30 September 2005
Rude Pundit: big week
3 great reads on long-term strategic planing at FEMA, Michael Brown, and his 2 yr anniversary
he said it
“The invasion of Iraq I believe will turn out to be the greatest strategic disaster in U.S. history,” - Retired Army Lt. Gen. William Odom
karen hughes is a big fat idiot
"Many people around the world do not understand the important role that faith plays in Americans' lives," she said. When an Egyptian opposition leader inquired why Mr Bush mentions God in his speeches, Hughes asked him whether he was aware that "previous American presidents have also cited God, and that our constitution cites 'one nation under God'." or maybe it doesn't
29 September 2005
judith miller released
Libby lets her off the hook... she'll testify on Friday, despite how badly she doesn't want to... and there will be an indictment. See the full NYTimes report here.
28 September 2005
2 Anthony Shadid sightings
in the past 2 days. Clearly the book tour is in full effect. tonight he's at the Battle Theater in Cambridge... from TPMCafe...Harvard Book Store announces
Wednesday, September 28th 6pm Authors Kayla Williams, Anthony Shadid and Steve Mumford will speak as part of a panel on “What We Saw: Americans in Iraq,”and I read in yesterday's Post he was at UDC.
able danger: part 2 from Arkin at WaPo
Disabling Able Danger In this case, I relish saying "I told you so"...
In April 2000, Able Danger, only months old, was abruptly shut down. Caught violating Reagan administration Executive Orders and Defense Department and Army regulations restricting intelligence agencies from collecting information on United States "persons," the highly compartmented cell within the Army's Land Information Warfare Activity(LIWA) was halted in its effort to use data mining and link analysis to characterize the worldwide nature of the al Qaeda terrorist network.make sure to read the whole thing.
This makes me sad
Boo hoo, I'm crying my eyes out. Delay served more papers "A Texas grand jury on Wednesday charged Rep. Tom DeLay and two political associates with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme, forcing the House majority leader to temporarily relinquish his post." There are likely 100s of congresspeople who would qualify for indictments under campaign finance law. But this guy is the ringleader, and the worst of the worst. Ushered in an era of corruption and pork that made Clinton-era DC look honest in comparison
GOPorn
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Stroke it wingnuts. You'll be getting months of mileage out of this picture.
It's a shame the loss of her son drove her over the edge of rationality [who calls John McCain a 'warmonger'?]. And Cindy really seems to be enjoying her police escort more than, say.... a normal person.
But regardless of her irrationality, she's fighting the good fight. And she clearly has bigger balls than any of her bilious incessant detractors.
Yo idiots... just so you know... you are amplifying her message and strengthening her cause with each and every one of your simple-minded character assassinations. Please continue.
27 September 2005
able danger: William Arkin is finally telling the story
here: [The Secret History of Able Danger] tomorrow's installment should be here
Peter Angelos cripples O'Malley's bid for Gov of Maryland
ouch, that's like the kiss of death.
"I think basically O'Malley is nothing more than a Washington suburbanite who does not understand the city or its people," Angelos, a major Democratic donor, said in an interview yesterday.
compelling is right
Dumas Carter, 30, eight-year veteran NOPD officer, one of six local cops who stayed on duty at the Convention Center complex in the days after Katrina Lots of people on the street were asking me where to go. I'm telling them the truth, which is I don't know, they haven't told us anything. They're telling us that somebody told them that they were told by another person who was somebody in charge of something that the Convention Center was being set up as a secondary evacuation point with food and water. Those people went to the Convention Center, and there was no food or water there for them. So now there's no water, there's no police--everybody's left the city except for the six of us. And now there's 20,000 people with no extra security down there.
Compelling reading
Dozens of accounts by New Orleans residents documenting that catastrophic week down there. Stories Thing that struck me most was that no matter how poorly Offical America responded to the flood, a herculean effort by ordinary people down there prevented an even worse disaster.
It's All Right, Bob - I'm Only Yawning
What a crashing bore. I was ready for some good viewing (especially after watching The evil stormtroopers of Tennessee pull one out of their ass against LSU) - Dylan performing at his artistic peak (circa Highway 61), getting booed for going electric - and Martin Scorsese recapping the whole affair. Couldn't miss. Wow, did it ever. Besides the fact that the rock-doc spends precious little time getting Dylan to talk about his songcrafting skills (I mean, what was the inspiration to lump together the likes of Ophelia, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Albert Einstein in one tune?), but rather all the influences on said skills; I think he mentioned the school janitor a couple of times. Languorous, tedious pace, and so frustratingly impersonal. There's a certain art to getting your subjects to come alive in interviewing; it's more than asking the right questions, but also framing your subject in a non-intrusive way that makes you feel a part of the story you're being told. Errol Morris has this skill (Gates of Heaven, Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War). Martin Scorsese knew how to do this once - it was called The Last Waltz, the finest rock "performance" movie ever made. This one looks like it could have been directed by Marty Feldman. In short, it looked like a typical PBS show. If the local station wants to try and carrot my donation with those annoying hippie fundraisers, it would do well to show a Ken Burns doc, Springsteen in New York, or a really good string of Austin City Limits jams - but not this tripe. And Dylan was off that night. Electric or not, he did kinda stink up the joint. I might have booed him as well. But he's never been a captivating live performer.
quote of the day
ouch He said it, not me.
