Family friendly!

How about this:

Republican Congressional Candidate Says 'Holocaust Never Happened'

Art Jones, who hopes to challenge Democrat Dan Lipinski in Illinois' 3rd Congressional District, neither denies nor repudiates his past affiliation with the neo-Nazi Party.

A congressional candidate running as a Republican in the upcoming Illinois primary says the “Holocaust never happened.”

Arthur Jones, 64, a Lyons, IL, insurance salesman who organizes family-friendly, neo-Nazi events around Adolf Hitler’s birthday, hopes to be the Republican candidate chosen to run against Democratic Congressman Dan Lipinski in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District.

“As far as I’m concerned, the Holocaust is nothing more than an international extortion racket by the Jews,” Jones said. “It’s the blackest lie in history. Millions of dollars are being made by Jews telling this tale of woe and misfortune in books, movies, plays and TV.

"The more survivors, the more lies that are told."

posted by Quiddity at 2/29/2012 08:08:00 PM

Glad that's cleared up:

David Brooks, writing about the Republican party:

In the 1960s and ’70s, the fight was between conservatives and moderates. Conservatives trounced the moderates and have driven them from the party.

Given that, we should expect Brooks to refrain from silly talk about Republicans being able to effectively reach out to the middle, which he has tended to do.


posted by Quiddity at 2/29/2012 05:11:00 AM

The 20th Republican debate:

There was something odd in the last debate where Ron Paul seemed to be ganging up on Santorum while not critiquing Romney. After all, from Paul's perspective, both candidates are too "big government". What gives?

No answer right now, but Think Progress reports Ron Paul Never Attacked Romney Once During 20 Debates, But Attacked Romney’s Rivals 39 Times.

You can at least say this: Ron Paul is not a principled libertarian. If he was, he'd have attacked Romney plenty of times by now. Instead, he's doing some of Romney's dirty work.


posted by Quiddity at 2/27/2012 07:39:00 AM

Not sure what to say about this:

On Friday, the Wyoming House of Representatives advanced a bill to set up a task force to prepare for the total economic and political collapse of the United States. Per the bill, the panel would investigate things like food storage options and metals-based currencies, to be implemented in the event of a major catastrophe.

Then it goes three steps further. An amendment by the bill's GOP sponsor, state Rep. David Miller, calls on the task force to examine "Conditions under which the state of Wyoming should implement a draft, raise a standing army, marine corps, navy and air force and acquire strike aircraft and an aircraft carrier." As Miller explained to the Casper Star-Tribune, "Things happen quickly sometimes."

posted by Quiddity at 2/27/2012 07:33:00 AM

Two good political articles at New York Magazine:

A 6,200 word essay by John Heilmann, The Lost Party, about the 2012 Presidential nomination race.

A 3,300 word essay by Jonathan Chait, 2012 or Never, about the Republicans' overall prospects going forward.


posted by Quiddity at 2/27/2012 06:49:00 AM

Facebook making our lives better:

From Yahoo (warning, autoplay video):

Take the case of Minnesota man Aaron Olson. His uncle, Randall LaBrie, posted some pictures (which have yet to surface publicly or online for us to find and post here) from Olson's childhood of him in front of the Christmas tree accompanied by some less than flattering captions. When Olson became aware of the photos, he asked his uncle to take them down. Instead, LaBrie just untagged the photos and allegedly told his nephew that if he did not like the photos, "he should stay off Facebook." So, Olson sued LaBrie for harassment. Not surprisingly, a Minnesota court threw the case out, with Judge Natalie E. Hudson ruling that in order for the photos to be considered harassment, they must have a "substantial adverse effect on the safety, security, or privacy of another." Also, earlier in the week, the Court of Appeals of Minnesota denied Olson's complaint.

How about Yahoo saying lamenting the fact that the pictures "have yet to surface publicly or online for us to find and post here"?

So, you can take pictures of children who have no idea what's going on or the ability to stop it, and put them out there for all the world to see.

Chicken or egg? Is Facebook responsible for the erosion of privacy, or had the erosion of privacy gotten to the point where a Facebook thrives?


posted by Quiddity at 2/23/2012 03:46:00 AM

Shorter Rick Santorum:

I'd rather be right than be president.

posted by Quiddity at 2/21/2012 03:34:00 PM

Dismal economics post:

First off, last week Apple announced that its workers in China would be getting an increase in pay, up to $400 a month, or a 25% increase.

That comes to $2.50 an hour (up from $2.00/hr). And people in developed countries are expected to compete with that?

