The Only Legitimate Target

Photo: César

If you believe the regime is culpable.

Face it,  a few dozen or few hundred Tomahawk missiles aren't going make much of a difference one way or another, especially when one would do.

Mind you, I'm not advocating assassination of a foreign leader,  this would be a decapitation strike on the Syrian Military Command & Control Authority... the fact that he is a foreign leader is entirely coincidental.

Unless willing to use thermobarics and accept the resultant high collateral damage,  the chemical weapon stores are not a realistic target.  Attacking the airfields and military bases accomplish little in the way of thwarting future chemical weapon use, although they may have a remote chance of prompting the military to remove Assad (My guess - slim to none).  Attacking infrastructure only causes the Syrian people to suffer further deprivations.

The only logical target to hold Assad responsible for the use of chemical weapons is Assad himself.  It would require good and timely intelligence or a mass attack against known residences and bunkers, would be difficult to pull off, but even a miss sends a powerful message.  You are not immune to reprisal.  It is doubly effective if delivered along with the message that in case of a miss, we will try again... and again... and again.  Not saying when, not saying where.  The psychological stress of not know when the next Tomahawk is going to come streaking out of the sky would be enormous.

Frankly, I believe that the only thing that could happen in Syria in favor of US interests would be a military coup.  We may not want Assad in charge,  but I don't think we want the rebels in charge either.  As someone else once said about Syria, it's a lose/lose situation.

Note that I preface this with "If you believe the regime is culpable", I'm not saying it is and I'm not saying it's not.  Obviously, this is not the answer if you believe the rebels culpable,  although if it was a rebel group I'm not sure what we could do about it... support Assad?


What are your thoughts?

Useless Nations

Bernd Untiedt, Germany

It Doesn't Work

Perhaps my title is a bit harsh, but face it... the UN is broken and most likely irreparable.  This is clearly illustrated by the events in Syria, not by failure to act against Assad, but by failure to act in any meaningful way at all.

1. The Security Council will never function effectively as long as the five permanent members have the veto power to protect themselves and their client states.

2. The veto power of the five permanent members cannot be rescinded as the non-permanent members cannot be relied upon to act in a rational manner or in the global interest. 

The UN is NOT a Democracy, the General Assembly is a Joke

Of the 193 member states, roughly 40 are dictatorships or totalitarian regimes, fully 1.9 billion people live under despotism.  Face it, in the world body politic Zimbabwe does not deserve equal footing with Belgium or Myanmar with Japan.  While global participation is an admirable goal, the criteria for entry needs to be more than simply being on the planet.  You can be sure that Chitsaka Chipaziwa is Robert Mugabe's personal representative to the UN, not the representative of the Zimbabwean people.

League of Nations Epic Fail

It would seem that the only difference between the League of Nations and the UN is six fewer vetoes.  The composition of the Security Council is a relic of World War II with the US, UK, France, Russia, and China wielding veto power while states such as Germany and Japan are awarded equal status with North Korea and Syria.  The top five contributors to the UN are the US, Japan, Germany, France, and the UK, and while China is sixth, Russia with veto power doesn't even make the top 10 lagging behind Italy, Canada, Spain, and Brazil.
  

Alternatives?

I am not an advocate of one-world government,  and would have to say that any alternative would have to maintain national sovereignty within its framework, although I am willing to listen to and rebut arguments to the contrary.  While a one world democratic government is a noble aspiration, the conditions for its execution do not currently exist.  It would fail for the same reasons the UN fails.
 

American Politics in Pictures

Yes, you read it right: 

Obama Waffles, Obama Throws Kerry Under Bus

Just saying... If I were John Kerry, I'd be seriously pissed.

And yes that is a picture of President Obama throwing out the first pitch.

Kerry went to bat

On Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry laid it all out on the line in support of his President.