"There will be a time, I hope, not too far from now, when the insanities which drive us today are no longer operational. I don’t mean to be pollyannaish about this - we may well find new insanities to keep us busy, and we may well continue in this decline forever. But we can do things to give us a chance at a better future, and one of those things is to prevent those people who have a track record of lying and fear mongering from having any influence on the national debate ever again."
26 September 2005
Hard to reconcile
Seattle Times This story quotes a number of local officials downplaying the number of dead in the aftermath of the floods. Suffice it to say, these accounts are hard to reconcile with what appeared to be credible and detailed reports coming out of New Orleans during the tragedy. First hand account for you sickos We will see how this plays out. Nine times out of ten, you will get more accurate information when the smoke clears. The other one, you're dealing with people who make their own reality. I'm not claiming anything here, just find the discrepancy impossible to ignore.
25 September 2005
get your 
awwwwwww......
enough is enough...
Pakistan Says Bin Laden Is Isolated Then why don't you go get the mother fucker? [sorry, am I allowed to curse on my own blog?]
front page of the Sunday Post
above the fold...
bad news for Bush
Antiwar Fervor Fills the Streets Demonstration Is Largest in Capital Since U.S. Military Invaded Iraq The demonstration drew grandmothers in wheelchairs and babies in strollers, military veterans in fatigues and protest veterans in tie-dye. It was the first time in a decade that protest groups had a permit to march in front of the executive mansion, and, even though President Bush was not there, the setting seemed to electrify the crowd. ~ Protest organizers estimated that 300,000 people participated, triple their original target. D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey, who walked the march route, said the protesters achieved the goal of 100,000 and probably exceeded it. Asked whether at least 150,000 showed up, the chief said, "That's as good a guess as any. "It's their protest, not mine. It was peaceful -- that's all I care about," Ramsey said. ~ Protest organizers made special note of military participants in the antiwar effort. Army 1st Sgt. Frank Cookinham, with a Special Forces patch on one shoulder, scorpion tattoos crawling across the back of his neck and "LOCO" permanently inked on his Adam's apple stands out in most crowds. He was pretty uncomfortable yesterday. "I've never done this before, but here I am, in uniform, figuring this is the only way I can shove it to Bush," said Cookinham, of Newport, R.I., a Persian Gulf War veteran who recently returned from a second tour in Iraq. "This war makes no sense."
24 September 2005
Yin - Yang
The Washington Post's Dan Froomkin asks: Can You Marginalize a Majority? and counters the Bush administration's "stay the course" talking point with one of his own:
stop the war: protest today
23 September 2005
Ooh, What Was Everyone wearing?
Do the creme de la creme of the lefty bloggers get their own society page now? Be still my beating heart! All you need to know was that the waiters wore black, Michael Stipe was in attendance, and Eric Alterman was sporting a sassy Hugo Boss number. Blech. I saw the Seinfeld rerun last night when Kramer was living it up as a Tony winner (accidental), lunching at Sardi's, watching the sun rise at Liza's ("MINELLI?" "Uh, no."). This reminds me of that in a strange way. Completely unrelated - speaking of the tube, the new Chris Rock sitcom is a scream. Tough to recall another show that makes such pointed, affecting insights into family life without ever being schmaltzy or preachy (the show "The Wonder Years" should have been). I will now watch a UPN show with regularity.
The Rise and Fall of Rafael Palmiero
Lets check out his updated rap sheet: 1. Cheater More telling than any drug test, a look at Raffy's career statistics gives you a good idea of when the juicing started. The 1991 - 1993 Texas Rangers included these players: Palmiero, Juan Gonzalez, Jose Canseco, Ivan Rodriguez, Kevin Brown, and Julio Franco. Raffy went from singles slap hitter to premier home run hitter in this time. You do the math. 2. Selfish stat hound - Palmiero repeatedly used his no-trade clauses to nix mid-season trades to contenders in the last decade. Was content piling up big numbers on last-place teams. More than almost any other modern athlete, he was in it for himself. 3. Bald-faced liar - No elaboration necessary here. And the latest addition: 4. Rat - Palmiero names teammate Miguel Tejada as a possible source for the drugs that mysteriously showed up in his system. (Who injects vitamin B-12 anyway? An entirely flimsy alibi on both counts.) As recently as last year it appeared this guy was on an unstoppable quest for the Hall of Fame. Now he's being asked by his manager to stay away from the team. Has any other athlete fallen so far, so fast? Respect? Gone. Hall of Fame? Forget it. Career in politics? Well, maybe. This scandal has hit dozens of players, but no one has lost more than this guy.
21 September 2005
Rightwingpropaganda.com
The lead story here is a nice piece on just how loony the worldnetdaily/newsmax crowd is.
Technology news
We'll likely see decades of innovation in oil exploration necessitated by the end of cheap oil....stuff like this:
"Since 1981, Shell researchers at the company's division of "unconventional resources" have been spending their own money trying to figure out how to get usable energy out of oil shale. Judging by the presentation the Rocky Mountain News heard this week, they think they've got it." [full story here]My own entirely amateur, almost totally uninformed opinion is that while the days of gushing oil strikes may be over, a couple advances like this combined with a couple unexpected new finds will allow us to continue to exploit fossil fuels for the coming decades at reasonable prices. We will not be forced to get smart for the foreseeable future, for better or worse.
20 September 2005
Can I just say?
