Job, Holder

BTW: Priceless comment below the fold of the Newsweek story.

Posted By: olearya (November 18, 2008 at 4:06 PM)

Where was he born again!!!

Answer: Hawaii. It was in the papers. Perhaps you saw it, but forgot about it for a second there. So, allow me to refresh your memory. He was born in Hawaii, you drooling moron.

@chicago bureau:

The mouth-breathers are beside thmselves, still, and shall be for, oh, I think, at least 20 years. Maybe thirty, if the pork rind don’t get ’em.

I eat their pain like candy. Delicious, delicious candy.

I thought top administration jobs only went to those who betrayed the Uni during the campaign.

redmanlaw: Well, there is the Hillary connection with the Marc Rich pardon.

Anywho, even the finely roasted nuts at Conservapedia — home of the Halal Whopper (they really do think he’s going to swear an oath on the Quran — how cute) — give a curt putdown of the whole birth certificate deal… which is awesome in its own way:

The state of Hawaii announced that the document is legitimate and official. Since the state of Hawaii is the issuing body they have ultimate authority with regards to the matter. If states are no longer regarded as a valid authority on citizenship of those born within them then no one is eligible for President because no one can prove that they are natural born citizens.

So they made a choice. They can either (a) continue supporting the idea that Barry’s a non-citizen or (b) give up on states rights, immigration, abortion and God knows what else. And so they give the whole birth certificate idea the boot. So: kudos, Conservapedia! (Ish.)

Oh man, if that’s true the chattering classes out here are going to shit themselves because they were so sure it was going to be Janet.

@chicago bureau: I’ve been ignoring it because I’m tired of the issue (all I do these days is ignore things…), but Alan Keyes filed suit in California to deprive Barry of our electoral votes because he’s a furriner.

Oh, and you thought Acorn was gonna be the qualification issue moving forward?

Off-subject, I signed up Stinque for the Amazon kickback program yesterday. If you click the Amazon link in the right column and buy something (not just the featured items), the hamsters get some pellets.

@nojo: Mmmm … pellets.

Holder came and talked to us when I was in law school – impressive guy.

@nojo:

Ooh, done and done. I buy all my Christmas gifts through Amazon…do you get pellets according to the amount of the sale, or is it through clickthrough?

@Jamie Sommers: Homers, like the guys here for Beel Reechardson.

@ Nojo – I hit Nicholas Potter Books down the street from me and got some gently used vintage books on flyfishing for two of my brothers for Christmas. I’ll use my $50 amazon birthday gift card through the site, though. “Here, hamster, Heeere, hamster!”

Holder is the real deal. Excellent pick by Obama.

NBC is confirming: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27790061

Skinny Black man beats the white woman with cankles again!

@Tommmcatt Yet Again: 4% of purchases for the first seven “referrals”, then it starts inching up. You only need to click when you’re about to buy something — we get our cut when you slap down the plastic.

(Alas, Amazon won’t let me use it myself, and I have some major software upgrades coming up…)

Oh please, he is only picking him because HE’S BLAAAAAAAACK!!!!

@nojo: @Jamie Sommers: So that’s where Ron Glass went . . .

@nojo: If the featured items reveal anything, Prommie has been stocking up on Enya releases.

@nabisco: The featured items are context-dependent, so we still get the amusement value of what Amazon determines to be relevant.

I also put my thumb on the scale to prioritize “politics” (Amazon has a nice system). Not sure whether that applies to Planet of the Apes or TV Funhouse.

@redmanlaw: OMG, nailed it!

@nojo: I will attempt to help the cause of keeping the hamsters alive; however, some of my Festival of the Flying Spaghetti Monster shopping may have to be done at Goodwill thanks to Paulson, Caligutard, et. al.

@nojo: Really, because I think I really do need an electric wine opener to go with the new David Cook (who?) release.
@rptrcub: Nabisco household, Dec. 08: “wow, a used t-shirt, thanks Dad!”

“That’s not a t-shirt, that’s a collectible, boy.”

@nojo: This is perfect because the only people I will be buying for this year — my niece and nephew, my godsons, Mr Cyn’s son — will all get books from Amazon, as usual. Aunt Cynica can’t be bothered with shopping and standing in line at the post office. I’ve done all my gift shopping at Amazon since 1996. For several years, I got Xmas gifts from them (coffee mugs).

@Mistress Cynica:
Amazon is the best for Xmas.

Fortunately, most of the people I give gifts to are avid readers so it saves me a lot of grief.

I hate mall shopping at Xmas time which is why most of my shopping is already done.

They can still hire Spitzer as an associate AG or something just to bite guys on Wall Street on the throat. Give him a bag of socks and an office with a mattress on the floor and he’ll be happy.

@homofascist: The Blacks and Jews are taking over!! Abner, get the shotgun and hide the women!!

