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9.07.2011
Everybody's doing it now: The jobs con
Oil-funded study: More drilling would add 1 million jobs | Reuters
(Reuters) - The United States could create more than one million jobs by 2030 by expanding offshore drilling, limiting federal regulation of shale gas development and quickly approving a Canadian oil sands pipeline, according to a study commissioned by a major oil industry trade group.
Look over there! Oil! Oil!
There Are a Bunch of Missing Surface-to-Air Missiles in Libya - Global - The Atlantic Wire
So, here's something to be terrified of: a ton of shoulder-mounted missiles are now missing in Libya and no one quite knows who has them right now.
Rebranding is the thing this year
Undernews: Taser may rebrand itself as Xf
You know, it's a damn shame when someone dies after getting fried by a taser, but can't everyone just focus on the positive aspects of electrocuting people?
Just think of this as one big reality show and it starts to make a little sense
Obama is the Best Republican President Since Lincoln | Crooks and Liars
Historians agree the best Republican President was also the first: Abraham Lincoln. Who’s second runner up? Which President has represented Republican values best? Easy. President Barack Obama.
(The author no doubt meant to write "first runner up." –Ed.)
And secession is apparently off the table, at least for now
Undernews: Who said Perry isn't a federalist?
From the Texas Statesman: "Three days after fires started to burn in Central Texas, Gov. Rick Perry today expressed frustration that federal firefighting support, including equipment from Fort Hood, has yet to make its way to the firefighters....
And now a word from the Massholes
Rick Perry's Free Market Paradise vs. My Socialist Hellhole of Massachusetts | Crooks and Liars
You've probably heard quite a bit about the "Texas Miracle" in the press a lot and I'm sure you'll be surprised to know that it's a longhorn-sized pile of poop.
It's true; you can try it yourself
"No thanks. Go to the website." | Corrente
I just love it that before you get to the actual content, if any, at whitehouse.gov you've got to click through one of those obnoxious "Gimme your email" screens.
Da Chicago way
Kass: Light up your lottery tickets, pass the Hopium - chicagotribune.com
I figure the president from Chicago — with all those City Hall types crouching around him — will revert to a tried-but-true, big-city Democratic machine political solution:
Print oodles of federal money and throw it at powerful interest groups. And which groups?
The bridge contractors and asphalt kings and the road builders, the heavy equipment renters of bulldozers and the no-necks who buy and sell concrete for America's highways.
...here's hoping that investigative reporters start knocking on the door of Illinois Republican and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to see a list of the colorful subcontractors.
9.06.2011
Standard & Poor's may have to downgrade Mother Nature
Another loss-making event could scare investors: S&P | Reuters
(Reuters) - Increases in the frequency and severity of natural disasters, in addition to the fact reinsurers are trading below book value, have made investors unwilling to inject capital into struggling reinsurers in the event of another loss-making event, Standard & Poor's (S&P) said on Tuesday.
Woohoo! Make that a double ketchup then
Service sector growth picks up in August: ISM | Reuters
(Reuters) - The pace of expansion in the services sector unexpectedly accelerated in August...
Preemptive surrender? Because it worked so well last time?
Obama Mulls Tax Cuts Beyond Republican Plans - Bloomberg
President Barack Obama may press Congress for tax cuts that would exceed his past proposals as well as some of the offerings from House Republicans to strengthen his hand in talks on measures to boost the U.S. economy, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
Let's you and them fight
U.S. pulls back from lead role in conflicts: IISS | Reuters
(Reuters) - A war-weary United States will increasingly look for regional solutions to regional problems, playing a secondary "enabling" role in conflicts similar to the one it played in Libya, an influential think-tank said on Tuesday.
Debrief
Special report: The secret plan to take Tripoli | Reuters
British operatives infiltrated Tripoli and planted radio equipment to help target air strikes and avoid killing civilians, according to U.S. and allied sources. The French supplied training and transport for new weapons. Washington helped at a critical late point by adding two extra [non-hostile] Predator drones to the skies over Tripoli, improving NATO's ability to [non-hostilly] strike.
The man with the golden voice and the tin ear
Obama lays down new challenge on jobs | The Raw Story
"I don't know about you, but I'm not scared of tough times," said Obama...
And neither would you be, Bunky, if you had his absolutely free health care plan and his very excellent pension plan and lived in his great big free house, complete with his world-class kitchen staff and, of course, grew your own tomatoes in a garden out back. Not to mention...no, never mind. You would not be one bit scared.
9.05.2011
Save the poor, poor banks
European Markets Tanking as Eurozone Anxiety Continues - Business - The Atlantic Wire
The biggest problem, The Street declared, was the lack of hiring, with unemployment helping to sap global demand. The only possible outcome might be more action from the Federal Reserve, including a possible third round of its "quantitative easing," intended to inject more money into the world financial system.
The spin we're in
Obama Better Give One Hell of a Speech | The Nation
Consider these facts:
The number of employed Americans in the summer of 2011 was 139,296,000.
The number of employed Americans in summer of 2004 was 139,556,000.
So there are 260,000 fewer people working today than when George Bush was in his first term as president. Yet, the US population grew during the period from 2004 to 2011 by almost 20 million—from 292,892,000 in July 2004 to 312,150,000 today.
