of jobs. We are beginning to turn the corner. This month more Americans woke up, got dressed, and headed to work in an office or factory or storefront, more folks are feeling the sense of pride and satisfaction that comes with a hard-earned and well-deserved paycheck.


RUSH: This is what this regime does. This regime tries to tell us how we are feeling. This month more Americans woke up, got dressed, and headed to work in an office or factory or storefront? Storefront? Factory? These are all Marxist and Leninist terms. So is "worker." More folks are feeling the sense of pride and satisfaction? More folks are more scared than ever. I just saw a chart on the percentage of Americans who think the country is headed in the wrong direction. It's close to 60%. There isn't a whole lot of happiness out there. Here's Obama off script on drilling.

According to the OED, "worker" in our sense of the term has been around since the 1300s:

1. One who makes, creates, produces, or contrives. {dag}a. Applied to God as maker or creator; sometimes absol. the Creator, (one's) Maker. Obs.
13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1501 {Th}e worcher of {th}is worlde. 1382 WYCLIF Job xxxvi. 3 My werkere I shal proue ri{ygh}twis. 1500-20 DUNBAR Poems xlvi. 53 He, of natur that wirker wes and king. Ibid. 60 He, the wirker, that put in hir sic grace. 1557 N.T. (Genev.) Ep. *ij, God the Creatour, moste perfect and excellent worker of all thinges. 1594 HOOKER Eccl. Pol. I. ii. §2 Only the workes and operations of God haue him both or their worker, and for the lawe whereby they are wrought. a1602 W. PERKINS Cases Consc. (1619) 4 He is the author and worker thereof [i.e. of goodness].

"Factory" has been around since the 1500s:

5. a. A building or range of buildings with plant for the manufacture of goods; a manufactory, workshop; ‘works’.
1618 USSHER Let. to Camden 8 June, The Company of Stationers in London are now erecting a Factory for Books and a Press among us here. 1832 G. R. PORTER Porcelain & Gl. 307 The spacious factory of the manufacturer. 1878 JEVONS Prim. Pol. Econ. 63 Somebody must settle whether the factory is to work for..ten..or eight hours a day.

"Storefront" has been with us since 1880 but has no Marxist-Leninist heritage:

1. a. The side of a shop facing the street; (a building with) a shop window.
1880 G. W. CABLE Grandissimes 376 A large porte-cochère..[opened] upon the banquette immediately beside and abreast of the store-front. 1922 F. FARRINGTON Meeting Chain Store Competition iii. 37 You can make your store front as conspicuous as a red front Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. store front and still make it infinitely more attractive. 1945 Planning Store of Tomorrow (National Retail Merchants Assoc.) 6/1 Some are specialists on store fronts, but can do or supervise an intelligent job on interior layout. 1962 E. SNOW Red China Today (1963) lxx. 538 Some of the old foreign store fronts (such as Whiteaways) now exhibited shining lathes and other machines. 1974 R. L. SIMON Wild Turkey iii. 19 [A] shocking pink storefront temporarily labeled ‘The Institute of Oral Love’. 1977 Guardian Weekly 4 Dec. 12/5 This indifference..turns storefronts not into show-cases for the articles sold by the shops but into museums of all the goods that were once sold there or will be sold at some future date. 1979 United States 1980/81 (Penguin Travel Guides) 73 This little deli is just a storefront on a shopping-center strip, so look carefully.

THE STUPID SPREADS EASILY

Sean Hannity used to regularly say that Pres. Obama has required U.S. soldiers to read Miranda rights to terrorists on the battlefield. I thought that this claim was so extreme that it would only diminish what little credibility Hannity has but I was wrong. Last night on Billy Cunningham's Sunday show, a caller repeated Hannity's absurd claim and Cunningham did not correct him.

I GUESS RAND PAUL ISN'T A REAL LIBERTARIAN

Mullah Dobson has decided to endorse Paul and withdraw his endorsement of Trey Grayson.

Dobson pulls Grayson endorsement, backs Paul

Just a week after backing Trey Grayson in the Kentucky Senate race, evangelical leader Dr. James Dobson pulled the endorsement, backed Rand Paul and blamed GOP leaders for providing him misleading information about Paul’s record.

