ANOTHER WINGNUT HISTORICAL BLUNDER

Do you remember Sean Hannity's TV show segment, Enemy of the State?  I had forgotten about it until I read this 2009 post by Paul Mulshine.  Mulshine traces the history of this phrase back to Stalin:

Back in 1932, there was a 13-year-old kid by the name of Pavlik Morozov who became a national hero in the Soviet Union.

It seems little Pavlik's father had been forging travel documents for his fellow peasants to help them escape the wrath of Stalin. Pavlik, being a good little Marxist, turned his father in to the authorities. Trofim Morozov was thrown into a labor camp, from which he never emerged.

Later that year, someone killed the little squealer. It wasn't clear just who did the deed, but the authorities offed four of his family members just to make sure they got the right one. After all, every single one of them was an "enemy of the state," a term Uncle Joe liked to apply to anyone who opposed him.

This is similar to their ignorance about the origins of the phrase "American Exceptionalism."

MURDOCH CLOSES BRIT PAPER

and almost no news source mentions the innocent workers. The exceptions I found were The Daily Beast and the NY Times:

JONAH GOLDBERG IS A DOPE

(h/t Wonkette)

This is the tweet he sent to Pres. Obama:

In fact, Moses didn't write any books.

MORE NIBBLING AWAY AT THE MOTU

As I've written before, a fine is nice but some people really should go to jail because that would be a greater deterrent.

JPMorgan settles muni bid-rigging case for $211.2 million
Reuters
By David Henry | Reuters – 4 hrs ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co agreed to pay $211.2 million to settle federal and state charges that its employees rigged bids for derivatives sold to at least 48 cities and charities.

Since December, Bank of America Corp has agreed to pay $137 million to settle charges and UBS has paid $160 million, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has been part of all three cases.

Former JPMorgan employees submitted sham bids when seeking to provide derivatives to municipalities and not-for-profit organizations, law enforcers said. The bank also communicated with competitors to fix prices as part of a scheme that began as early as 1997 and continued into 2006, law enforcers said.

MY BAD! I didn't read the entire article so I missed this goody:

From JPMorgan and other banks in the industry, nine former employees have pleaded guilty to crimes and nine others have criminal charges pending, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

WHY SO FEW POSTS?

I haven't been posting as much lately for several reasons.  Perhaps the most important is the fact that I've gotten sick of listening to rightwing radio because it's pretty much the same crap, 5 days a week.   I'm also more confident know that I have a good understanding of American conservatism, so I don't feel I need to make as many "look what else I found" posts. 

I expect I will be posting more often as we get closer to the 2012 election craziness.

GOP PANDERING TO RUBES AND FREAKSHOWS

In the U. S. Senate, there's a renewed call for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution and in the House, the GOP is moving to weaken light-bulb efficiency regulation.  The GOP Senators are seriously deranged and make the House GOP seem relatively harmless.

UIPDATE: David Leonhardt has a little more on why a Balanced Budget Amendment is a FAIL.

PIGBOY LIMBAUGH ADDS TO HIS INFAMY

Mediaite and Media Matters have reported on Fats' claim the liberals would treat Casey Anthony as a hero if she had had an abortion 2 years ago.

Fats didn't make too much fuss over the "social issues" until Glenda Beck showed that there were ratings to be had among the Fundie rubes.

THIS IS TERRIFIC NEWS!!!

(h/t believe or not to Gawker)

I'm curious how (if?) the radio gasbags will attack this regulation.

FDIC backs pay clawback in bank liquidations
By Dave Clarke

WASHINGTON | Wed Jul 6, 2011 11:44am EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators will be able to snatch back up to two years of Wall Street executives' pay if they are found responsible for the collapse of a major financial firm, under a rule approved on Wednesday.

The FDIC's final rule provided some relief by clarifying "negligence" as the standard. The agency was careful to point out that it was not using the more narrow standard of "gross negligence."

THEY SURE LIKE GIMMICKS

Current GOP governor Rick Perry and former GOP governor Tim Pawlenty both have used accounting gimmicks to balance their respective state budgets instead of working toward real solutions.