Basically, the twin engines of conservative and neoliberal economics - expressed mostly through free trade policies - has done enormous damage to the middle and lower classes. On that score, Thomas B. Edsall has a long op-ed in the New York Times, Is This the End of Market Democracy?    (Meaning a healthy democracy within a market economy.)

Short answer is Yes. He covers a lot of territory, but here's an excerpt towards the end:

Overall, [global trade advocate (!) David] Autor has found that the combination of three trends — automation; the emergence of a trade-based international labor force; and the movement of jobs offshore — has polarized the job market. There is growth at the high and low ends, but the middle collapses:

Concretely, employment and earnings are rising in both high education professional, technical and managerial occupations and, since the late 1980s, in low-education food service, personal care and protective service occupations. Conversely, job opportunities are declining in both middle-skill, white collar clerical, administrative, and sales occupations and in middle-skill, blue-collar production, craft and operative occupations.

posted by Quiddity at 2/20/2012 01:59:00 AM

This just in:

Fox News' affiliate, Fox Nation, breathlessly announces:

100% of Catholic Bishops Oppose Contraceptive Mandate

100%!

Who would have guessed?


posted by Quiddity at 2/18/2012 04:30:00 PM

Finally!

A report comes out which disputes the wisdom of this obnoxious practice:

Should 9-1-1 Calls be Broadcast on TV?

Sometimes when the TV is left on after the news goes off, you pick up a piece of information that can become a story. That’s what happened this morning when the doctors from “The Doctors,” a syndicated show seen in New York on WCBS at 9am, made a bold declaration that the broadcasting of 9-1-1 calls should not be allowed.

“We’re gonna take a stand here on our show and say that, unequivocally, we do not feel as physicians that 9-1-1 calls should be sent out to be broadcast,” said lead “Doctors” Dr. Travis Stork.

That is heresy to TV news producers and reporters who will tell you their stories are made much better and more whole, not to mention more dramatic, with the urgency a 9-1-1 call provides.

“The Doctors” were discussing the case of Demi Moore and the 9-1-1 call that resulted in her being rushed to the hospital last month. Dr. Stork argues that as soon as someone calls 9-1-1, they are a patient and that doctor-patient confidentiality should kick in. “We are going to urge that congress takes this up,” said Stork.

What was not discussed was how the broadcasting of 9-1-1 calls can be a wake-up call for operators who don’t heed a caller’s warning soon enough. The most recent example of that made national headlines last week.

On Sunday Feb. 5, David Lovrak had taken an urgent call from Elizabeth Griffin-Hall the caseworker assigned to the case of Josh Powell and his two sons.

Griffin-Harris called Pierce County, WA 9-1-1 at 12:08 p.m. Five minutes later, information from that call was transferred to the radio dispatcher. At 12:16, two deputies were sent to the scene. The first unit arrived at 12:30 but by then Josh Powell had set his home on fire and killed his two young sons and himself.

Lovrak, a veteran 9-1-1 operator later told “Dateline NBC” he was “clumsy and faltering” on the call. “Realizing what we all know now, I wish I had recognized the urgency of the situation.”

This was followed by an online poll - which is not worth much - that had the following results:

Should 9-1-1 Calls be Broadcast on TV?

Yes, it's in the public interest 44.83%

No, it's a private matter 55.17%

The reporter's argument that broadcasting 911 calls is meritorious because they can become a "wake-up call" for other operators is a joke. If a 911 call can be instructive, make it a part of operators' training. Don't broadcast it on television (or radio).

It's pure sensationalism to broadcast the calls, which is why news outlets love to do it. But that's not a justifiable reason.

After the story, there were these comments:

Joe
I've never thought 911 calls should be made public. Medical records are confidential, and I consider a 911 call to be a part of a patient's medical record. In the case of celebrities, a 911 call might NOT be made for fear the recording would be made public.

Nathan Schimpf
911 calls create lazy reporting, in my opinion. Instead of digging for a good idea of where the story is right after the breaking of a story (respectfully, of course), too many news orgs just wait out the 911 call and hype it up to an extreme and call that "reporting". They never add anything to a report except stating the obvious that there's a situation of panic. It also puts 911 operators in the uncomfortable position of having to stick to a script because they're afraid of becoming highlighted as someone like the "pot brownie cop" idiot or can't have any skepticism whatsoever about the honesty of the caller, lest Supreme Judger Nancy Grace level a request they be fired.

bringbackobjectivity
All the electronic media is doing is satisfying the purient interest of their viewers/listeners in a grab for ratings. The more dramatic they can make it the better. The 911 call has no bearing on the who, what, when, why and how. EXCEPT if the 911 operator in the central part of the story due to lack of common sense or malfesence.

highseas
The News Media loves it! Bur it's wrong and a violation of individual privacy. All calls related to tragedies should be reviewed by professionals in law enforcement and local government as an ongoing training process. The public has no reason to hear these calls.