"Senior members of the GOP told me Dr. Paul is pro-choice and that he opposes many conservative perspectives, so I endorsed his opponent,” Dobson said. “But now I've received further information from OB/GYNs in Kentucky whom I trust, and from interviewing the candidate himself.”

FUCK YOU, ALAN GREENSPAN

(h/t Atrios)

The arrogance of our financial overlords is sometimes astounding. This is a real example of what the wingers describe as the arrogance of the elites.

Greenspan Wanted Housing-Bubble Dissent Kept Secret
by Ryan Grim
First Posted: 05- 3-10 11:30 AM | Updated: 05- 3-10 01:34 PM

As top Federal Reserve officials debated whether there was a housing bubble and what to do about it, then-Chairman Alan Greenspan argued that the dissent should be kept secret so that the Fed wouldn't lose control of the debate to people less well-informed than themselves.

"We run the risk, by laying out the pros and cons of a particular argument, of inducing people to join in on the debate, and in this regard it is possible to lose control of a process that only we fully understand," Greenspan said, according to the transcripts of a March 2004 meeting.

THE GUY WHO WROTE THE AZ IMMIGRATION BILL...

Kris Kobach - has his own radio show. I found this on Talkstreamlive:


I went to the KCMO site and found that Kobach has a regularly scheduled Sunday show:

WARREN BUFFETT LETS ME DOWN

In the past, Buffett has shown that he is a progressive but he defended Goldman Sachs and Moody's in his recent speech at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. The only positive I can take from the speech is this:

"I haven't seen anything in Goldman's behavior that makes it any more subject to criticism than Wall Street generally," Mr. Buffett said at a news conference Sunday, the day after Berkshire's annual meeting.

This is why we need to change the culture on Wall Street.

NOW I GET IT

Alveda King was a guest on Glenn Beck's TV show and I was a little puzzled about this. Thanx a tip from David Weigel, I now see that this fits into Beck's pandering to the Fundies because Alveda strongly opposes abortion and birth control.

Abortion as "Black Genocide"
An Old Scare Tactic Re-Emerges
By Kathryn Joyce
PublicEye.Org

Civil Rights Rhetoric and "Black Genocide"

The token leaders to whom Hatcher is referring are a small but busy cadre of Black activists working in White-run anti-abortion organizations. For example, in late 2008, Pro-Life Unity hired a Black vice president, Samuel Mosteller, [9] and in January 2009, after years of failed attempts to reach out to African Americans, Georgia Right to Life hired Davis to spread the word that reproductive health care providers such as Planned Parenthood have a “mission to eliminate blacks from America.” [10]

Most visible of these leaders is Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr., whose full-time position with Priests for Life was the first funded role for a “Black genocide” activist. Her main strategy—and critics say her sole qualification—has been capitalizing on her uncle’s legacy, often asking, “How can the dream survive if we murder the children?” [11] She takes frequent aim at a speech delivered on behalf of Martin Luther King Jr. by his wife, Coretta Scott King, in acceptance of the 1966 Margaret Sanger Award. The speech includes a lament about the number of unwanted children among poor Blacks. Alveda King suggests that Martin Luther King didn’t write the speech—to her ears, it sounds like it was written by a woman—and that his wife’s delivery of it was due to a marital disagreement. On Alveda King’s website, [12] she annotates the speech with quotations from the Rev. King that she believes refute his apparent support for the birth-control movement.

MULLAH DOBSON RETURNS TO RADIO

His new hate radio show will begin airing this Monday on 500 stations and he will push the same old crap:

"Babies are dying, the very definition of marriage is under attack, the financial underpinnings of families are being destroyed by confiscatory taxation, and children of all ages are being taught wickedness and every form of godlessness. This is no time to grow timid!" he said.

WHAT'S WITH THE BAGGER SPELLING PROBLEMS?

Even a guy who worked for a newspaper can't seem to get the letters correct. From Robert Stacy McCain's blog:

IDEOLOGICAL BLINDERS

The wingnut paper Washington Times has had its $35 million subsidy drastically cut and now the Moonies are trying to sell it. Robert Stacy McCain, a wingnut blogger, used to work for the Times but he can't make the obvious conclusion: The Times was business failure since its inception.

SO MUCH FOR LEVITICUS

Taking Glenn Beck's advice, I read Ephesians last night and made an interesting discovery: according to St. Paul, Christ superseded the laws of the Old Testament. That would mean that we can safely ignore the strictures in Leviticus.