SORRY ALL, BUT –

Working for a Chamber of Commerce in a neighborhood comprised almost entirely of small, independent businesses (a rarity I know) and on the forefront of the local business advocacy movement, I am morally and legally obligated to make a pitch to support locally owned, independent businesses this holiday season. All retailers are incredibly worried about this year, and if we don’t make an extra effort to support the businesses that we like having around our towns and neighborhoods for the service and sense of uniqueness that they provide, then many of them will not survive. I know money is tight for everyone, but most of these places do offer affordable gift ideas.

SORRY AGAIN. SOAPBOX: OFF.

Turns out that Holder is an apologist for neocon-sponsored death squads.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=405×9608

He got Chiquita execs off with a hand slap for paying $1.7 million to rightwing death squads in Colombia, to slaughter 4,000 union leaders and workers.

For fucking Attorney General!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-kovalik/lawyer-for-ch…

Obama might as well appoint Albert Gonzales as A.G. That’s what Holder and Gonzales do for a living–they get big powerful, multi-millionaire white men immunity for mass murder of the poor and the brown.

I was willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt on the appointment of Rahm Emmanuel as WH chief of staff–at least until we see who he wants as DNC chair (if Dean is leaving that position). Emmanuel is the DLC politico who went round dropping cash on pro-war Democrats, to defeat anti-war Democrats and real leftists (majorityists) in the ’06 primaries. He is as responsible as Pelosi and Reid for Congress’ 10% approval rating (worse than Bush!). This is to be Obama’s “gatekeeper”–a powerful DLCer who hates the grass roots and the 70% majority of Americans opposed to the Iraq War, and likely would have done anything in his power to prevent Obama from getting the nomination? Yup! Him. Chief of staff.

But on the other hand, it may be a brilliant appointment. We don’t know yet. Clearly, Obama had to make a deal with the Clinton/DLC faction of the leadership, to get the corpo/fascist vendors of ‘TRADE SECRET’ voting machines, and the corpo/fascist media, to back off and let him win. I understand what Obama’s dealing with. I am not naive. And why not have your chief enemy in the Democratic Party close at hand, and on a tight leash, obliged to implement your legislative agenda? Benefit of the doubt, anyway. If Emmanuel gets the job done for Obama, maybe we can forgive his support for a million innocent people slaughtered in Iraq as a quirk in his character.

Sorry. I mean this. Obama has to work with a largely corpo/fascist Congress, made that way in no small part by Rahm Emmanuel. Emmanuel knows who they are. Maybe he can whip them into shape on Obama’s behalf. And I was thinking, too, that, ok, Obama gets the left all riled up and pissed off over this appointment–making the DLC’s boy WH chief of staff–so he can do something else that is more important. We don’t know the full picture yet. It’s only day 4 and he’s not even president yet. And he’s got the Bush Cartel to worry about.

But this…this is unspeakable! With all the attorneys in this country who are righteous defenders of civil rights, who devote their lives to good causes, who are smart and dedicated and for the people, he can’t find someone better than Chiquita Banana’s death squad attorney for A.G.? A man who might as well be a mafia attorney. A man with utter contempt for the law when it comes to killing union leaders and uppity workers–especially the brown kind. They count for nothing to shits like Eric Holder.

This is worse than Emmanuel, the DLC and the Iraq War, because of the POSITION–chief law enforcement officer of the U.S. What can we expect from such an A.G.? Two things, at least: Protection of Bush war criminals, and protection of global corporate predators of every kind, when they kill and oppress the little, unimportant people who get in their way. It also may signal the victory of the Clintonites/Bushites, within the Obama camp, on rewarding the horrors in Colombia with a “free trade” deal (that is, rewarding the rich fascists, drug traffickers and death squadders who run Colombia), and on demonizing and trying to topple the democratic leaders of the rest of the continent–particularly Chavez (Venezuela), Morales (Bolivia) and Correa (Ecuador), who control much of South America’s oil and are using the profits to benefit the poor.

It raises the gravest question about Obama Latin American foreign policy: Is he going to repeat the mistakes of the last two hundred years, and the horrors of the Reagan and Bush regimes, and try to bludgeon Latin America–and particularly South America–into submission? Is he going to defy the peaceful, democratic aspirations of the poor majority, which are finally being realized on the most of the continent, but notably not in Colombia? Does he have no understanding of the bleak irony that this hideous, fascist regime in Colombia is virtually the only U.S. ally on the continent?

Obama certainly articulated a rather full-on “manifest destiny” outlook, with regard to Latin America, in his speech to the anti-Castro mafia in Miami, in May. But it had some hints that he might pursue restoring U.S. corpo dominance more peacefully than the bloodthirsty Reaganites and Bushwhacks. I don’t have any illusions about Obama on this score. I voted for him despite his utter failure to understand the democracy revolution in South America (quickly moving into Central America). Latin American foreign policy is his most serious failure, as a leftist, as a thinker and as an educated man. But he is a learner–open-minded, welcoming toward dissenting views. And I had hope.