ATRIOS MAKES ANOTHER GOOD POINT

In the Tweet Town Hall, Pres. Obama admitted that he and his administration didn't realize how truly awful the economy was until about 4 months into his 1st term.  Atrios asks why he didn't ask for MORE stimulus money right away?

MORE BIBLE SCHOLARSHIP

Writing in the HuffPo, John Dominic Crossen claims that 3 of the letters attributed to St. Paul - 1-2 Timothy, Titus - were definitely not written by him.  This is of some interest because the Fundies use Timothy 2:12 to argue that women should not be in leadership positions.

EXPECT MORE OF THIS

The fight over the Federal budget will bring out the war whores, like these two clowns:

Asia Needs a Larger U.S. Defense Budget
By DAN BLUMENTHAL AND MICHAEL MAZZA
JULY 5, 2011
WALL STREET JOURNAL

The prescription should be more, not less, U.S. military power. It is easy to see how cuts will save today, but difficult to assess how much cuts will cost tomorrow. In Asia, the price will be unacceptably high.

The U.S. military will require next-generation bombers; large numbers of attack submarines; many fifth-generation fighters and refueling tankers; more and better surface ships; and long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. AirSea Battle requires more defense investment, not budget cuts.

Expect more of this from talk radio gasbags like Mark Levin, who called for a Reagan-sized defense buildup a couple of weeks ago.

I DON'T HATE GOD BUT...

these and other like-minded  people are beginning to really annoy me.

Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) said "at the heart of liberalism really is a hatred for God and a belief that government should replace God." and Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) said "there are folks that want to destroy us from inside, the progressives and the socialists, who want to make this nation a nation that's no longer under you, under God, but a nation that's ruled by man."

A NAME FROM THE PAST

Back in 2005, I discovered that war whore Judith Miller was part of a stable of neo-con freakshows promoted by Benador Associates.  Eliana Benador ran this speakers booking agency and later wrote for the Washington Times.   The Times fired her because of an inflammatory article Benador wrote about Rep. Weiner and his wife and Benador has just now published an anti-nonwhite article about immigration for Tea Party Nation.

RYAN PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR COHEN

Richard Cohen has written a WaPo op-ed that correctly claims the GOP has become a cult -

The hallmark of a cult is to replace reason with feverish belief. This the GOP has done when it comes to the government’s ability to stimulate the economy. History proves this works — it’s how the Great Depression ended — but Republicans will not acknowledge it.

This intellectual rigidity has produced a GOP presidential field that’s a virtual political Jonestown.

As if following a script, Paul Ryan shows that he is in denial about the popularity of his plan to destroy Medicare:

“Those polls don’t describe it very well. When the plan is described accurately, it actually polls very well,” Ryan claims.

THIS IS WHAT 2 MILLION DOLLARS BUYS...

A whore who's willing to ignore all the lies on FAUX News:

Juan Williams: Media Matters ‘Ruins People’s Lives’ Over Political Disagreements
by Matt Schneider | 9:09 am, July 5th, 2011
MEDIAITE

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS TITLE?

From the Washington Examiner:

Our Independence Flags On This Glorious Fourth
By MARK STEYN Posted 07/01/2011 06:11 PM ET

HINT:Mark Steyn (born December 8, 1959) is a Canadian-born writer,...Steyn, a Canadian[2] citizen, now resides mainly in New Hampshire in the United States.

IS MARCUS BACHMANN A QUACK?

POLITICO asked but his office won't give out any information about his credentials.   This might be a fluke of Minnesota's licensing policy:

Trisha Stark, of the Minnesota Psychological Association, said that the title “clinical therapist” is not widely used in professional circles and that Bachmann is able to operate his clinic because of state rules regarding mental health practice.

“Minnesota is one of the only states in which you can practice mental health without a license,” Stark said.

IT'S NOT JUST THEIR BAD IDEAS...

Too many conservative politicians think their agenda is APPROVED BY GOD. From Santorum to Palin to Bachmann to DeMint, none have anything like Christian Humility.