What kind of moxie it must have taken N. Korea's chief negotiator to throw in this caveat a day later? How did that go down? "Hey, guys - I know we didn't cover it the other day, but - can you send over a light water apparatus to seal the deal?" I negotiate contracts and headhunter deals with engineers to work on client sites. I just worked out a deal to get a guy signed on as an IT director, and he'll make around 190K with a bonus package. I think I'll call him back now and ask if he can just see his way to throwing in a cut of his pay to me. Normally I collect only from the client, but so what? Ballsy as it is, it's anything but surprising.
19 September 2005
Another thing
Anyone watch 60 Minutes last night.....the segment talking about life in Baghdad? That plus (so far, just the reviews of) Anthony Shalid's new book on the war are giving us an interesting, Iraqi perspective on the war. And it is not pretty....in fact, far worse than anything I've previously seen. Kidnappings, bombings, threats dominate that society. We've opened the gates of h*ll out there......in a just world Bush, the terrorist leadership, and all involved parties would be facing war crimes charges in The Hague.
for the thick-headed apologists
who don't even know what they're apologizing for... you know who you are:
AUG.28 - "MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS... PERHAPS LONGER... THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL... HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY... A FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE... ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT... AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD... AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES... SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED... POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS... AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED... WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS... NEW ORLEANS MAYOR: "EVERY PERSON IN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS IS HEREBY ORDERED TO LEAVE THE CITY"... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 175 MPH... GUSTING TO 210 MPH... KATRINA IS A CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE...
Nothing to see here, keep moving
A long weekend topped by the destruction of my 49ers yesterday has left me unable to formulate coherent thoughts this morning, so I'll take this opportunity to endorse a couple writers around the web......these guys speak for me. Billmon - Yes, he's already listed along the side of this site, but I just have to 2nd that motion. My favorite writer around....an everyday, must-read wordsmith for all you far, far lefties out there. The Bull Moose - This guy is some kind of working Democrat consultant, with a centrist ideology similar to his hero T.R. A daily observation in the 3rd person, or 3rd moose as the case may be, he's always got interesting prescriptions. Andrew Sullivan - I used to read this guy to get a dose of reasonable conservatism.......now its more for the furious outrage. tomdispatch.com - Essays. Guest writers. More outrage. Less filling. Pitchfork - Music site so damn smart and hip they'll make you noxious. But they review good stuff.
18 September 2005
hijacked plane crashes into NZ harbor
"A light aircraft, hijacked by a pilot who threatened to crash it into New Zealand's highest building in Auckland, has plunged into the city's harbor, radio reports said on Saturday." [story here]
17 September 2005
16 September 2005
psssst....
hey staff over at Crooks and Liars... Michael Bloomberg isn't an actual Republican, he just plays one in New York.
Just Mail it in, Why Don't You?
The Jodie Foster Vehicle FlightPlan will surely draw (as in this preview) the adjective "Hitchcockian" perhaps because it plain RIPS OFF "The Lady Vanishes," IMO the best of all King Alfred's films. The premise is that a human being disappears in the middle of a trip on a confined transit vehicle, and the person accompanying the "vanishee" asks everyone for help, but everyone denies that the former was even on board. So instead of a young American fiancee we have widow Foster (keeping to her contract, apparently, for no leading man), instead of a kindly Grandmother type we have a young daughter, and instead of Nazi collaborators we have - what? A Pharmaceutical company? Tom Delay? The trailer even shows a finger tracing from the "vanishee" as the sole proof that she was on board, same as the movie, except instead of the "Lady's" name we see a heart. Brah-vo.
ummm... not exactly
"President Bush was very happy with himself today as he told reporters that he had pre-signed emergency declarations in anticipation of the big storm coming.
Bush: 'Which is by the way, extraordinary."
There's nothing extraordinary about it Mr. Homeland Security President, this happens all the time. Remember Hurricane Isabel? Or the dozens of instances where declarations are issued in anticipation of known events?
Maybe you should consult with your FEMA General Counsel... ask him to give you a very brief understanding of what that Agency does, so that you stop making a fool of yourself in public.
errrrrrrrrrr........candygram for paul
Please accept these as my apology for being 'uncool'. My favorites are the yellow ones.
And... in the spirit of constructive criticism... in my opinion, your blog lost a lot once you lost control to the Logician (lol).
That's a shame.
spare everyone the drama
[redacted for everyone's benefit] even though I didn't have to. you have my sincere apologies.
chain of command
that's pathetic... "[Former FEMA Director Mike] Brown told the Times that he had such difficulty dealing with [Louisiana Governor Kathleen] Blanco that he communicated with her husband instead." [from Gristmill]
quote of the day
"It is important to be forthcoming that Congress and the American people were misled about the reasons to invade Iraq by the President and his Administration."- Rep. Joseph Crowley
Mayfield's conscience must be killing him
but at least he can rest knowing that he did everything he could "'The thing I remember telling all three of them,' Mayfield said, 'is that when I walked out of the hurricane center that night, I wanted to be able to, you know, sleep at night, knowing that I'd done everything I could do.'"