How would the journalists who expose personal issues of citizens like their personal lives being always open as part of their chosen profession?

Chuck Tonini
As a 911 operator, I am unsure as to how releasing a call to the public does any good at all. We've never made our calls public and will only do so if ordered by a court. People trust us to keep their information confidential and releasing 911 calls to the public is a disservice the very citizens we serve.

Paul Tatara
I've always been offended by it, and immediately mute the sound when they're going to play one. It's a total invasion of privacy that's used for no other purpose than to "excite" the viewer. I actually knew River Phoenix, and it's hellish to hear a desperate call concerning someone you know playing out on TV for others' enjoyment. It's sick, so I can understand why so many Americans find it acceptable.

KamaTimbrell
Does anyone really believe 911 operators aren't aware that people's lives may be in their hands?

Rob Medich
911 recordings should only be broadcast if they're used as evidence in a court of law.

Regarding commenter Paul Tatara's remarks about River Phoenix. That 911 call was played back by Howard Stern while he (Stern) was making jokes about the police not responding promptly because they were busy eating donuts. Great fun with a tragedy. Laughs all around.


posted by Quiddity at 2/17/2012 04:13:00 AM

Not sure what to say about this Limbaugh feature:




posted by Quiddity at 2/14/2012 12:23:00 AM

CBS Evening News continues to promote consumerism:

On the Sunday CBS Evening News, there was a short segment about a survey that forecasts Valentine's Day purchases.

$126 per person!

Up 8.5% from 2010!

No source for these figures was stated out loud. Instead, at the bottom of the graphic in very tiny letters was:

SOURCE: NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION

Here's a screenshot:


That's the outfit that consistently hypes sales figures (especially around "Black Friday").

Go out and spend! After all, everybody else is going to.


posted by Quiddity at 2/12/2012 07:04:00 PM

A look into the mind of some Ron Paul followers:

Dave Weigel has a post about Paul getting more delegates than expected from the recent caucuses. Part of this has to do with the greater enthusiasm of Paul supporters. Of interest is the comment section of Weigel's post which has several choice entries, including one single 750-word paragraph (!) that is a sterling example of where they are coming from.

Oh, what the hell. Here it is, from someone who's handle is Representative Government:

I strongly urge people on here who believe that people who are voting for Ron Paul at the primaries understands that we are not just doing it because hes a messiah whom we follow. That is a collectivists trait who disregards historical and philosophical logic to maintain themselves under the auspice of a branded logo who has too dislodge themselves from their own instincts to fit in. When you can make differences everyday where most fail to see it it becomes easy not to put all your heart into some savior as you will become your own voice. No man will let me down as no man has the power to do so. Ron Paul just happens to represent the rule of law, Separation of powers, checks and balances, the constitution interpreted by the founders, and we just happen to find solidarity with him in those regards. Why would so many people care about something when its deemed a lost cause everyday by the mainstream media? How is it these numbers grow without the capstone aggregate in their corner? This is due diligence and substantive none biased research. We see that learning history and taking it too heart along with internal discernment as being paramount for yours and our own protection. We apply surface area to what the school history books generalized with topical names and dates that was passed on to the media by consent. Historical consequences that so many disregard while they ask where the wealth has gone. It lays in the hands of the interests who have already subverted you long ago through the media, education, consumer industry and many other modes of influence they have consolidated for their own use. History unequivocally tells us this. So its up to you to decide if MSNBC, Fox News, ABC, CNN who are owned by the same Industrialist families who got together in 1915 to buy out the top 25 news aggregates in the name of preparedness in ww1 to sway public discourse whether you believe them. But they fill you with self fulling talking points we disregard because we have no master but our creator we have allegiance too and nothing else. We will fight to the end for your freedoms so that ours remains unscathed. We don't care about national polls or sentiment because it means not. Choosing the lesser of two evils in any decisions we make is a loss for ourselves and for the ones around us no matter how we dress a lie. When we are built on a foundation of lies truth becomes suspect as we can no longer identify with it. So illusory promises and compromise on two bad ideas becomes a necessity for most while remains never an option for a few. When it comes to the caucus people who are politically inclined should be able to have a voice especially if they were voted to do so. Resolutions, and platforms can be pushed apart from just presidential delegates. Why should we get rid of something that puts state politicians and national candidates feet to the fire that gives motivated people a voice? Destroy the process and destroy your own voice and we will get unabated mediocrity more then we are already inflicted with. More status quo is the answer for the ones on the team who joined for the trendiness and aggregated positive perception by the industrialist run media for their industrialist run politicians. In this regard change for the better is an impossibility when the ones who have the systematic controls of wealth also own the candidates. So they will just tax you on both sides and leave you with the derivatives scheme that you don't owe because the banks write the legislation who fund all but a few candidates who remain antithetical to their disposition in the ruling class. So we pay for their wars, Bailouts, subsidies, and exemptions on an industrialist level with no return because we are seduced on both sides to compromise between one banker bill and another while the mainstream media tells you how smart you are for picking a team like a football game. Its baseless and everyone one loses. Would be wise to see past the marginalization, character assassination, and generalization the mainstream media aggregate feeds to you through the top down industrialist owned media. Oil companies, Currency controllers, and war profiteers stand to lose a whole lot of power with a politically inclined people none responsive to their political media gadgets.