“We know that after a decade of conflict, the American people are tired of war — believe me, I am, too,” said Mr. Kerry, who opposed the Iraq war in his failed presidential bid in 2004. “But fatigue does not absolve us of our responsibility. Just longing for peace does not necessarily bring it about. And history would judge us all extraordinarily harshly if we turned a blind eye to a dictator’s wanton use of weapons of mass destruction against all warnings, against all common understanding of decency.”  NYT

Mere hours later President Obama reversed course.

“I’m ready to act in the face of this outrage,” Obama said. “Today I’m asking Congress to send a message to the world that we are ready to move forward together as one nation.” WAPO 

Don't get me wrong...

I agree with and support President Obama's decision to take the matter to congress,  I just think he left his Secretary of State hanging out in the wind, which sometimes may be necessary.  I do think it could have been handled differently,  such as letting Secretary Kerry make the announcement that the administration would be consulting with congress, but Kerry was a sport about it carrying the flag on all five major Sunday morning talk shows.

Our Face to the World

On the downside, it does present an indecisive face to the world, but I'd rather see the President do what is right and appear indecisive than carry on bravely into the breech. Alas, lacking naivete, I fear his decision was more based on obtaining political cover than his interpretation of constitutional law, yet it was the right decision nonetheless. 

Labor Day Weekend

Growing up, Labor Day always meant two things.  It was the last weekend of summer, as school always started on the Tuesday after Labor Day and it meant the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon running continuously on the television in our living room.  It's amazing what sticks with us over the years, but I can still vividly recall one rainy Labor Day weekend lying on the living room couch, the telethon playing in the background, reading Henry Reed books.

Over the years, the telethon aired for 21 1/2 hours starting Sunday evening and running through Labor Day. With Jerry Lewis as host, they aired over 900 hours of live television.  2010 was the last year that the MDA telethon was hosted by Jerry Lewis and at the end had raised $58,919,838 in pledges.  The telethon has always reported pledges, which often fell short of the annual amount collected, which in 2010 was $48,000,000.  Still, 48 million isn't an insignificant amount of money.

2011 was the first year without Jerry Lewis as host and the first year running for only 6 hours.  The total pledges reported for the reduced run was $61,491,393, perhaps in an attempt to signal that nothing had changed corporate pledges were included in the total for the first time.  In reality the money actually collected was only
$30,683,816, significantly down from the last "Jerry Lewis Telethon".  In 2012 the show was reduced to 3 hours, and this year will be down for only 2 hours and only air on ABC.

What's your Labor Day?

Saturday Sessions: The Middle Ages

Bertrand de Born: @ 1140-1215

In atonement to FT for Tuesday's Miley Cyrus post ;) 

Possibly W. de Wycombe - Summer is Icumen In  @ 1260 

Vox Vulgaris - Cantiga 166

Twerked Off

Like old men of previous generations, I look at our booty-shaking culture and shake my head...

I am not a prude.  I love women, I find them alluring, and seeing them naked turns me on.  That doesn't make me a pervert; it makes me a man.  Having said that, I'm faithful to my wife, I'm not a peeping tom, I don't go to strip bars (is there a more inappropriate named place than a "Gentleman's Club?"), I don't buy skin magazines, and I try my best to avoid the universal temptation of one-click-away internet pornography. 

My problem with our slut culture must be generational.  I came of age with Madonna.  I remember when she was cute and sassy, still shedding the last of her baby fat.  She was naughty, and I had a boyhood crush on her.  Then she transmogrified into the stringy, muscled dominatrix from hell who pleasured herself with microphones and aggressively tongue-kissed girls young enough to be her daughters on national TV, and her spell on me was broken.

I prefer the quiet, non-pornographic beauty of a Shania Twain, Joan Jett (OK, Jett's beauty was loud, but it was not pornographic), or even Jennifer Lopez, who knows how to be sexy while keeping it classy.  She doesn't have that "look at me, I'll debase myself in any embarrassing way to get your attention!" desparation about her.  A woman can be sexy while still being classy, but we're seeing less and less of that magical combination.

