Yesterday, unpacking and putting away my groceries tired me out so much that I slept right through the time I normally use for research and just woke up. Fortunately I had already collected the data for today’s monthly report early yesterday morning. I’m current with replies, although brief. Today is a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos are worshiping in the Packers’ cathedral, so I expect a day of religious agony. On this one issue, I oppose the people of the Plutocratic Corporate Dictatorship of Fitzwalkerstan. 😉
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 3:59 (average 4:29). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From CNN: It was inevitable that the fiery politics of the death penalty would punctuate Saturday’s remembrance of Troy Anthony Davis.
His 20 years of claims of innocence on Georgia’s death row earned him millions of supporters who believe the state wrongfully executed him on the night of September 21.
Saturday, Davis’ family and closest friends gathered inside the Jonesville Baptist Church to celebrate his life.
Please oppose murder as punishment. Rest in peace, Troy!
From Washington Post: After years of trying, Congress is taking another stab at punishing China for what many see as currency manipulation to keep its exports to the United States cheap and make American exports more expensive.
On Monday, the Senate will take up legislation to impose higher U.S. duties on Chinese products to offset the perceived advantage China gets from undervaluing its currency.
Supporters say the bill would narrow the trade deficit and bring home jobs that have been lost to Chinese producers.
But the legislation faces stiff opposition from American-based multinational corporations.
An update on yesterday’s lead article.
From News Hounds: Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Fox News host Eric Bolling – you know, the guy who egged on colleague Sandra Smith’s "White Hizzy" remarks – isn’t just withholding his props for President Obama’s latest belt notches in the war on terror, he’s annoyed that former President Bush isn’t getting more credit. (H/T Mediaite)
In a discussion about the killing of Anwar Al-Awlaki on The Five that day (9/30/11), Bolling said to co-host Dana Perino, formerly of the Bush administration, “Look, the issue I have is that Mr. Obama came out today during a podium appearance and said, ‘Look what we’ve done.’ I’m not so sure he should be taking all the credit for this. You know, Dana, George Bush – your administration – put a lot of the, the infrastructure in place that they’re using to capture and kill these bad guys and all of a sudden there’s a victory lap by the White House.” [emphasis original]
The only credit that Potomac Pinocchio and the Republican Party deserve is for not taking the threat seriously and allowing 9/11 to happen.
Cartoon:
10 Responses to “Open Thread–10/2/2011”
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I’m average today 4:29
Poor little Georgie isn’t getting any credit? Of course not! He did nothing except get us into a big mess.
Not bad!
LOL!
4:23 Boling ain’t good at picking stocks, either!
LOL!
3:38 I am 89 out 275 (324).
Capital punishment is not punishment. It is revenge, and revenge has no place in a justice system…any justice system.
Today you may be in trouble.
Well said!
The murder of Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Kahn, both US citizens and neither indicted, tried, convicted or sentenced for anything is a chilling blow to the Constitution and the rights and protections of all Americans. It represents a repudiation of law and justice. No one man has the authority to condemn another to death all on his own.
These guys may have been and probably were really bad guys, but they were not tried and convicted of anything.
So was this even worse than the rigged trial and gross injustice that ended with the death of Troy Davis? I don’t know which was worse. Both acts and processes were despicable.
Welcome, Mondragon. 🙂
In the previous open thread, I said that the killing was illegal, but your comparison with Troy is apples to oranges and completely inapplicable.
Were defending America from attacks by right-wing Muslim extremists a conventional car, nobody would think twice about targeting an intelligence complex in the enemy capital where American citizens were attempting to recruit Americans to commit acts of war against their own nation. Because our law predates this non-conventional conflict, we have no legal means. The law needs to be updated to reflect the realities of non conventional warfare to establish very narrow circumstances under which such an action is legal. I have seen Awlaki’s videos and read his writings. They establish his role beyond question. Killing men actively involved in a struggle against this nation has nothing in common with strappingf a defense;ess man to a table and filling him with poison.
Puzzle — Ha! Only 20 seconds longer than average!
Troy Anthony Davis — I tried to watch the streaming from the NAACP website, but like others, could not get it. I have committed through Amnesty Int’l to fight state sponsored murder aka the death penalty. On the Amnesty web site there is a list of prisoners who are now on death row. In Canada, the last executions were Dec 1962 with a moratorium declared in 1967 and abolishment in 1976. I do not believe in the death penalty under any circumstances as hard as that might be at times. I’m even finding, as a result of Troy Davis, that I can no longer use the expression ‘I’ll kill you’ even in jest.
Trade with China — Well, likely the multinationals own the Republicans (big assumption on my part) so if they are opposing it, then the legislation must be good for the country. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out.
Eric Bolling — The Bush administration might have put much of the infastructure in place, but that wasn’t until after the WTC attack. They were totally reactive. The current WH is being pro-active, using the infastructure that the ‘johnny come lately’ Bush administration put in place. So cry me a river.
Cartoon — Oh yeh!!!!!
Getting better. 🙂
I did not try. Too depressing. I’ve opposed the death penalty for many years.
Bingo!
Obama changed tactics completely after he took office. Bush failed, because he wanted conquestr, not to get the terroristrs.
Thanks!