posted by Quiddity at 2/10/2012 08:59:00 AM

Is this helping?

Donald Trump sits down with CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield to discuss GOP candidates for president as well as what position he would want in Mitt Romney’s cabinet.

link


posted by Quiddity at 2/08/2012 08:24:00 AM

New York Times takes baby steps towards fact checking:

It's a start. Story:

Cardinal Egan Criticized for Retracting Apology on Sexual Abuse Crisis

In 2002, at the height of the outcry over the sexual abuse of minors by Roman Catholic priests, the Archbishop of New York, Edward M. Egan, issued a letter to be read at Mass. In it, he offered an apology about the church’s handling of sex-abuse cases in New York and in Bridgeport, Conn. (...)

In a interview with Connecticut magazine published on the magazine’s Web site last week, a surprisingly frank Cardinal Egan said of the apology, “I never should have said that,” and added, “I don’t think we did anything wrong.”

He said many more things in the interview, some of them seemingly at odds with the facts. He repeatedly denied that any sex abuse had occurred on his watch in Bridgeport. He said that even now, the church in Connecticut had no obligation to report sexual abuse accusations to the authorities. (A law on the books since the 1970s says otherwise.) And he described the Bridgeport diocese’s handling of sex-abuse cases as “incredibly good.”

posted by Quiddity at 2/08/2012 08:10:00 AM

David Frum reviews Charles Murray's latest book:

Murray tries to make the claim that "bad" social changes - originating in the 1960's - is why there are so many problems today with the lower middle class and the poor. This is an argument David Brooks likes because it distracts from economic realities and the affairs of the top .1%, in addition to being lightweight social analysis (a Brooks specialty).

Frum disagrees and has this to say:

America became more culturally stable between 1910 and 1960 as it became less economically and socially libertarian. As it became more economically and socially libertarian after 1970, America became culturally less stable: [And then quotes from one of his (Frum's) books]

"The greatest generation was also the statist generation. Like them or loathe them, the middle decades of the twentieth century were an entirely anomalous period in American history. Never had the state been so strong, never had people submitted as uncomplainingly, never had the country been more economically equal, never had it been more ethnically homogeneous, seldom was its political consensus more overpowering."

posted by Quiddity at 2/07/2012 11:39:00 PM

On 7 February 2012, the Republican race for the nomination officially became interesting:

It was reported, but not emphasized enough, that Romney spent a hell of a lot of money in Florida to nip conservative discontent with him in the but. He succeeded there, but the results from Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado - all going strongly for Santorum - show that Romney still has serious headwinds to battle.


posted by Quiddity at 2/07/2012 10:04:00 PM

Obama on the "shortage" of high-tech workers in America:

“what industry tells me is that they don’t have enough (domestic) highly skilled engineers”

“the word that we’re getting is that somebody (a domestic engineer) in a high-tech field should be able to find something right away”

Dave Sirota disagrees (and writes about other trends unhelpful to high-tech labor).

Interesting that Obama couches his response with "what industry tells me" and "the word that we're getting". That's weasel-speak, the words you hear from a Wall Street Democrat.


posted by Quiddity at 2/06/2012 08:10:00 AM

Sean Hannity today:

"I think Jesus had contempt for the tax collectors"

That's how you get a self-proclaimed Christian audience to embrace Republican policies.


posted by Quiddity at 2/03/2012 02:38:00 PM