Ephesians 2:14-15 (New International Version)
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,

Ephesians 2:14-15 (American Standard Version)
14 For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition, 15 having abolished in the flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, [so] making peace;

Ephesians 2:14-15 (New Revised Standard)
14 For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15 He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,

Ephesians 2:14-15 (Douay-Rheims)
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and breaking down the middle wall of partition, the enmities in his flesh: 15 Making void the law of commandments contained in decrees: that he might make the two in himself into one new man, making peace

Ephesians 2:14-15 (King James Version)
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

Ephesians 2:14-15 (New King James Version)
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,

WHAT'S UP WITH CONSERVATIVES AND BOOBS?

Former US AG John Ashcroft had a problem with exposed breasts on statues and the VA AG has one with them on lapel pins.

Cuccinelli opts for more modest state seal
By Julian Walker
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 1, 2010

RICHMOND

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli apparently isn’t fond of wardrobe malfunctions, even when Virginia’s state seal is involved.

The seal depicts the Roman goddess Virtus, or virtue, wearing a blue tunic draped over one shoulder, her left breast exposed. But on the new lapel pins Cuccinelli recently handed out to his staff, Virtus’ bosom is covered by an armored breastplate.

WHAT HE SAID, WHAT THEY PRETENDED TO HEAR

Pres. Obama's commencement speech at the Univ. of Michigan was a model of a temperate approach to political issues and I'd like to share three snippets here:

You can disagree with a certain policy without demonizing the person who espouses it. You can question somebody’s views and their judgment without questioning their motives or their patriotism. (Applause.) Throwing around phrases like “socialists” and “Soviet-style takeover” and “fascist” and “right-wing nut” -- (laughter) -- that may grab headlines, but it also has the effect of comparing our government, our political opponents, to authoritarian, even murderous regimes.

The problem is that this kind of vilification and over-the-top rhetoric closes the door to the possibility of compromise. It undermines democratic deliberation. It prevents learning –- since, after all, why should we listen to a “fascist,” or a “socialist,” or a “right-wing nut,” or a left-wing nut”?

Still, if you’re somebody who only reads the editorial page of The New York Times, try glancing at the page of The Wall Street Journal once in a while. If you’re a fan of Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh, try reading a few columns on the Huffington Post website. It may make your blood boil; your mind may not be changed. But the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship. (Applause.) It is essential for our democracy. (Applause.)

And this is how one right-wing organ misinterpreted the speech:

Obama uses commencement address to attack free speech
May 1, 10:59 AM
Manhattan Conservative Examiner
Howard Portnoy

I RECALL DAVID BROCK MAKING A COMMENT ABOUT A CATO "SCHOLAR"

Brock said the CATO employee told him (roughly) that if his research found that a government program worked, he would suppress it. Today I has another example of dishonesty from a CATO employee, Mark Calabria. He was a guest on a local wingnut radio show and pushed the Big Lie that Fannie and Freddie were primarily to blame for the housing bubble.

BECK IS WRONG AGAIN

Overall, this is one of Glenn Beck's smaller mistakes but given the amount of time he's spent demonizing Woodrow Wilson, I think he'd have all the facts.

From his April 30th, 2010 radio show: The interview with Sarah Palin:

GLENN: Let me give you the list of people that's on this and tell me if you see a pattern. First there's Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, a guy who was on the original founding, one of the founding members of the Workers World Party. Then there's Barack Obama. Then there's Ron Bloom, organized labor and Marxist, a guy who says that he kind of agrees with Chairman Mao, that power comes from the barrel of a gun and that the free market is dead. Then there is the prime minister of Japan who is described in Time as a revolutionary, liberal Democratic Party, wants more power and transparency. His election was called Historic Change. He's also a management professor, which I think Woodrow Wilson was.

This isn't even close:

Wilson went to Johns Hopkins University in 1883, studying government and history. At Johns Hopkins, he wrote Congressional Government, which was published in 1885. That book, still admired today as a study of lawmaking in the national U.S. government, was accepted as his dissertation, and he received the Ph.D. degree in political science from Johns Hopkins the following year. Wilson is the only U.S. president to hold a Ph.D.

Wilson taught at Bryn Mawr (Pa.) College, then at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. In 1890 he became professor of jurisprudence and political economy at Princeton University.