Making sex tapes, imitating a dog in heat on stage, stripping naked and hyper-sexualizing yourself does not make you more appealing.  It makes you boring.  You've lost your mystique (apologies to Betty Friedan.  I've never read the book).  You threw it out there, the male doggies fought with one another to hump you, the hooting baboons fondled themeselves over you, and then the 15 minutes were up, and the door on your pornographic peep show slammed shut.  Paris Hilton, anyone?  And a surprising number of young men see Kim Kardashian as the slut that she is.

Most of the 20th century's sexiest and most alluring women never posed nude.  The few of those who did, did so in tasteful poses, reminiscent of the great nudes of the art world.  They were also never caught in public acting like two-bit whores.

When you've literally exposed everything, there's nothing left, especially if you're an empty-headed moron with nothing besides your body to offer.  And I say that with a profound sadness, because ultimately, all a human being truly possesses is her humanity, her very own being.  The most tragic loss a person can experience is loss of self.

See also:  Camille Paglia:  Miley Cyrus, Go Back to School!

Good Riddance

Outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Tuesday defended her decision to allow so-called Dreamers a chance to obtain legal status to stay in the United States and blamed Congress for failing to act on immigration reform.  ~ Politico

Napolitano went on to say:

“Congress had a chance to give these so-called Dreamers a way to stay in our country through the DREAM Act, but unfortunately, that legislation failed to garner the 60 votes needed for cloture, falling just five votes short, despite strong bipartisan support.”

So our laws are determined not by the people, but by a two-bit appointed political hack.

 

So dumbass... please explain how losing by five votes is a failure to act?  It sounds like congress did indeed act, held a cloture vote, and you lost. A more accurate statement would be congress failed to act the way you wanted them to.  Perhaps a reminder is due...

Article 6, Clause 3: The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

"I, _______, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."  

Well and Faithfully Discharging Duties

So how is refusing to enforce the existing laws passed by congress well and faithfully discharging your duties? 

In the context of constitutional law, Article II, Section 4 grants congress the power to impeach "The President, Vice President, and all civil Officers of the United States shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors."  It is firmly established that cabinet officers are "civil officers of the United States", Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached.

The Supreme Court has held that such phrases as "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" must be construed not according to modern usage, but according to what the framers meant when they adopted them.  The framers knew full well what "high crimes and misdemeanors" meant and the article passed with little discussion or debate.  To the framers the term had the same meaning as it held in English Common Law.  High Crimes are not serious crimes, but crimes committed by public officials, a citizen cannot commit high crimes unless holding public office.

High Crimes and Misdemeanors in English Common Law

Since 1386, the English parliament had used “high crimes and misdemeanors” as one of the grounds to impeach officials of the crown. Officials accused of “high crimes and misdemeanors” were accused of offenses as varied as misappropriating government funds, appointing unfit subordinates, not prosecuting cases, not spending money allocated by Parliament, promoting themselves ahead of more deserving candidates, threatening a grand jury, disobeying an order from Parliament, arresting a man to keep him from running for Parliament, losing a ship by neglecting to moor it, helping “suppress petitions to the King to call a Parliament,” granting warrants without cause, and bribery. Some of these charges were crimes. Others were not. The one common denominator in all these accusations was that the official had somehow abused the power of his office and was unfit to serve. ~ CRF

 

Congress needs to grow a set

If the legislatures of the United States wishes to see its legislation not only enacted but enforced,  it needs to take action  when it is not.  We know that that the Republican controlled House of Representatives could conceivably impeach Napolitano, we all also know that the Democratic controlled Senate of the United States is not going to convict Janet Napolitano, not on the grounds of guilt or innocence, but solely for political and party reasons.  

 

The law is the law,  it is not what we want it to be but what is legislated and written down,  and if you don't like what is written down there are processes to change it.  When you lack the political capacity to change it,  you are stuck with it.  The intent of the law of the United States is the will of the people, not the power of the executive,  and until Congress grows a set it and enforces its will, it will continue to be treated as a bath mat by the executive branch.