95% of the problem with Katrina
Clinton's FEMA was not an enemic, gutted agency. FEMA was controlled by professionals focussed on the prevention of natural disaster damage. It was not contolled by cronies. [from TPMCafe: The Question to ask...]
get the latest on plame from murray waas
whatever already!: House Intelligence committee votes down Plame "resolution of inquiry" Democrats, however, pointed out that Congress engaged in its own extensive formal investigations of Watergate and Whitewater while special prosecutors conducted criminal inquiries. Rep. John Conyers, of Michigan, the ranking Democrat, and former chairman, of the Judiciary committee made just that point during the debate, telling his colleagues: "Let us not forget the endless hearings in this Committee and others on alleged Clinton-Gore campaign finance violations, the Whitewater claims, and Clinton White House Travel Office firings. These were matters all under Justice Department review at the time of our hearings. "Finally, I must remind my colleagues of the numerous House and Senate hearings on Watergate that were simultaneous with the Justice Department's own investigation."
determination
nice 'You don't play to win the division, you play to win championship rings,' first baseman Albert Pujols said. 'How many division titles does this team have? ... We don't care about that. It doesn't matter what record we have. Last year we had the best record in the majors and we lost in the World Series.'
Cy Young and MVP?
Will the St. Louis Cardinals land both this year?
Chris Carpenter: 21-4, 2.32 ERA Albert Pujols: .336 BA, 39 HR, 109 RBI
15 September 2005
long but ultra-compelling
This piece, [Tolkachev, A Worthy Successor to Penkovsky (U)] recently declassified and posted to the CIA's website, gives a 31 page account of one of our Country's most successful intelligence operations. Tolkachev is now considered by many the most prodigious source ever developed out of Moscow (and certainly the most productive source for intelligence on Soviet military systems). It is a riveting account of the multitude of challenges facing intelligence agents in their daily routine. Complete with all the elements of a good Bond movie, the detailed accounting of CIA support provided for this particular source sheds light on the inside of our Country's most dangerous profession. I won't give away the ending, but following years of successful meetings, dead drops, counter surveillance operations and photographing sensitive Russian aircraft materials, the operation suffers a disasterous setback when Tolkachev's case officer is jumped by KGB, detained, interrogated and released. Like I said though, it's long. Took 2 METRO trips to for me to finish... but it's well worth it. If you ride public transportation like I do, go ahead and print it out, take it with you, when you're done just leave it on your seat ... that'll surely weird out the next guy who sits down. :) Enjoy. You won't be disappointed.
The book is surely better
But until then, this review of Anthony Shalid's new book on Iraq will have to suffice: LINK Worth sitting through the little ads for. The book seems to be a rare opportunity to see this war through Iraqi eyes, and touches on details even a serial sympathizer like myself never considered. Thoughtful and eye-opening stuff. (Anyone else subscribe to Salon.com? I did for years at something like $3/month.....nothing really, but when the bill came the other day for $35/year, it no longer seemed so crucial. A trick I learned in my days at the University of Geneva was to put things in terms of cheap food - is a year of Salon.com worth 250 packs of Top Ramen? 400 cans of Select soda? All the sudden King Kaufman's sports column doesn't seem as valuable. Anyway, now I see that the whole site can be read by sitting through short ads......I can have my Ramen and eat it too. Sorry Salon.)
Katrina, Personally and politically
Greetings, Editoriale folk, and thanks to "No One in Particular" for the opportunity to be the naysayer of the bunch. I look forward to an adverserial and friendly rapport. To begin, I'll say that it's tough for me to muster any real outrage over Katrina one way or the other, for a simple reason: much of my family has been directly affected by it. The great majority of my close relatives live along the Gulf Coastline, from New Orleans to Gulf Shores (the "Redneck Riviera"). Between all of us, we have suffered major damage or lost altogether both houses and businesses. Some made out okay - my mother had lost the house she grew up in to Camille; the house she currently owns miraculously made it - and it was the only one on its block to do so. We're all kind of in the same place - feeling lucky as hell for knowing it could have been far worse and walking around, zombie-like, trying to process the notion that the area we know and love will be, in many ways, totally unrecognizable. And moving forward, it's my deepest hope that those things that are unrecognizable are the things that have been overhauled. My ties with the Gulf Coast run very deep - I've watched my team (U. of Alabama) win two national championships in the Superdome, I've ridden floats for the Bacchus parade of Mardi Gras (an experience like none other), and I've watched that NINO team (NFL In Name Only) team, the Saints, promote my affinity for alcohol from a young and tender age. I've probably spent a good few years of my life down there despite never having lived there. So when you love something, you tend not only to dismiss the flaws, but defend vehemently when outsiders try and bring them up. Without dwelling too much, New Orleans is a failed combination of European Welfare state-perpetuated poverty, provincial old-boy cronyism that observes none of the tenets of true capitalism and meritocracy, and downright state-mandated theft. The problems are far bigger than any one mayor, governor, or federal assistance package could remedy. So I say: start with the money. Get headhunters moving around the country to court new businesses - headquarters downtown, plants upstate (Miss and AL have some good success stories recently) - and promise competitive tax structures that amount to sweetheart deals that will keep a new and upwardly mobile class of taxpayers generating new income to the bottom line. Then: have a special election. California did it under the wrong circumstances - now (or as soon as the water's dried out, durr) would be the proper time to let the local and state leadership make their cases for their blueprints moving forward - and let the best case win. Without touching on all the services, I'll point out a decent article I read regarding education, perhaps the worst of the problems. Now don't laugh, but pretend that you're not reading from Mr. Buckley's "fish wrapper" and you might notice a fresh idea or two. I've used enough space, so thanks again. Pray for them.
what a difference 2 months makes
Feds more prepared for emergencies
fema news: the exodus continues
fyi, many rumblings today yesterday at FEMA HQ about Brown's #2 man, Dan Craig, retiring (actually quitting). Put in 2 months notice yesterday Tuesday.
