One guy steals $50 Billion

Is it possible for one individual to completely destroy American's faith in capitalist financial markets? Check out this story.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/business/12scheme.html?hp

One guy accused of defrauding his clients out of $50 billion dollars. One guy. $50 Billion dollars is more than the GDP of dozens of countries in the world. And one guy stole it.

It's just unbelievable. Congress won't bail out automakers, but finance folks continue to get cash, even while these assholes are in charge of things. Just incredible.

"Senior officials authorized torture", so says the Senate

Well, the Senate has done their job. When's the last time you heard that? Senate Armed Services finally realized their report about "abusive techniques" (i.e. torture) that the US used, and the results aren't a surprise. Bi partisan agreement that we screwed up badly:

“Attempts by senior officials to pass the buck to low-ranking soldiers while avoiding any responsibility for abuses are unconscionable,” Levin said. “The message from top officials was clear: It was acceptable to use degrading and abusive techniques against detainees.”

McCain said, “The committee’s report details the inexcusable link between abusive interrogation techniques used by our enemies who ignored the Geneva Conventions and interrogation policy for detainees in U.S. custody. These policies are wrong and must never be repeated.”

So now the question is: who, if anybody, are we going to prosecute for this? Allowing only lower ranking service members or CIA agents to take the fall for this would be a disgrace. And now that Obama is president, we don't have to tolerate "disgraces" any more, do we?

Not only is this super cool, there's a mellow soundtrack to lighten your day.

Whales Blowing Bubble Rings @ Yahoo! Video

That *&^%$ Illinois governor

This guy is priceless. Check out what Rod Pop-off-a-vitch says about Barack Obama in the wiretap transcript:

c. ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherfucker [the President-elect] his senator. Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him.”

It is funny watching Republicans try to link Obama to this guy, at the same time that the guy himself is cursing Obama for wanting him to walk a straight line. Fucking priceless. Oops, sorry! Rod makes it sound so normal....

Jane Mayer

...author of "The Dark Side", should really win a Pulitzer or something for the work she did on this book. It's very, very good, and I've recommended it to lots of people, and even given away a couple of copies.

If you want to see how the US recently lost it's soul, then read it. Here's a good review.

Unnecessary censorship

Care of Jimmy Kimmel. Pretty funny.

Who we are

Coming up early in the next Obama administration: a heavy weight matchup of good vs. evil

In this corner, weighing in at a scrawny 125 with suspicious face-lift scars: William Kristol, who will argue the point that being an American doesn't necessarily mean that you believe in anything, much less the rule of law, or a quaint, antiquated document like the Constitution. To prove his point, he argues that Bush should pardon torturers before he leaves office, and while you're at it, give some of them medals. Ugh.

His opponent, all thinking human beings and most land mammals. This includes Andrew Sullivan, who convincingly argues that if we have any hope of retaining our soul, or our moral authority in the world, we're going to have to at least shine the light on our torture activities, and come clean about them.

This will be a sleeper issue, right up until February. Clinton had gays in the military, Obama will have the torture wars, and people will line up like you would expect. Republicans love it, Democrats hate it, and voila! We've found our new latest wedge issue.

China tortures people? What a tragedy

Read this article, and see if you can find one ounce of daylight between China and the US with regards to human rights. This is what the Bush administration has brought us to. We are effectively peers with China on human rights.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/world/asia/25china.html?_r=1

White House Staff: Primer

A fun quick read, advice to incoming White House staffers. Which everybody wants to be these days.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/21/AR2008112102687_pf.html

Rahm-bo

Obama needs at least one guy like this in the White House. If for no other reason, than to slap stupid Democrats around when they need it.

Clawing to the top

From an article talking about the Obama transition, and all the Democrats who are lining up trying to get good jobs:

Trust me, the DC area is a hard place to live and raise a family. The people who put in the years on that one truly have sacrificed for the chance/cause, because it is an environment that's almost completely charmless and full of daily tension.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Ivies

Great quote from David Brooks, making a joke about all the Ivy Leaguers in the Obama inner circle.

If a foreign enemy attacks the United States during the Harvard-Yale game any time over the next four years, we’re screwed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/opinion/21brooks.html

More importantly, he gives Obama an enormous amount of praise for the team choices that he has made so far. All look like good signs of things to come.

Guess who's back, back again, shady's back, tell a friend

Hello fans! (both of you) I'm back from vacation and lots has changed in the world. Most importantly, I had a birthday! And oh yeah, some black guy got elected president.

As you know, this blog endorsed Barack Obama, and I couldn't be happier. Plus, this means that all my bets on the Iowa Election Market paid off. Since March, I've had a better than 50% return on my investment in Obama futures, since he won both the primary and the general election. That's slightly better than what the stock market has done in the same time frame.

More news from me as soon as I find something interesting to talk about.

Palin is dumb as a rock, and that's news how?

She couldn't name the NAFTA countries, and she didn't know that Africa is a continent. And the Republicans almost made her vice president. I hope they continue to be the party of "stupid", I think that will work out well for me. What other hobby could be more fun than sneering down your nose at these fools?

South park post election show