I am starting to have less time to blog, and I don't want to let The Dark Stuff fall by the wayside after all these years, so I am going to try and condense a few things and expand on others. I will try (emphasize try) to have a daily summary of articles I found interesting on the net, which will be called "On the Internets." There is no specific topic to the links. The rest of the stuff here should remain the same. So...
- Not sure if this is funny or scary. Apparently, being an American living in China can be pretty lucrative. You don't even have to do any real work. "Not long ago I was offered work as a quality-control expert with an American company in China I’d never heard of. No experience necessary—which was good, because I had none. I’d be paid $1,000 for a week, put up in a fancy hotel, and wined and dined in Dongying, an industrial city in Shandong province I’d also never heard of. The only requirements were a fair complexion and a suit."
- I have always seen the Tea Party "movement" as little more than the extreme edge of the Republican Party. Certainly, the GOP has tried to utilize the energy of the tea party people; and really, the "party-ers" still end up voting Republican anyway (and in the cases where they didn't, their candidate lost in the general). Why, then has the Republican Party spent nearly $2 million in primary contests against tea party candidates? And why do the tea party folks keep voting Republican?
- A top aide to Louisiana Senator David "whoremonger" Vitter (R) has resigned today after ABC News reported on his 2008 knife attack against his former girlfriend. Knife attack. He pleaded guilty in 2008. So, why would Vitter kept a top aide on his payroll for two years after he admitted he attacked a woman with a knife?
- Disgraced former GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff has a new job now that he is out of prison. He is working at a Kosher pizzeria in Baltimore.
- Besides the mere existence of President Obama, there is nothing wingnuts hate more than when Democrats - correctly - blame the previous administration for most of the mess we are in today. Here is a video of former President Bush rescinding the executive order banning deep water offshore drilling, and chastising Democrats for not supporting his "drill baby drill" plan circa 2005.
- According to Reuters, Google is planning on entering the music distribution business. The plan is to tie in a new downloading service to Google's massively popular search engine. This is now the second major challenge Google has made to Apple's current tech dominance.
- Republicans just can't stop defending BP! It seems that more and more of them simply reject the idea, out of hand, that BP should be financially responsible for the oil leak in the Gulf that THEY caused through their negligence. Arizona's Trent Franks (R) can now be added to that list, "...the president does not possess the power or authority to make such an arrogant command to a private company." So now it's "arrogant" to expect BP to pay for the damage they caused. Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-TX) compared President Obama to Hitler for the president's call for BP to set up an escrow fund to help compensate the victims of the oil leak in the Gulf. Again with the fucking Hitler comparisons!? When does this crap ever end from the right?
- If you think supporting BP rather than the people of the Gulf and the US tax payers is not official Republican Party policy, then think again. Republican House leader John Boehner has confirmed that Joe "I'm so sorry BP" Barton will retain his powerful post as the highest ranking Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee. There is no stronger endorsement of Barton's comments and attitudes than that.
- I am shocked. Literally. National Review editor Rich Lowry just praised President Obama for his handling of this McChrystal situation in Afghanistan, "I'm not sure how Obama could have handled this any better." While I agree with Lowry that McChrystal had to go, I do not agree with Obama's continuation of Bush's failed war in Afghanistan. I think it's about time we all acknowledge the basic fact that terrorism cannot be stopped with tens of thousands of troops occupying a country where terrorists once were.
- Public opinion on health care reform is on the upswing. According to the most recent Gallup poll, 49% of Americans support it, while 46% oppose.
- Lastly...just in case I haven't mentioned it, I absolutely hate soccer. The World Cup does nothing for me. Don't care. I'm with The Onion on this one.
2 comments:
You have completely missed the point with BP, Splash.
I too am absolutely appalled at Obama's shakedown of BP in his Al Sharpton-like mafia protection scheme. See my posting for specifics.
That being said, I think BP should absolutely be held responsible for every penny owed to restore the region to its pre-accident status.
The difference is that this ability already exists through current legal frameworks. Obama does not need to arbitrarily create new decrees to blackmail money out of BP.
By the way, is there a statute of limitations in how long Obama can blame Bush for everything? Especially considering that he is following many of the same Bush policies that created our economic mess, only more so?
I suggest switching from the Democrat Kool Aid to ice tea, my friend! :)
Sorry, Paine, but your point has zero merit. The current liability for an oil spill is capped at $75 million, which would not even begin to cover the real cost. Democrats in Congress have tried to raise that cap, yet Republicans have successfully blocked it. Any attempt to get more money from BP would have to be done by individual lawsuits or via a class action suit, and those cost a lot of money for the plaintiffs. It could take 10-15 years before it was resolved, which would bankrupt the Gulf Coast. That appears to be what conservatives want.
There was no "shakedown." BP had the option of saying no. All the president did was ask. BP made a smart move knowing the PR disaster they were enduring. This was a brilliant move for President Obama, as he got them to voluntarily give the money, and not have this thing dragged out for decades like the Exxon Valdez case.
I just don't understand the reflexive position you righties take to defend a company like BP.
This a positive for the Gulf coast and for the taxpayers, as under your concept of fairness, the taxpayers would be picking up the entire tab after $75 million.
Sorry, TP, but I care more about making Gulf residents whole, and less about BP's feelings.
RE: Bush...we have not even gotten close to the end of his responsibility for the current situation we are in. 2008 saw the biggest economic collapse in more than 70 years. Were we supposed to fully recover in 18 months? Following the worst president in US history - W - is a thankless task.
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