[update: the NYDailyNews picked it up]
14 September 2005
subtitle contest
LOL Give it your best shot. I'm sticking with the comment policy one for now... until someone suggests a better one.
begging the question... again
At what point in time is it acceptible to consider the War in Iraq a "quagmire"? [Insurgent explosions in Iraq kill at least 160]
when politics and public safety collide
you get this... Hurricane Katrina
you also get this:
As an aside, I personally know two West Point Captains who were run out of the Army by their senior commanders when it became known that they had voted for Clinton in 1996, so the political leanings of senior officers are not an abstract thing. The far-right leanings of senior military officers have real consequences. If you have any doubt of this, see also the reporting on what you might call the take over of the Air Force Academy --including its most senior leadership -- by fundamentalist Christians in recent months. See also what they did to the one (female) chaplain who dissented from the prevailing wisdom on religion at AFA. She was fired and reassigned and has resigned from the Air Force. One guess which political party the fundamentalist "leaders" of the Air Force Academy belong to.
and the money line...
If you're not a member of the Party in the Armerican military today, you will not be promoted, and in some cases, will be dismissed as unworthy of service.
ps:
We're also taking suggestions for layout and functionality... About 2 months ago I converted the blog to it's current template with every intention of improving look, feel and performance. Just hadn't had the opportunity to actually make changes since then. If you have any ideas, fire away... [note: if your name is Norman, or Poindexter or some shit like that, we're especially interested in hearing from you.] Thanks.
site adjustments/announcement
OK, for the 2 dozen or so daily readers of this blog... You may notice other folks posting here following a round of invites sent last night. So far 2 fairly-balanced (not really) posters and 1 very balanced, level-headed and well meaning whipping post (monk, that's you!) have signed on and will hopefully add their own flavor to Editoriale. The long range goal is fairly simple; to broaden debate and discussion and generate ideas beyond what 1 perspective (my own) can bring. Over the next few weeks, site traffic being a limiting factor, I'll work to recruit others, which may in some cases require the full conversion of coworkers and non-bloggers into the blogosphere. Also, we added word verification to the "comments" section to prevent us from having to delete those stupid auto-comment SPAM bot... things. That gets old after a while. Agree or disagree with anything you see here? Leave a comment, but don't make it vulgar, or I'll delete it. I can be quite the Nazi when I need to be. :) Enjoy your stay. Oh, ps: how 'bout a big round of applause for our kooky friends over at MyDogsAreSmarter. They might be crazy, but they're good people. Or something like that.
Iran - Hamas - Hizballah - Palestinian martyr --> attacks in West Bank
the latest from CTblog ps: Make sure not to miss this, on Porter Goss, and how much everyone loves him.
I'm really not concerned about John Roberts
Though on several occasions it's been explained to me exactly why I should be, I just can't muster up the energy to fight every single ideologue thrown to the forefront by the Bush adminstration. Consider it low-grade liberal outrage fatigue. That said, this article from Christian Science Monitor is interesting: On Iran-contra, what did Roberts know?
Roberts's departure alone isn't unusual. Ambitious and talented lawyers circulate in and out of government service on a regular basis. What is unusual is that between January and June 1986 the entire counsel's office departed. All seven lawyers - including presidential counsel Fred Fielding - resigned and left the White House. The departures mark an extraordinary exodus of legal experience even as the Iran-contra deception was in full operation. ~In January 1985 Roberts was asked to assess the legality of the president and the White House becoming involved in fundraising on behalf of a newly formed private group called the Nicaraguan Refugee Fund. A plan being pushed by Colonel North and others at the National Security Council called for the White House to give corporate leaders a briefing on the situation in Nicaragua and then the group's representatives would ask the CEOs to give money to the fund. The money would be used for humanitarian aid and to wage a publicity campaign in the US against the Sandinista regime.
Roberts objected. In a Jan. 11, 1985, memo, he wrote: "I recommend stopping any White House involvement in this effort." The White House generally does not lend its name to private fundraising, he wrote. "The corporate CEOs would doubtless view the solicitation from the 'private' organization as having official backing if they learn about it at a White House briefing," the memo said.
But that wasn't the last word. After a week of internal appeals, Roberts reversed his position. Supporters of the effort argued that White House fundraising policy would not be violated, because solicitations would occur after the briefing at a reception at the Hay-Adams Hotel, a block from the White House.
"I suppose we could permit the briefing to take place," Roberts wrote on Jan. 18, 1985. "But I think [this] 'Chinese wall' argument is a bit artificial."
The "Chinese wall" concession is important because it established the briefing-solicitation process that North later used to raise funds from private individuals to pay for contra weapons. Those soliciting the funds on North's behalf later pled guilty to violating US tax laws for claiming the donations were tax-free.
In early 1986, Roberts wrote a series of memos on private fundraising. The plan was as in 1985: provide a White House briefing for wealthy administration supporters, then take them to the Hay-Adams and ask for money.
"I see no legal bars to the contemplated briefing," Roberts wrote in January 1986.
From The Onion
Their political satire is as sharp as ever: "House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that Republicans have done so well in cutting spending that he declared an "ongoing victory," and said there is simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget. Asked if that meant the government was running at peak efficiency, Mr. DeLay said, "Yes, after 11 years of Republican majority we've pared it down pretty good." http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20050914-120153-3878r.htm Hold on......that was real? Judging by the Times' tone, I think they had a good laugh about this one as well.