The real question is, where did all that money wind up?
9/11: Chronicle Of A Catastrophe Foretold - Americas, World - The Independent
On an investment by al-Qa'ida generally calculated at no more than $500,000, the American outlay sparked by the events of 11 September has almost equalled the amount spent by the US, in real terms, during the Second World War. According to a recent study by Brown University, the total figure stands at an unimaginable $4trn.
And, for extra credit, exactly how much economic stimulus did it provide? For whom?
A long, long way to go
10 Eye-Popping Labor Day Stats | Mother Jones
280,000: The number of jobs the American economy needs to add each month to fill its 11.3 million-job deficit by the middle of 2016.
35,000: The average number of jobs the economy actually added in the past three months.
0: The likelyhood anything is going to get done about this any time soon.
(That last is mine. Read all of Mother Jones's stats here.)
9.04.2011
Must be that tropical stuff again
It's warmer than it ought to be this time of year but that's not the problem. The problem is the humidity is off the chart. It's like walking through a body-temperature pea-soup fog. A person could work up a sweat just sitting still. I'm not in any rush for winter to arrive but just dialing this down a notch or two would be fine with me.
Noted
Undernews: Where the action is
Saturday marked the final day in the two week-long marathon of tar sands pipeline protests outside the White House. In all, 1,252 scientists, authors, farmers, activists, students, grandmothers, indigenous people, religious leaders -- you name it -- were arrested out in front of Barack Obama's residence.
But Al Gore wasn't one of them. Just saying.
(My bold.)
But "peeling away" a few independent voters might not be such an easy thing...
Is Election 2012 the GOP's to lose? What Obama could do. - CSMonitor.com
[Obama] doesn’t need to win over Republicans or the tea party to win reelection; he just needs to peel away enough independent voters to get to a bare majority.
...for a guy who can't even say no to smog.
So this might be a flaw in the plan?
Robert Reich (Why Equality is the Real Cause of Our Ongoing Terrible Economy)
Pump-priming works only when a well contains enough water.
But none of this heavy-duty military armament is falling into the hands of anybody really, really bad, right?
Exclusive: abandoned Libyan missile: a gift to militants? | Reuters
(Reuters) - When Muammar Gaddafi's soldiers fled this corner of a field outside Tripoli where they were camped, they left behind their army fatigues, a can of Brut deodorant -- and a Scud tactical missile.
Oh, wait.
Days later, the Soviet-made rocket, loaded on its launch truck and pointing toward the Libyan capital, is still sitting under the eucalyptus trees where they left it. The motley rebel forces who overthrew Gaddafi two weeks ago have set up no guard to prevent anyone taking it away or looting it for parts.
Maybe the bad guys will be content with just looting the art. Again.
From our ever-popular Work Avoidance list...
Through the wonder of the world wide web, digital imaging and quirky homemade
software you can now actually watch paint peel LIVE from the comfort of your home or office.
Something in the air
12,000 dead people. Every year. That is the point, not the economic policy. For fuck’s sake, we invaded the wrong country after terrorists killed 3,000 people, not 12,000. We could save thousands of lives, prevent tens of thousands of hopsitalizations with the stroke of a pen. Actually, that’s not correct. President Obama could prevent this....
(I've never been really clear on how polution saves jobs but maybe if you count undertakers...)
Not much inspiration here
Tough economic climate as Obama seeks 2nd term | ajc.com
Obama's prospects aren't entirely grim, however. The GOP, heavily influenced by the tea party, may nominate someone so deeply flawed or right-leaning that, Democrats hope, Obama can persuade Americans to give him a second chance rather than risk the alternative.
Oh oh
Why You Should Root for Oregon Football : Lawyers, Guns & Money
Root for Oregon football. You know it’s the right thing to do. Rooting for other teams is like voting Republican. And rooting for Washington is like hugging Dick Cheney.
9.03.2011
Drill, baby...what?
U.S. Awash in Oil and Lies, Report Charges | NationofChange
With four times as many oil rigs pumping domestic oil today than eight years ago and declining domestic demand, the United States is awash in oil. In fact, the U.S. exports more oil than it imports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration - and has done so for nearly two decades.
Oh.
(Emphasis mine.)
Sometimes I wonder...
...yeah, I know, call me crazy, but still...sometimes I wonder if this whole Libya thing, and the Egypt thing, and the Yemen and Syria thing, etc., etc., aren't just about the CIA destroying the evidence.
Files Show CIA Worked Closely with Libyan Spy Agency - Global - The Atlantic Wire
The files left behind by the head of Col. Muammar Qaddafi's spy agency suggest that the Central Intelligence Agency worked closely with the Libyan government, and may have sent terrorism suspects to the north African nation, despite the country's reputation for torturing dissidents...
You were having so much fun this summer...
...well, except for droughts, tornadoes, heat waves, and Hurricane Irene, I mean...you were having so much fun I bet you forgot about these guys, right?