 

Okay, You Can Inspect Now

Too Little, Too Late

"At this juncture, the belated decision by the regime to grant access to the U.N. team is too late to be credible, including because the evidence available has been significantly corrupted as a result of the regime's persistent shelling and other intentional actions over the last five days." WSJ

Right Decision

Nerve agents are predominately organophosphates which degrade rapidly upon exposure to sunlight, air, and soil.  So rapidly in fact that during the time I was in the military I witnessed the transition of response from OMG CHEMICAL WEAPONS... in which upon warning of attack everyone went to MOPP-4 (Mission Oriented Protective Posture, MOPP-4 being full suit, gloves, boots and mask) and stayed, there to the concept of split-MOPP levels.  

Fact is, depending on the agent and environmental conditions the hazard can be significantly reduced in as little as 30-90 minutes.  Weapons such as Sarin,  which is alleged to have been used in the apparent chemical attack in Syria rapidly dissipates about 30 minutes after exposure and testing for Sarin after a week is considered unviable.

 The Point is...

Syria's offer to allow UN inspectors in a week after the attack is meaningless.  They know full well that after all this time the inspectors will be unable to find anything.  French testing of physiological samples (blood, urine, tissue) have confirmed the use of Sarin.  Even before the latest attack (4 June), the French have confirmed the use of Sarin in Syria.  The only question now is who used it?   

It is highly doubtful that the rebels are manufacturing military grade nerve agents, although they could have obtained it by capture or from an outside agency.  It is also highly unlikely they are using it against themselves in an effort to discredit the regime, although that would seem to be a remote possibility one must consider.

Many use the argument that Assad would have to be crazy (although that has yet to be determined) to use chemical weapons upon the arrival of a UN chemical weapons inspection team.  But the fact that the team is there is largely irrelevant,  they are unable to test or corroborate the usage while under the control of the Syrian government despite being only a short drive from the location of the attacks.  The risk present to Assad is no greater with the team present than without. So that leaves the general hazard of an international response, a response from a community that has so far done nothing in way of response to prior use. 

A More Important Question

Dominic Tierney asks a good question in The Atlantic

Why is 1300 dead by chemical weapons a red line when 100,000 dead via conventional means is not?  Or better yet, millions in the Congo not?  While I am not attempting to legitimize the use of chemical weapons... dead is dead. Whether it is by Sarin or Semtex,  it wouldn't seem to be of much relevance to the deceased.  Is the suffering from Sarin worse than the suffering of getting your limbs blown off and bleeding out? Chemical agents are silent, deadly, and thus scary... but is there a moral or ethical difference between killing 1300 with Sarin and 1300 with high explosives?

I am not advocating for or against intervention in Syria,  I'll leave you to make up your own minds about that.  What this is, is an attempt to elicit thought and discussion on the circumstances and use of chemical weapons and the motivation behind intervention.

Watercooler Chatter

Some viewers may find content offensive

Now I don't usually defer posts for pop culture events, but it seems that all anyone was talking about Monday morning was the Miley Cyrus performance at the VMA awards.  I don't listen to Miley Cyrus, or Robin Thicke for that matter, and I didn't watch the VMAs... but this video was unavoidable, no less than five people asked if I had seen it and offered to show it when I said no.

There is no want of commentary on it, practically all of it negative.  From disgusting to disturbing, to my favorite... "I just think I threw up in my mouth a little bit".  Some attribute it to the jarring contrast with her Disney persona, Hannah Montana, but I've never seen Hannah Montana so it couldn't be that.  I have no objections to sexy or sensual dance, unfortunately this was neither.

The general consensus of men 25-60 that I have spoken to is pretty much a unified WTF?  It was the worst of everything all rolled into one.  No one I have spoken to has found it in any way attractive, arousing, or even entertaining.  The collective horror seems universal.