13 September 2005
Katrina-related CRS reports
+ New Orleans Levees and Floodwalls: Hurricane Damage Protection + Price Increases in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: Authority to Limit Price Gouging + Disaster Evacuation and Displacement Policy: Issues for Congress + Tax Deductions for Catastrophic Risk Insurance Reserves: Explanation and Economic Analysis [links available via ResourceShelf's DocuTicker
bingo
"It's unconscionable that we're wasting our money on national ID cards, airline passenger profiling, and foreign invasions rather than emergency response at home: communications, training, transportation, coordination." [from: Schneier on Security, where I've been stealing material all day] =)
have fun with that
What does Michael Brown plan to do, now that he's no longer holding the reins (ha) at FEMA? Per Brownie himself... "go home and walk my dog and hug my wife and maybe get a good Mexican meal and a stiff margarita." As McCain's former press secretary says later in the article: "In the aftermath of a disaster, you don't refer to a party drink you want to indulge in."
12 September 2005
quote of... a week ago
sorry, way behind on my reading list... but this is pretty funny
"Four years ago, Osama bin Laden attacked America from Afghanistan; so Bush invaded Iraq. Now Louisiana and Mississippi are devastated; we're lucky Bush didn't send help to Vermont." [from: Response to Katrina starts with awe, ends with dread]
Capt. Scott Speicher - alive or dead?
alive, according to 'former Iraqi officials'
"The Navy says former Iraqi officials 'know the whereabouts' of a Navy pilot who was shot down over Iraq during the first Gulf War."
Michael Bloomberg: Political novice extraordinaire
from NPR's All Things Considered
September 11, 2005· The most popular candidate for mayor of New York City is Republican incumbent Michael Bloomberg -- even among Democrats. In fact, some traditionally Democratic-leaning labor unions are now endorsing Bloomberg in his bid for re-election.audio available here.
Happy Birthday H.L. Mencken
Former journalist, writer and editor of The Baltimore Sun, most famous for his dozens of timeless quotes, would be 125 years young today.
In honor of his memory, here are a few of my favorite 'Menckenisms":
When fanatics are on top there is no limit to oppression. Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard. Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop. Under democracy, one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule -and both commonly succeed, and are right. I believe that religion, generally speaking, has been a curse to mankind - that its modest and greatly overestimated services on the ethical side have been more than overcome by the damage it has done to clear and honest thinking. I believe that it is better to tell the truth than to lie. I believe that it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe that it is better to know than be ignorant.[updated to correct spelling... thanks "Eagle Eye" Monk =)]
08 September 2005
07 September 2005
Katrina: understanding the botched response
This article, [Behind Poor Katrina Response, A Long Chain of Weak Links] from yesterday's Wall Street Journal really does a good job putting the fumbled response to Hurricane Katrina into proper perspective. The whole piece is worth reading, but if you don't have time or if you're just plain lazy and want the Cliffs' Notes version, this pretty much covers it. My opinion: the real failure with the response effort begins with the State of Louisiana and is followed very shortly thereafter by bullet #1.
[update... don't miss these: NPR : Official Argues FEMA Has Been Weakened (audio) and Ivo Daalder's latest from TPMCafe: Undermining FEMA - and the Nation
update#2: make sure you read this too, judging by it's exposure everyone else already has.]
04 September 2005
03 September 2005
link dump time: progress despite politics
a big day of progress in New Orleans.... happy reading Katrina: NPR has this on surveying the damage in Mississippi (audio available) ABC News Reporters' Blog: Raw Accounts from the Front Lines of Katrina Hurricane Katrina Relief PSA: "Hello all! We have created a Public Service Announcement for the American Red Cross. Please feel free to use it as you like! Download Now Keep up the great work! :-) Tony http://www.PodCastRadioShow.com" Don Hammack, staff writer for the Sun Herald has a great blog for Katrina updates: Eyes on Katrina Avi Zenilman tackles a tough question: How do you pay for a house that no longer exists? New York Times: Hard New Test for President FirstGov.gov has set up a Hurricane Katrina Recovery page GCN has this on the Federal response: Feds mobilize recovery operations for Katrina survivors
At this time, we are directing the full range of federal resources and capabilities to assist and protect those who have born the brunt of this catastrophe,” said Homeland Security Department secretary Michael Chertoff in a statement today. He pledged the federal government will provide the sustained support and aid necessary for citizens of the Gulf Region to eventually recover and reclaim their homes and communities. The federal response includes: FEMA. The agency deployed 39 disaster medical assistance teams from across the country to staging areas in Alabama, Tennessee, Texas and Louisiana and is now moving them to impacted areas. The agency also deployed 18 urban search task forces and two incident support teams to Shreveport, La., and Jackson, Miss., as well as 8 swift-water rescue teams. Coast Guard. Coast Guard ships, boats and aircraft continue to support FEMA and state and local authorities with rescue and recovery efforts. The Coast Guard also has activated three national strike teams to help remove hazardous materials. Chertoff has authorized the recall to active duty of 550 Coast Guard reservists to support response and recovery activities. National Guard. National Guard units from the four most heavily impacted states are providing support to civil authorities. Guard units also are providing generators, medical assistance and shelters. More than 31,500 members from the four impacted states are providing assistance. Defense Department. The U.S. Northern Command is supporting the FEMA disaster relief efforts. NORTHCOM, the lead Defense Department organization for Hurricane Katrina response, is establishing a joint task force to coordinate military response in support of FEMA. Health and Human Services Department. The department has placed 415 public health service