DeMint book reveals widening GOP divide
By James Rosen | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Sunday, July 3, 2011

DeMint writes in almost messianic terms as he repeatedly casts himself as fulfilling a mission assigned to him by God to "save freedom," prevent bankrupting the future and pull the nation back from a moral abyss.

Describing his book as a story of "the battle for America's soul," DeMint said he was tired of Washington after his first term and came close to not seeking re-election last year, but God persuaded him to stay in the fight.

YOU MAY HAVE COME ACROSS THIS QUOTE BEFORE

Conservatives love to post this quote from FDR's Sec. of the Treasury, Henry Morgenthau, Jr.:

"We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just one interest, and if I am wrong … somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises. … I say after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started. … And an enormous debt to boot."

According to Eliot Janeway, Morgenthau was pretty much an economics dope:

Instead of listening to Keynes or Fisher, Roosevelt allowed himself to be influenced by Henry Morgenthau, Jr., his intellectual valet de chambre in matters involving the application of intellect to finance (neither of which area of activity had the slightest interest for FDR except as means to ends or as necessary evils). Each and every idea that Morgenthau promoted through his special relationship with Roosevelt turned out to be a mistake: his final scheme for the de-industrialization of Germany was merely the best-known because the most conspicuously and authentically his own creation. But to the extent that the various "spend—lend" experiments of the New Deal proved to have come too late and to have done too little, the chief engineer of the roadblock against them was invariably the stubborn, suspicious, loyal and devoted lieutenant who divided his time between command of the Treasury and attendance at the bedside. And, to the extent that the novel monetary and economic experiments of the New Deal were neutralized, their innocent but ignorant saboteur was invariably this familiar of Roosevelt's. His inability to understand or accept new ideas prevented the fiscal follow-through from the Treasury which is the precondition of success for any monetary or economic experimentation. (p. 180)

INDEPENDENCE DAY TIDBITS

I just finished reading Carl Becker's The Declaration of Independence and I'd give it a B- overall but I did learn a few things.  First of all, the LEGAL declaration of independence was passed by Congress on July 2, 1776. (p. 1)  Second, the Declaration of Independence was not signed by the members until August 2, 1776. (p. 185)

I WAS HOPING FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS

The Dobson-less version of Focus on the Family is not only less blatantly political, it's also veering dangerously close to Marxism (if you take Glenda Beck seriously):

Refocusing on the Family
Like many evangelical organizations that were built in the past 50 years, Focus on the Family is attempting to thrive—and survive—past its founder.
Sarah Pulliam Bailey | posted 7/01/2011 10:27AM
Christianity Today

In many ways, Focus represents a larger struggle in evangelicalism over political and cultural engagement and the issues it prioritizes.

"Many traditional evangelicals are struggling with, What does evangelicalism mean?" says Dale Buss, author of Dobson's biography. "They still care about the same issues and they still agitate politically. But do we keep going back to abortion and gay marriage or be more responsive on issues the millennial generation is interested in, like sex trafficking and other social justice issues?"

In a related article in the same magazine, Dobson's adopted son Ryan is a bit more direct:

"Most people don't think 'Dobson' and think humanitarianism and helping the homeless or clean water or food or shelter or Haiti or Katrina, any of those things," he says.

PAWLENTY: THE QUIET WACKO

(h/t Kyle at Right Wing Watch)

I've posted some of his extremist positions and this one may be the most troubling.  When asked about Reagan's decision to withdraw from Lebanon, this is what TPaw said:

“I guess I would go back and say that my view, without referencing a particular president, is that once the United States commits to a mission, it’s really important that we prevail. Because when you don’t, it diminishes the respect and credibility and awe that other people view the United States with."

So if we make a committment and later decide that it was unwise, we can't change course no matter what.

ANOTHER BANKSTER LOSES A CIVIL SUIT

(h/t HuffPo)
This isn't as good as sending some of these creeps to jail but at least it's some legal recognition that poor people & ACORN weren't to blame.  Note that an accounting firm is also involved, one member of a group  that Charles Munger,  Berkshire Hathaway's VP, thinks  are "contemptible" for its role in the Great Recession.