My wife pointed out to me that I corrected my then 15 year old son a few years back for calling Miley Cyrus a slut... I stand corrected, and formally apologize... I also apologize for exposing all of you to... this.

What are your thoughts? 

Come back tomorrow for a discussion of chemical weapons.

Extremists!

Just A Bunch of Extremists

"In U.S. history,there are many examples of extremist ideologies and movements. The colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule and the Confederate states who sought to secede from the Northern states are just two examples."

Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute -  EAOC Student Guide; D. 1. First Bullet (page 43 of the pdf file - Equal Opportunity Advisor Course)

The document cited was obtained by Judicial Watch through a Freedom of Information Act request.

So, the Founding Fathers were just a bunch of extremists along the lines of the other examples given in the material, like the Neo-Confederates, Black Separatists, the KKK, Neo-Nazis, Skinheads, and White Nationalists.

Definitions

Keep the Founding Father analogy in mind as you read these definitions from the training material:

Extremism: A term used to describe the actions or ideologies of individuals or groups who take a political idea to its limits, regardless of unfortunate repercussions, and show intolerance toward all views other than their own.

Extremist: A person who advocates the use of force or violence; advocates supremacist causes based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or national origin; or otherwise engages to illegally deprive individuals or groups of their civil rights

Seriously...

What kind of message does this send? 

On a Lighter Note

Extremists should be pretty easy to recognize, what with the powdered wigs, cravats, spatterdashes and easily identifiable extremist literature like Common Sense, The Right's of the Colonists, and What Think Ye of Congress Now? 

Story here

Politically Correct Discrimination

How far does your boss's authority go?

Apparently in Florida quite far.  The Bert Fish Medical Center recently enacted a policy not to hire smokers and to test smokers for tobacco byproducts.  Employees hired after Jan. 1 who test positive will be subject to disciplinary action up to termination. 

Curiously "The prohibition doesn’t apply to volunteers, medical staff or Bert Fish’s roughly 700 employees who were hired before the implementation date."  Now I get the volunteers and the grandfathered existing employees but "medical staff"?  So the janitor can't smoke but a cardiothoracic surgeon  can?

Indentured Servitude

Now I generally side with employers in matters such as this at work and fully support the hospital's right to ban smoking at work and on their property,  but when it extends to what employees do after work... if you ain't paying, I ain't listening.  To presume that an employer's authority extends 24 hours a day, seven days a week is to step over a line I am unwilling to cross.

“We are in the health care business, and we should be a role model,” said Nancy Evolga, executive director of human resources for the 112-bed hospital. “There is 50 years of data that says tobacco use is bad.” 

I'll take a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Large Fries

If an employer can control one lawful activity 'off-work' they can control another.  That Dbl Qtr Pounder and Fries comes with 68 grams of fat and 1.6 grams of salt so if I catch any of you at McDonald's you're FIRED! Alcohol is also verboten, and if I don't see you at the gym after work (on your time) you're also outta here! By the way, you skydivers, rock climbers, and radical skiers are also fired... pick up your pink slips at the door.  Oh, and by the way... if your spouse smokes... we will no longer be needing your services.

25 states and D.C have laws specifically protecting smoker's rights,  Colorado, New York, and North Carolina have laws protecting all "lawful" off-duty activity. Arizona had such a law but it was politically correctly repealed... and California's has been undermined by their Supreme Court ruling it confers no additional rights. 

So, how far does your boss's authority go?

 

News Journal

Herald Tribune

Saturday Sessions: The Kinks

This one's for Bradley Breanna Chelsea Manning... 

The Kinks - Lola

Damn, are these guys prescient or what?

The Kinks - Destroyer!

 

The Kinks - A Dedicated Follower of Fashion

 Oops, sorry, that's not the video... here it is:

 

 

 

 

Was 35 Years Enough?

