GLENN BECK'S BLUNDER MAKES GOOGLE+

I'll to push this huge Beck FAIL as best I can.

MACHIAVELLI ON THE TOP 1%

This is from his Discourses on Livy (1513):

And to explain more clearly what is meant by the term gentlemen, I say that those are called gentlemen who live idly upon the proceeds of their extensive possessions, without devoting themselves to agriculture or any other useful pursuit to gain a living. Such men are pernicious to any country or republic; but more pernicious even than these are such as have, besides their other possessions, castles which they command, and subjects who obey them. This class of men abound in the kingdom of Naples, in the Roman territory, in the Romagna, and in Lombardy; whence it is that no republic has ever been able to exist in those countries, nor have they been able to preserve any regular political existence, for that class of men are everywhere enemies of all civil government.

RARE TALK RADIO EVENT

Emil Franzi, the superannuated host of a local weekly conservative talk show, openly called for Michael Savage to be replaced by Hugh Hewitt because Savage is a wacked out conspiracy nut.  He also said he was pissed at Ann Coulter because she supported Chris Christie and Franzi thinks Christie is "center-left."

I CAN HOPE...

Right-wing media outlets have disgraced themselves by their coverage of the Boston Marathon Bombings and my hope is that they all lose market share.

MR. BECK NEEDS SOME PROFESSIONAL HELP

Kyle Mantyla at Right Wing Watch has provided the audio and a transcript of Beck's descent into the shadows of the wings of madness:

'I Don't Bluff, I Make Promises': Beck Gives Gov't Until Monday to Come Clean About Boston Bombing Cover-Up

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Friday, 4/19/2013 11:51 am

Near the end of today's radio broadcast, Glenn Beck declared that the cover-up of the Saudi link to the Boston Marathon bombing makes this the second most important thing (behind 9/11) that he has ever covered in his broadcasting career.  And depending on how the media and the government responds in the coming days, it just might be the most important thing he's ever covered because the response "will either save our country or we will be done."

Beck then went on to send a semi-coded message to those in the upper level of the government warning that they had better come clean about this Saudi national because The Blaze has information that reveals that he "is a very bad, bad, bad man" which will be revealed on Monday.

"I don't bluff," Beck stated, "I make promises. The truth matters. I've had enough of what you've done to our country. I thought I had heard and seen it all.  I thought I didn't trust my government.  Oh no, no, no.  There is no depth that these people will not stoop to.  They have until Monday and then The Blaze will expose it.":

GLENN BECK'S NEW FAN

BECK DOUBLES DOWN

He's still on the Saudi National/Cover Up/Impeach krazy and just maybe as a result, he's been bumped from his 3-6PM slot on KNST and replaced by Andy Dean.

UPDATE:  The Andy Dean Show was extended to 7PM and then Clyde Lewis' show, Ground Zero, came on the air.

NOT QUITE INVOKING GOD

(h/t Wonkette)
The Family Research Council is still jerking off:

If Congress wants to stop these tragedies, then it has to address the government’s own hostility to the institution of the family and organizations that can address the real problem: the human heart. As I’ve said before, America doesn’t need gun control, it needs self-control. And a Congress that actively discourages it–through abortion, family breakdown, sexual liberalism, or religious hostility–is only compounding the problem.

SHORTLY AFTER THE LAST POST

I was listening to Ground Zero and Clyde Lewis reported that an MIT police officer had been shot & killed.  He was getting information from Twitter and I started following #watertown.  This is the first time I've followed a breaking news story on Twitter and I was impressed by how quickly tweets were getting the basic information online.

After 20 minutes, I decided it was better to listen/watch one of the local stations, WCVB, channel 5. Later, I added WHDH, channel 7.

UPDATE: More from the Boston Globe.

A LOT WENT DOWN THIS WEEK & IT'S NOT EVEN FRIDAY

I wonder why (if?) no Fundie pastor has come out and said that the Boston Bombings were a punishment from God for (take your pick): abortion, gay marriage,  or evolution.

MAYBE SEN. COBURN'S AMENDMENT WAS WORTH A TRY?

I read that Sen. Coburn claimed his amendment was the only way to get real gun control so I decided to look for it at Senate.gov but I couldn't find the text.  It was reported on by an Oklahoma TV station and a blog that links to a letter Coburn wrote to his colleagues.