officers on stand-by for deployment. Transportation Department. The department has dispatched a team of 66 transportation experts to support state and local officials in assessing damage to highways, railroads, transit systems, ports and pipelines. The department also is supporting detour planning and critical transportation system repairs. Agriculture Department. The Forest Service has assigned 10 management and logistical teams and seven 20-person crews to the affected areas and host communities. These resources are intended to assist in setting up logistics staging areas, distributing food and removing debris. Labor Department. Region VI has deployed its Emergency Response Team to Baton Rouge to assess the situation and provide assistance to recovery workers and utility employers engaged in power restoration. Treasury Department. The IRS has announced special relief for taxpayers in the Presidential Disaster Areas, which will give them until October 31 to file tax returns and submit payments. Small Business Administration. The SBA will position loan officers in federal and state disaster recovery centers. SBA also will provide help to other states in the eastern half of the country where the storm may lead to disaster area declarations.Top Knight Ridder Execs Describe Visit to Biloxi CBS News set up a Katrina Disaster Blog NationalGeographic.com has video explaining: Why New Orleans Is Vulnerable to Hurricanes USNews.com asks: Why not more preparation? The San Diego Union-Tribune: Terror priority hampered FEMA Belleville News-Democrat: terror focus delays FEMA response Herald.com: Terror war may have hurt storm response Katrina reminded Iowans about their own experiences with FEMA while under Allbaugh's direction: QCTimes.com - The big question can wait
"In 2003, Congress approved a White House proposal to cut FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) in half. Previously, the federal government was committed to invest 15 percent of the recovery costs of a given disaster in mitigating future problems. Under the Bush formula, the feds now cough up only 7.5 percent." [from Liberals Against Terrorism: Rising tide]
interesting (overheard on Fox News Channel)
unconfirmed, but I hear James Lee Witt Associates is contracting with the State of Louisiana. (and yes, sometimes I watch Fox News. They make me laugh.) --------------------- update: confirmed
Blanco Appoints Witt Gov. Kathleen Blanco has appointed former FEMA Director James Lee Witt as a special adviser to help her manage the recovery and restoration efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
bingo
"It is a disaster that is largely the consequence of the policy decisions that the White House has made over the past five years." [from In These Times]
by whom and why?
"'I hear from emergency managers, local and state leaders, and first responders nearly every day that the FEMA they knew and worked well with has now disappeared. In fact one state emergency manager told me, 'It is like a stake has been driven into the heart of emergency management,'" [from Wired News]
the disaster that HASN'T happened yet
just wait until the already devastated residents and businesses in New Orleans have to file their claims with the NFIP. You ain't seen nothing yet.
thanks Josh...
But Brown is just one of many politically connected novices destroying DHS from within.
what do right wing whackos and jihadists have in common?
they're both convinced that God has punished New Orleans
02 September 2005
can I borrow your holiday?
"THE Muslim groups planning to hold what they say will be an anti-terrorism summit on September 11 – the anniversary of the world's worst terrorist atrocity – are guilty at best of a shocking piece of insensitivity." [read the full article]
one of the funniest things i've ever read
on the freaky Raelians: "'There are a lot of people (at these seminars) who believe in aliens, and all these beautiful women who will have sex with you even though you're a dork,' he said. 'And that's why most people were there.'"
you can't say that word
The Iraq Quagmire: The Mounting Costs of War and the Case for Bringing Home the Troops [from Docuticker.com]
Steve Harrigan from N.O.
"I've never seen anything like this in the United States. I've seen this and felt this sometimes in war zones, but I feel like I'm in an abandoned city where two sides are fighting it out." [from mediabistro]
katrina: Collins and Lieberman intend to investigate
obviously necessary "Sen. Susan Collins (news, bio, voting record), a Maine Republican who heads the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (news, bio, voting record) of Connecticut, the panel's top Democrat, said they plan to begin an oversight investigation next week when the full Senate returns from a summer recess. 'We intend to demand answers as to how this immense failure occurred, but our immediate focus must and will be on what Congress can do to help the rescue and emergency operations that are ongoing,' the senators said in a joint statement." [from Reuters]
katrina: hellhole
"One man tried to escape yesterday by leaping over a barricade and racing toward the streets. The man was desperate, National Guard Sgt. Caleb Wells said. Everything he was able to bring to the Superdome had been stolen. His house likely has been destroyed, his relatives killed." [from The Seattle Times Trapped in the Superdome: Refuge becomes a hellhole
unexplainable
Storm Digest Blog"Said by Shep Smith while venting (rightly so) his frustration about the treatment of victims of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, specifically pointing out the refugees camped on the I10 bridge within spitting distance of the Superdome. He states he’s asked repeatedly why food and water hasn’t been dropped to them, and he feels they are being ignored. Shep says he sat on the bridge for 4 days, specifically pointing them out in his reports, and no one has picked those people up nor have they been attended to in any manner. He also states that he has not seen the Red Cross since the day he’s been there."
3 million dollar paragraphs
in the middle of this piece from Bloomberg Business News
"It comes down to leadership, and this effort is without a leader,'' said George Haddow, deputy chief of staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency from 1998 to 2000. "I don't think they understand how to do this at the top level.'' Haddow is now a lecturer at George Washington University's Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management in Washington.