Bradley Breanna Chelsea Manning

35 years on 20 charges, most likely out in between 6 1/2 - 8 years for releasing:

91,371 documents collectively referred to as the "Afghan War Logs"

391,832 classified military reports from Jan 2004-Dec 2009 collectively referred to as the "Iraq War Logs"

251,287 classified State Department cables from 271 embassies

How much bullshit can one man shovel?

I’m sorry that it hurt the United States. I understood what I was doing and the decision that I made. I’m sorry for the unintended consequences of my actions...When I made these decisions I believed I was going to help people, not hurt people.

 So I am supposed to believe that a trained intelligence analyst, an analyst trained to evaluate the military value of data, didn't know what he was doing or what the impact would be?

What is Intelligence Analysis?

Intelligence analysis is the process of taking known information about situations and entities of strategic, operational, or tactical importance, characterizing the known, and, with appropriate statements of probability, the future actions in those situations and by those entities. The descriptions are drawn from what may only be available in the form of deliberately deceptive information; the analyst must correlate the similarities among deceptions and extract a common truth. Although its practice is found in its purest form inside.  Some highlights of the job:

Assists in establishing and maintaining systematic, cross-referenced intelligence records and files. 

Assists in determining significance and reliability of incoming information. 

Assists in integrating incoming information with current intelligence holdings and prepares and maintains the situation map. 

Assists in the analysis and evaluation of intelligence holdings to determine changes in enemy capabilities, vulnerabilities, and probable courses of action. 

Assists in the preparation of Order of Battle records using information from all sources and in the preparation of strength estimates of enemy units. 

Assembles and proofreads intelligence reports and assists in consolidating them into military intelligence. 

Yeah, Bradley Breanna Chelsea Manning had no idea what he was doing. Yeah, right.

I worked alongside Intel for much of my military career,  and while we may make the requisite jokes about military intelligence being an oxymoron,  I did not, in 25 years, ever meet a dumb intelligence analyst.

So no, 35 years was not enough.

8.9%

Unemployment

Gallup's latest data puts the latest unemployment rate at 8.9% and the underemployment rate at 17.9%

Even Ben Bernake admits that "the unemployment rate probably understates the weakness of the labor market" and "we have an unemployment rate of 7.6 percent, which I think, if anything, overstates the health of our labor markets given participation rates and many other indicators of underemployment and long-term unemployment."

Are We Masking the Problem?

Seeing the Gallup numbers,I have recently read several articles on unemployment,  there was even a segment on the local evening news not just about unemployment but homelessness as well.  I see on an almost daily basis panhandlers at an interstate off-ramp panhandling under a sign that states "no solicitation".  The cops usually leave them alone,  I've only seen them rousted twice.  The latest controversy here is the cops rousting panhandlers out of the business district downtown.

Aside from the police chasing the "undesirables" away from local businesses and the homeless out of the parks,  I started wondering to myself is technology masking the problem?  It certainly insulates us from it.  Would we have a different opinion if instead of direct deposit, foods stamps, and debit and ebt cards we had lines at soup kitchens like the one above taken during the depression?

Most of us are subjected to the problem in the abstract; 7.6% unemployment (July's official number), 4.7 million long-term unemployed, the underemployed, work-force participation.  These are all abstract terms, 7.6% of what?  You can't even get the experts to agree on what to measure and how,  let alone agree on a figure.

So the question is this... would we react differently socially and politically if today's problem was manifest as it was in the thirties?   Do you know who is unemployed in your neighborhood? Who is on assistance? Chances are, probably not.  As I said, technology masks and insulates us from the problem.

Now before Lester or someone comes along and accuses me of wanting to brand the unemployed with a scarlet letter U,  this is not about the validity of these programs, or even about the unemployed, but about how modern technology shields us from the majority of ugliness in this world and how that shapes our opinions.  Outside of the visibly homeless and the panhandlers,  how much is tucked neatly out of sight?