This was his proposal:

Dr. Coburn’s amendment would require a NICS check or validation permit to be presented for non-FFL transfers, exempting family transfers, estate/will transfers, and all temporary transfers.
The requirement can be satisfied in one of four ways:
1) An FFL takes custody ofthe firearm in order to perform a background check on the transferee as mandated in Schumer original and Manchin-Toomey
2) Presentation oftemporary 30 day permit created by running a self-NICS check through a new consumer portal(details below)
3) Usage of a concealed carry permit or any other state issued permit that requires a NICS check to be conducted to obtain
4) Any other alternative that a state comes up with to satisfy the validation requirements for secondary and private market transfers. The amendment also includes a provision that places penalties on ATF agents that abuse records during audits, an IG report on the FBI’s 24 hour destruction rule compliance, a prohibition on records, a prohibition on centralizing records pertaining to gun ownership and a provision that allows states to assume primacy of enforcement of the background check law.
Consumer Portal

• FBI shall provide a consumer portal through its website, mobile application, or other applicable medium to allow a potential transferee to run a NICS check on his/herself
• A successful background check will provide potential transferee with a temporary 30 day permit that validates he/she is not prohibited from legally purchasing or possessing a firearm
• The temporary permit can be used by the transferee for any private transfers in compliance with state or federal law during the 30 day time window
• The permit will be made available to the transferee as an electronic printable document, via a mobile application or other appropriate means
• The 30 day permit will provide the name, date of expiration of permit, and a unique pin number that can be used to verify activation by transferor
• The consumer portal will be designed with privacy protections so that only a prospective transferee can run his/her own NICS check
• The documentation provided by consumer portal will utilize necessary fraud protections
• A valid 30 day permit provided by the consumer portal that is verified with a valid governmentissued photo identification would suit the law’s requirements
• Information provided by prospective transferee to conduct background check through the consumer portal must be destroyed within 24-hours as occurs for FFL conducted background checks

The new law will not go into effect until the consumer portal is up and running, and the law will be nullified if the consumer portal is permanently shut down or defunded.

ONCE AGAIN, BECK MAKES AN ASS OUT OF HIMSELF

Today on his broadcast radio show, he continued to pound on the Saudi  "suspect" in the Boston Bombings even though there's no Saudi involved at present.  The NY Post is also providing extra clown show coverage.

UPDATE: Media Matters has more.

I THOUGHT ABOUT DOING THIS YESTERDAY...

(h/t TP)

but two other people saved me the time:

The measure actually had support from 54 senators. But it takes 60 to break a filibuster. In other words, supporters had a very clear majority. They just didn't have what it takes to overcome obstruction by the minority.

And the supporters' majority was even bigger than it seems. If you assume, for sake of argument, each senator represents half of his or her state’s population, then senators voting for the bill represented about 194 million people, while the senators voting against the bill represented about 118 million people. That’s getting close to a two-thirds majority in favor of the measure.

CONSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATIVES?

Not so much, really...

CISPA Vote: House Passes Cybersecurity Bill To Let Companies Break Privacy Contracts

Posted: 04/18/2013 1:49 pm EDT | Updated: 04/18/2013 3:44 pm EDT
WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives passed a broad cybersecurity bill Thursday that allows corporations to share customers' personal data with other firms and the U.S. government, even in cases in which a company has a signed contract explicitly vowing not to do so.

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, known as CISPA, passed by a margin of 288 to 127, despite receiving a late veto threat from the Obama administration, which warned that the bill does not sufficiently protect civil liberties.

The broad language of the bill, which imposes its standards above "any other provision of law," would effectively void privacy contracts between companies and their customers.

NRA > 85% OF AMERICANS

Senate rejects background checks on gun purchases in 54-46 vote

By Alexander Bolton - 04/17/13 04:27 PM ET

THE HILL

DAVID SIROTA HELPS THE GASBAGS

He's a solid writer but this time all he did was give the freakshows something to whine about:

I'VE MADE EXCEL SHEET ERRORS SO I HAVE SYMPATHY FOR REINHART & ROGOFF

But not all that much because my errors only meant more work on my part and had nothing to do with a justification for idiotic conservative economic ideas.  Anyway, Jared Bernstein shows the basics of the correction in 1 chart:

UPDATE: Mike Konczal has more.

GLENN GREENWALD HAS A GOOD CATCH

In his first post about the Boston bombings, he included this:

One particularly illustrative example I happened to see yesterday was a re-tweet from Washington Examiner columnist David Freddoso, proclaiming:

Idea of secondary bombs designed to kill the first responders is just sick. How does anyone become that evil?"

I don't disagree with that sentiment. But I'd bet a good amount of money that the person saying it - and the vast majority of other Americans - have no clue that targeting rescuers with "double-tap" attacks is precisely what the US now does with its drone program and other forms of militarism.

ONE WOMEN IN THIS VIDEO IS 110% BECK

Jim Nintzel of the Tucson Weekly uploaded a video some of our wonderful state legislatures holding an open hearing on the dreaded Agenda 21.   One women should really move to Beckistan.

"COMMIES" AT MIT, BLDG 54, RESPOND TO BOSTON BOMBINGS

From Tom Levenson at Balloon Juice:

AT TIMES LIKE THIS, THE CRACKPOTS ARE A NICE DISTRACTION...

at least for me.

On Ground Zero, Clyde Lewis has a guest who thinks the Boston bombings were done by organized crime and the inimitable Alex Jones thinks it was a false flag operation. 