Investors strike $208.5 million WaMu settlement
WILMINGTON, Delaware | Fri Jul 1, 2011 10:04am EDT

WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) - Washington Mutual Inc's officers, directors, underwriters and auditor have agreed to a $208.5 million settlement to end class-action securities fraud lawsuits, according to court documents.

The settlement is among the largest stemming from the financial crisis, trailing a $624 million settlement by Countrywide Financial Corp and $475 million by Merrill Lynch & Co Inc.

The lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington accused the defendants of concealing from investors poor loan underwriting and inflated appraisals that juiced earnings. That inflated the company's stock price, which was once a stock-market darling.

Under the terms of the class-action settlement, announced in court papers dated Thursday, claims against the directors and officers will be settled for around $105 million.

About a dozen underwriters of the company's securities contributed $85 million to the settlement; the company's auditor, Deloitte & Touche LLP, contributed $18.5 million.

JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES IN 1926

His short essay "The end of laissez-faire" is today still worth reading, not least because he mentions problems for cartoon capitalism:

For economists generally reserve for a later stage of their argument the complications which arise - (1) when the efficient units of production are large relatively to the units of consumption, (2) when overhead costs or joint costs are present, (3) when internal economies tend to the aggregation of production, (4) when the time required for adjustments is long, (5) when ignorance prevails over knowledge and (6) when monopolies and combinations interfere with equality in bargaining - they reserve, that is to say, for a later stage their analysis of the actual facts.

Since 1926, psychologists have gradually built up an huge amount of evidence that shows ignorance all too often prevails.  As a result, even economists now admit that the "standard economic model of human behavior includes three unrealistic traits—unbounded rationality, unbounded willpower, and unbounded selfishness."

THIS IS MARXIST OPPRESSION?

Freaks like Mark Levin claim that Pres. Obama's hatred of corporations and Capitalism is doing terrible damage to companies.  The truth?...not so much.

The Wageless, Profitable Recovery
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
June 30, 2011, 10:44 am

In their newly released study, the Northeastern economists found that since the recovery began in June 2009 following a deep 18-month recession, “corporate profits captured 88 percent of the growth in real national income while aggregate wages and salaries accounted for only slightly more than 1 percent” of that growth.

The study, “The ‘Jobless and Wageless Recovery’ From the Great Recession of 2007-2009,” said it was “unprecedented” for American workers to receive such a tiny share of national income growth during a recovery.

According to the study, between the second quarter of 2009, when the recovery began, and the fourth quarter of 2010, national income rose by $528 billion, with $464 billion of that growth going to pretax corporate profits, while just $7 billion went to aggregate wages and salaries, after accounting for inflation.

SECTION 4 OF THE 14TH AMENDMENT TO THE RESCUE?

(h/t Jonathan Chait)

I initially thought this was Bagger-thinking from the Left but according to Jack Balkin, it really may apply:

Like most inquiries into original understanding, this one does not resolve many of the most interesting questions. What it does suggest is an important structural principle. The threat of defaulting on government obligations is a powerful weapon, especially in a complex, interconnected world economy. Devoted partisans can use it to disrupt government, to roil ordinary politics, to undermine policies they do not like, even to seek political revenge. Section Four was placed in the Constitution to remove this weapon from ordinary politics.

THE BAGGERS HELPED PAY FOR THIS

The NY Daily News reports that Glenda is renting a house in the Dallas area for $20,000 and provided a pic:

YEARS AGO...

but after 2001, I remember reading a comment about how conservatives just can't admit their beloved ideology could be wrong, so they blame people instead: "Conservatism didn't fail, it was failed."   Today in a radio promo for his Federalist for Dummies book, Glenda Beck asked "Did Capitalism fail or did we fail Capitalism?" Just like the older reply, Beck blamed people.

GINGRICH, SANTORUM, BACHMANN, CAIN,,,

I guess Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) thinks ANYONE can run for the GOP nomination if those freakshows are taken seriously.  I don't blame him