And you thought Banks were bad

The tax man cometh

A Pennsylvania woman almost lost her $280,000 home when it was sold at auction for $116,000 due to delinquent taxes...

$6.30 in delinquent taxes...

Actually the taxes were paid, nine days late and  the $6.30 was a leftover penalty fee.

Fortunately the appeals court judges were not as stupid as the Beaver County judge that is responsible for all this and have granted the woman an evidentiary hearing ruling the county judge was in error refusing it and that the woman was denied due process

More interesting is: "the trial court erred in upholding the upset tax sale because Taxpayer made the tax payments in accordance with invoices from the Tax Claim Bureau, which never sent her an explicit invoice for $6.30"  

Basically she was late on an 833 dollar bill in 2008,  penalties and fees were assessed and she was sent a bill for $897.13 which she paid,  unfortunately between the time she received the bill and the time she paid the bill the Tax Claim Bureau had tacked on another $6.30 in interest which remained unpaid, and apparently the notice was returned "unclaimed" to the Tax Claim Bureau.

The following year, also late and assessed penalties resulted in a bill for $3990.03 which was also paid.  They applied that payment to her 2009 taxes But that original $6.30 cents had ballooned to $234.72 and was still being held as an outstanding debt from 2008, and that is the amount they auctioned her $280,000 house for.

It stands to reason that had the Tax Claim Bureau simply billed her for $4224.74 including the delinquent 2008 amount in her 2009 bill she probably would have paid it.  How this auction got past the judge in the first place leaves you wondering.  Is it too much to expect some modicum of common sense from our petty bureaucrats and officials?

Court Filing

Another case

An 81-year-old Rhode Island homeowner was evicted two weeks before Christmas from the home she had lived in for more than 40 years because she had fallen behind on a $474 sewer bill. A corporation bought her house at a tax sale for $836.39 and then resold it for $85,000.

NCLC

There are approximately $15B in delinquent property taxes per year and those seized and sold at auction often go for, if not pennies on the dollar, at least for significantly less than fair market value. These shares run counter to the interest of the community,  depressing market values as well as the tax base.  Aside from legislating common sense, it may be time to legislate at least fair market value as the opening bid for sheriff's sales (or at least a reasonable discount, say 5 or 10%).  Those who buy properties at a deep discount care little for the properties or the communities in which they are located.

Thoughts?  

Western Interests In Egypt

Summed up in one old black and white photo

Following the Egyptian military crackdown the price of Brent Crude hit a four month high of $111.23

While Egypt is not a major oil producer/exporter 7% of all crude and 13% of all LNG transits the Suez Canal.

Also of relevance to western interests is the Sumed pipeline, a roughly 200 mile pipeline fro Suez to Alexandria, although this is owned by a consortia of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE.

The question then among the western democracies and other interests is how important is it?  Is stability in Egypt more important than democracy? 

He shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed

Art 1 Sect 1: All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

Art 1 Sect 7: Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States: If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.

A LA CARTE

From Healthcare to Immigration, from Education to the Environment the administration picks and chooses which legislation it wants to enforce and which legislation it wants to ignore.  In Labor and Environmental it has even gone so far to decide which law it wishes to create, establishing regulatory agencies with no basis in legislation.

Where is the clamor and the outcry?  What do you think about our Imperial Presidency?

Spectator 
Weekly Standard
Washington Post
Wall Street Journal
New York Times

Nanny Bloomberg

The Nanny's Latest

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on a Friday morning radio show that NYC Housing residents should be fingerprinted.  He also went on to elaborate that while Housing residents make up 5% of the city's population they commit 20% of the crime.  Bloomberg wants to fingerprint the 600,000 residents who live in public housing.

Biometrics

 A spokesman for Bloomberg said that "All security is moving towards biometrics - even the next iPhone will have fingerprint security".  Apparently the spokesman is unable to differentiate between using your own fingerprint to secure your iPhone and giving it to the government to get into housing... although given the current state of affairs in electronic security, perhaps using your fingerprint to secure your iPhone is giving it to the government.