LET'S TAKE A FEW MOMENTS

to think about all the innocent people the United States has murdered in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

WAYNE ALLYN ROOT IS STILL SPREADING LIES ABOUT OBAMA & COLUMBIA

His Human Events article was picked up by FOX Nation and I suspect will be picked up by Fats and Hannity tomorrow.

Background on  Root's lies here and here.

WHAT THEY THOUGHT ABOUT THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS

Eugene Volokh has written a good survey of early American state constitutional laws about the right to bear arms and the ones around the time of the founding are instructive:

1776 North Carolina: That the people have a right to bear arms, for
the defence of the State; and as standing armies, in time of peace,
are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up; and that
the military should be kept under strict subordination to, and
governed by the civil power.
1776 Pennsylvania: That the people have a right to bear arms for the
defence of themselves and the state; and as standing armies in the
time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept
up; And that the military should be kept under strict
subordination to, and governed by, the civil power.
1777 Vermont: That the people have a right to bear arms for the
defence of themselves and the State—and as standing armies in time
of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up;
and that the military should be kept under strict subordination
to and governed by the civil power.
1780 Massachusetts: The people have a right to keep and to bear
arms for the common defence. And as, in time of peace, armies are
dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be maintained without
the consent of the legislature; and the military power shall
always be held in an exact subordination to the civil authority,
and be governed by it.

Three early state constitutions declare the need of arms to "defend the State,"  NOT, as conservatives wackos suggest, to defend the citizens against the state. Also note the fear all four express about a standing army, something the "constitutional conservatives" never mention.

THIS IS WHY ECONOMISTS SOMETIMES PISS ME OFF

Some of them seem to believe that Economics is the real Queen of the Sciences and almost Everything Else.  An early statement of this grandiose conception of the field is found in Ludwig von Mises' 1922 book, Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis:

The spheres of rational action and economic action are therefore co-incident. All rational action is economic. All economic activity is rational action. All rational action is in the first place individual action. - Part II, Section 1, Chapter 5

Even Fats Limbaugh knows better than this.

WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED...

Imagine that you get a bunch of rednecks together for a typical alcoholic frenzy at a Neckar Car race delightfully called the "NRA 500."

Man Kills Self with Gun at NRA 500 NASCAR Event

MACHIAVELLI, MANDEVILLE & MADISON

First, I want to recommend this biography of Machiavelli:

Machiavelli : a biography / Miles J. Unger

Second, I want to emphasize how this passage from the book (p. 267) links the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries:

Machiavelli's analysis, derived from his close study of Roman history,
constitutes a profound rupture with centuries of political thought. Instead
of assuming that comity is the highest political good, he insists that social
tensions are not only inevitable but can even be beneficial. This concept
flows inexorably from his pessimistic view of human nature. He replaces
the ancient ideal, championed by Plato and Aristotle, of a republic of virtue
with one based on interest. To the Greeks, good government resulted
only when high-minded men came together to pursue the common good.
To Machiavelli, who assumes that all men are scoundrels, it is obvious
that this happy moment will never arrive. Instead, good government must
somehow arise from selfish people pursuing selfish ends. By demonstrating
that Rome's success was born of the clash between the aristocracy and
the people, each looking out for its own interests, Machiavelli shows how a
well-ordered society can profit when base human nature is exploited to increase
the well-being of all. This insight lies at the heart of modern democracy.
In Federalist No. 51, Madison offers his own version of Machiavelli's
revolutionary idea: ''Ambition must be made to counteract ambition ....
This policy of supplying, by opposite and rival interests, the defect of
better motives, might be traced through the whole system of human affairs,
private as well as public."

Mandeville made the same point about most people pursuing selfish ends in his Fable of the Bees.

WRITING AS A SLIGHTLY MALFUNCTIONING BOOMER...

(h/t Atrios)

I'm getting convinced that we need a new WPA for older folks like me, especially in Tucson, AZ and similar places. I'm concentrating on the boomers because there is age discrimination, which makes it harder to get a job and that leads to more time unemployed. More time unemployed, especially past 6 months, makes it almost impossible to land a job. Here's the data:

The Terrifying Reality of Long-Term Unemployment
It's an awful catch-22: employers won't hire you if you've been out of work for more than six months
Matthew O'Brien Apr 13 2013, 11:48 AM ET
The Atlantic

Ghayad ran a follow-up field experiment to find out. In a new working paper, he sent out 4800 fictitious resumes to 600 job openings, with 3600 of them for fake unemployed people. Among those 3600, he varied how long they'd been out of work, how often they'd switched jobs, and whether they had any industry experience. Everything else was kept constant. The mocked-up resumes were all male, all had randomly-selected (and racially ambiguous) names, and all had similar education backgrounds. The question was which of them would get callbacks.

It turns out long-term unemployment is much scarier than you could possibly imagine.

As you can see in the chart below from Ghayad's paper, people with relevant experience (red) who had been out of work for six months or longer got called back less than people without relevant experience (blue) who'd been out of work shorter.