A liberal watchdog group is calling on Sen. Patty Murray to stop fundraising for the Democratic party and step down from her party leadership position while she serves on the congressional "super committee," which is charged with finding trillions in budget savings this year. The White House today, however, dismissed the notion of a conflict of interest between Murray's two roles as "silly criticism."
(Emphasis mine.)
Sorry to bring this up, but this is the committe Congress set up so it wouldn't have to do the friggin' job we're friggin' paying it to do (how cool would it be if you could appoint a committee to do your job and still keep collecting your check?) and they have only a couple of months to cut the federal budget (remember, it was loss of government jobs that caused August job growth to net out to a big fat zero, the worst performance since WWII) all to shreds.
Oh, and BTW, they're bought.
I'm thinking, run.
9.02.2011
The greener grass
Obama Speechwriter Quits for More Fulfilling Career in LA - Politics - The Atlantic Wire
Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett is quitting the White House to move to Hollywood and try his hand at TV comedies...
Fringe benefits
At Least 16,000 Guns Have Gone Missing from Factories Since 2009 - National - The Atlantic Wire
Several thousand firearms--16,485 to be exact--have left gun factories in the U.S. without a record of being legally sold over the past two and a half years....At that rate, an average of about 18 guns go missing from factories daily.
Alas
The Sideshow September 2011 Archive
Yes, yes, Bush wrecked the economy and the Republicans are trying to keep it wrecked, and everybody knows it, but the best thing Obama has going for him is that most people don't realize how much he could have done to fix it and has consistently refused to do.
Jobs: The new blackmail
And it works!
Obama Pulls Back Proposal to Tighten Clean Air Rules - NYTimes.com
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is abandoning its plan to immediately tighten air quality rules nationwide to cut reduce emissions of smog-causing chemicals after an intense lobbying campaign by industry, which said the new rule would cost billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs, officials said Friday.
Come on. Corporations have been doing this on a local level for at least three decades. "We'll bring jobs to your town if you build us a highway; we'll bring jobs to your town if you give us a tax rebate; we'll bring jobs to your town if you donate the land for our factory. Don't raise our taxes or we'll take our jobs somewhere else." Now they've got the Feds dancing to the same tune, is all.
Change, not so much
CIA lawyer: Obama ‘endorsed’ nearly all Bush-era programs | Raw Replay
“With a notable exception of the enhanced interrogation program, the incoming Obama administration changed virtually nothing with respect to existing CIA programs and operations. Things continued. Authorities were continued that were originally granted by President Bush beginning shortly after 9/11. Those were all picked up, reviewed and endorsed by the Obama administration.”
9.01.2011
Pretty thin gruel
Schultz: Republicans Don't Give a Damn About You | Video Cafe
MSNBC host Ed Schultz blasted House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and his "cronies" for forcing President Barack Obama to delay his speech on jobs from Sept. 7 to Sept. 8....
"Once again, this President has smoked 'em out. He has proven to the country one more time that he can't even schedule a speech to the joint session of the Congress without it being obstructed..."
Ed Shultz is a left-leaning blabberwockie for MSNBC. I don't know much more about him than that because I don't watch his show. But this does seem to be the official Democratic spin on the recent spat about Obama's speaking schedule: Obama triumphs by proving yet again what big bad old meanies those Republicans really are. Which might even be, somehow, bizarrely persuasive if Obama had even tried to hold out against their big bad old meanie meanness for, you know, an hour or two before giving in and switching his speech so it no longer conflicts with that big old meanie Republican candidates' debate – the one we've all been waiting for lo these many months – and now conflicts instead with the first regular-season NFL game of the, you know, season, and who cares about that anyway.
Really.
The bliss
The most important thing here is to realize that these vaunted centrists are just desperate to hook up with a billionaire businessman hero, and they'll pretty much go down on their knees and ... beg, if that's what it's going to take.
Sadly, they don't understand that no matter how much they complain about the old ball and chain, these businessmen are actually quite happy with their current mates -- the Republicans and the Democrats. They are getting everything they need at home.
"Troubling"
Troubling Trend: Libyan Rebels Are Rounding Up Black Africans - Global - The Atlantic Wire
As Libyan rebels gain on Qaddafi and setup a temporary government, they've begun imposing their rule on Libya's people, including rounding up thousands of black Libyans and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, reports the Associated Press. The rebels have accused the detainees of fighting for Qaddafi.
Right. We have all read this script before.
September: Washington gets back to work
Obama bows to Boehner, will move jobs speech - Chicago Sun-Times
WASHINGTON — In a retreat after an hours-long test of wills Wednesday, President Barack Obama...
The World Turned Upside Down
From the Atlantic Wire this morning we have the spectacle of Wikileaks suing The Guardian for, well, leaking...
Wikileaks Is Suing the Guardian Over a Security Breach - Global - The Atlantic Wire
Wikileaks is blaming the leak of over 250,000 secret US cables on a security breach caused by one-time cable publishing partner the Guardian.
...and in The New York Times Nicholas Kristof enthuses about the glory of humanitarian (and dare we say non-hostile) bombing.
From Libyans - ‘Thank You, America!’ - NYTimes.com
Libya is a reminder that sometimes it is possible to use military tools to advance humanitarian causes.
Maybe it's not too late to just go back to bed.
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