Fix the Locks

An attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights suggested that perhaps before fingerprinting residents, the city ought to consider fixing the locks on the doors to the buildings.  Now I have to admit we have biometric fingerprint security in my workplace,  swipe your badge, put your finger on the sensor, and the door unlocks.  It prevents people from walking in and out of areas outside of the common public areas, with lost or stolen Id badges.  But I can assure you that it isn't linked to IAFIS (the federal fingerprint database),  I'm not so sure that Bloomberg would make that assurance,  nor am I sure would I believe him if he did.

The Waterboys

"The Big Music" period

A Girl Called Johnny was from the band's first studio album "The Waterboys" released in 1983 and was the start of what is known as their Big Music period. Starting officially as a trio with Mike Scott (vocals), Anthony Thistlewaite (sax), and Karl Wallinger (keyboard) the band has gone through some 71 members over the years.

 At the end and apex of the Big Music period and perhaps their best known Big Music Song,  The Whole of the Moon was released on their 1985 album This is the Sea.

Raggle-Taggle Band

With loss of Wallinger and the addition of Steve Wickham the band took on a completely different sound with a distinctly folksy twist  with the release of the albums Fisherman's Blues followed up by Room to Roam.

  

Alternative

Following a breakup and seven year hiatus as Mike Scott pursued a solo career the band reformed with the release of Rock in a Weary Land.

 Universal Hall which followed took a distinctly spiritual twist with songs such as This Light is for the World,  The Christ in You,  and Peace of Iona featured below.

There latest album, An Appointment with Mr. Yeats is rather peculiar,  all 14 songs on the album are based off the poetry of Yeats.

I normally try and keep the number of songs limited in a post so as not to overwhelm, but thought it interesting to depict the evolution of the band over time.  You don't need to listen to them all, although there is no harm in that, but this provides you an opportunity to at least sample a few of them.

They have been cited as influence on such bands as Simple Minds, The Alarm, In Tua Nua, Big Country, Hothouse Flowers, and World Party, although it should be noted that World Party was founded by Karl Wallinger, one of the original Waterboys.  The band has also been cited for its influence by both Bono and the Edge of U2.

50 Shades of Grey

Don't worry, I'm not going to talk about the "mommy-porn" book.

“I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth?”  ~Bronte

Principles

1. A fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.

2. A rule or belief governing one's personal behavior.

Principled

1.  based on or manifesting objectively defined standards of rightness or morality

Character

1. the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. ~Abraham Lincoln

Face it, you either have them or you don't, and it seems like many of us, and many more of our politicians have neither.

When did we become so tolerant?

So tolerant of men (and women) of poor character and principles. Better yet, why do we continue to put up with their bullshit?  How many of you would characterize your elected representatives as men of high character and principle?  Okay, you can stop laughing now. Now, look in the mirror... we have no one to blame other than ourselves.

Now a comment yesterday really pissed me off.  I'm sick and tired of people trying to justify the actions of others that are quite obviously and inarguably wrong.  

22 USC 8422 clearly restricts assistance to

"the government of any country whose duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup or decree"

"Determining that you are not going to make a determination" is something that I would expect a petulant child to do,  not our elected and/or appointed government."

In Egypt tanks rolled, battalions marched, and the duly and democratically elected president was carted off in chains.  Now, if we feel that he wasn't duly elected, then it is the responsibility of our government NOT TO RECOGNIZE the Egyptian government.  If he was "duly elected" then it is the responsibility of our government not to LOOK THE OTHER WAY as the Egyptian military takes over.

Now I'm not saying we need to get involved at all,  what I am say is we need to act in accordance with our own principles and laws.

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. ~Abraham Lincoln

The tree is dead and we are left with nothing but the shadow. Until we start exhibiting character again we shall continue to be nothing but a shadow of our former selves.  

 

And don't think this post is about Egypt, it is about ourselves.