'Backwater Agency'
FEMA's effectiveness was reduced when it was absorbed by the Homeland Security Department after the Sept. 11 attacks, Haddow said, and emphasis shifted from disaster preparedness to countering terrorism.
FEMA is now "a backwater agency," said Michael Greenberger, director of the University of Maryland's Center for Health and Homeland Security in Baltimore. "They were so focused on terrorism, they sort of took their eye off the ball here."
misc. NPR coverage
just a few of the many pieces coming from NPR on Katrina... audio available for most of these:
Effectiveness of Relief Efforts Questioned Why Wasn't New Orleans Better Prepared? Many Countries Offer Katrina Assistance Storm Evacuees Struggle with Plans New Orleans Tries to Stem Damage, Flooding New Orleans' Previous Plans for Hurricanes Leaving New Orleans for the First Time
Juliette Kayyem suggests need for Katrina Commission
DA has more for those unaware of who Juliette is, she is the author of First to Arrive and a pre-eminent scholar in the field of terrorism preparedness.
ouch
"What I'm seeing on TV now is a third-world country with a government unwilling or incompetent to fulfill its tasks." [from War and Piece]
CISM... necessary for reporters too
"Youre going to be dealing with the emotional damage of covering this tragedy for a long, long time. For now, dont let your personal hardships -- as powerful as they are -- affect your storytelling. Keep it in your mind, though, to get help later -- and as soon as possible. Im still dealing with personal fallout from the Murrah bombing, yet I knew not one person who died. Covering massive tragedies never leaves you." [again from Poynter Online]
who failed New Orleans?
"'Politics may have failed the people of New Orleans. Politicians certainly failed them. They may have failed themselves by not demanding better. But their newspaper and other important segments of the American press did not fail them.'" [from the incomparable Poynter Online]
do your part
Liberal Blogs for Hurricane Relief... $115,926 collected so far... making steady progress towards the goal of $1Million
katrina vs camille
"This one sucker-punched us and made Camille look like a thunderstorm."[Q&A with mayor of Gulfport, MS]
notes from the frontlines
[Eye Of The Storm: Gulfport, MS] 1) For all those concerned with people and property south of the CSX railroad tracks, everything that we have heard and seen so far is that destruction is near total. For property, assume that it does not exist anymore. If it does, it is uninhabitable and probably missing most walls and/or roof. For people, hope that they moved further inland or to a shelter. Otherwise, they were probably swimming. 2) Between railroad and Pass Road in Harrison county- The rock fill that the tracks sat on acted as a berm. It slowed the surge, but did not contain it in many areas. Expect extensive flooding damage (in some places above the roof line). 3) North of Pass Road or 90. The surge did not get that far inland. Still many reports of flooding damage from rain and rising bayous/ waterways. Also expect wind damage. 4) North of I-10- seems to have faired relatively well. This does not apply to Bay St Louis, which sounds like it was leveled like the places south of the railroad tracks. It also sounds like Picayune got hit very hard. Water is coming back in some places. If you are in contact with people down here tell them DO NOT DRINK THE WATER. Several tons of frozen chicken was ejected from Gulfport docks into the water and surrounding communities. Also, at least 1,000 pounds of shrimp went into the water at D'Iberville. Both of those will release harmful bacteria into the water when they decay. There are also the bodies of people and animals in Mississippi Sound. Though this is not the drinking water supply, contamination of aquifers are possible. Also, broken mains have allowed foreign substances into the municipal water supply. Try not to flush toilets. As far as I know right now, very little power is being generated and sewage systems need electricity to power their pumps. Sewage will back up.
NG pours into Louisiana
"Thousands of National Guardsmen with food, water and weapons streamed into Louisiana on Friday to bring relief to New Orleans' suffering multitudes and put down the looting and violence. 'The cavalry is and will continue to arrive,' said one general. The assurances came amid blistering criticism from the mayor and others who said the federal government had bungled the relief effort and let people die in the streets for lack of food, water or medicine.Full Story"[from The Terrorism Research Center]
on the importance of forcing the Pak government to be truthful
"Pakistan Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao has said that so far no evidence linking any Pakistani religious party to extremism has been found" [we believe you]
on the importance of enforcing moderation at Pak madrassas
Pakistan's radical Islamist party Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) was one of the several organisations in the country that had direct links with international terror outfit al Qaeda [full story here]
unsettling
As in all "natural" disasters, a far-from-natural logic asserted itself: Those who had the least to begin with stood to lose the most [full story: Katrina Exposes Racism]
01 September 2005
newsflash: terrorism is sexy, hurricanes aren't
The Independent Weekly: Disaster in the making
"If you talk to FEMA people and emergency management people around the country, people have almost been hoping for a major natural disaster like a hurricane, just to remind DHS and the administration that there are other big things--even bigger things than al Qaeda. 'This is an exposed nerve in the emergency management community, in the sense that resources have been shifted away from hurricanes, tornados and other kinds of disasters--the kind of disasters that are more likely to occur than terrorism."
hurricane katrina exposed the wounds
to FEMA, caused by DHS... and the residents of New Orleans are suffering mightily because of it.
staggers the imagination
I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. They did anticipate a serious storm. But these levees got breached. And as a result, much of New Orleans is flooded. And now we are having to deal with it and will. - George W. Bush, today on Good Morning America