As Emily Dickinson has said, “Hope is a thing with feathers.” Light, airy, will-o-the-wisp, easy to blow away. Beautiful, but so fragile.

This floater–Eric Holder as A.G.–is like a high-powered rifle blast to the little bird of hope that I had on Obama and Latin America. There isn’t much left of the poor thing. A few bits of bird bone and feathers falling, falling to the ground, as I try to hope that it isn’t true. That it’s just a rumor. That they might (or somebody might) float such a thing for various reasons, but that Obama couldn’t possibly be serious.

Of all the attorneys in the U.S…..

@Jamie Sommers: We don’t want the Arizona Lt Gov running the show for two years, that was poor Janet Nappy’s problem. Besides, wait two years and maybe another woman from Arizona will join SCOTUS.

@FlyingChainSaw: Up until now, I have been thinking that if you want people with executive branch, US president type executive branch, experience, the Clinton hands are the only game in town. And I have been wishfully thinking that he does not want a learning curve in the first 100 days when he wants to push some things through, ya know? He seems to be going with people who, though ideologically sketchy, from a liberal-progressive point of view, have nevertheless established some reputation for sheer competence, aggressive people who get things done. He has a period of time before the fickle public swings and blames the Bush mess he inherited on him, and I am still wishfully thinking he is determined to have experienced people who will not have to learn the ropes, who have been through the worst that the republicans and the corporate media and the shitbag Congress can do, and can hit the ground running fast; that seems to define Rahm, anyway. There is nowhere for someone seeking democrats who are experienced and tested in the fire than to Clinton’s people. I am still wishfully thinking he is doing this because he wants experience and will take that over ideological purity, because he plans to hit the ground running and push hard early.

I hopes.

@Promnight: Hey, how was the octopus last night?

I mean, does anyone want Kucinich in the cabinet? I would myself take competent and effective center democrats over pathetic, joke-like progressives, right now, there is hard work to be done, quickly, just to bring us 1/4th of the way back from where Bush has taken us, fascism-wise.

@SanFranLefty: Last nights was OK. But tonight’s was fantastic. I poached about 3/4 of a pound last night, and then sliced and cooked half of it scampi-style, with a couple of scallops in it too. I sliced it kinda thick last night, about 1/8th of an inch, and I loved it, but must admit it was tough.

Tonight, I took the rest and sliced it razor-thin, to make a salad of it. Added finely diced fennel, red onions, celery, very very finely diced fresh jalapenos, chopped french picoline olives, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil, and fresh parsely and oregano, sliced, chiffonade style.

It was way way way fantastic.

@Promnight: Sounds amazing.
What’s in season in your neck of the woods in January? Because I plan on inviting myself and the JNOVs and the Nabiscos and any other Stinquers over to your place for dinner en route to the UnicornFest in DC. Consider yourself warned.

@SanFranLefty: I consider myself promised. Whats in season in the winter? Mostly shellfish and crustaceans, lobster, scallops, clams, and some fish, cod, whiting, monkfish, sounds like bouillabaise, huh? I would love to make a huge batch of that. Yes, come. yes, oh yes, come.

SFL, and Nojo, is there a way to make the inaugural planning thread sticky, so it stays on the first page? Or make a permanent link to it on the first page?

Forecasts now are for horrendous crowds, gridlock, starvation, people reverting to a state of savagery and cannibalism to survive. Apocalyptic scenes of mass orgies, people dancing in the light of bonfires. I need to be there.

@Promnight: Look at the top right corner of the page, sugarplum.

@Promnight: It’s already there under the “Special Events” heading, just above “Recent Comments.” Nojo thinks of everything.

@Promnight: This is a completely false obligatory dichotomy. We either run with the fascists to defeat the fascists or we hire on weak incompetent idealogues who will lead us to catastrophe. In this specific instance, with crimes against humanity yet to be levied, it is important that the AG have the kind of moral outrage that would inspire him to find the bad guys, prosecute and convict them, grab them by their hair and empty the magazine into their faces on national television. Will you feel all warm and fuzzy that justice has been done when Holder shows up and announces that the torture and dismemberment of Gitmo prisoners and subsequent brokerage of their internal organs by subsidiaries of KBR was ‘unfortunate’ but that ‘bad things happen’ in a time of war? There are any number of fine judges and public sector attorneys general out there with the tools and the will. Why park a neocon apologist for death squads in the job?

@Promnight: You have the pound the living daylights out of it to make it palatable. Like really tough cuts of steak you have to hammer silly to make tender enough to put a knife through.

@FlyingChainSaw: I am sadly pragmatic enough to feel that pursuing criminal charges and retribution would be a disaster, would disgust the public that wants to move on, would distract from needed action, would energize the yahoos. Its kinda like, “the house is on fire, do we put the fire out, or start an inquest into who started it?” Repudiation of, reversal of, their policies, fixing the shitpile they made of government, I am sad to say, would be my first priority, if I were Obama.

@FlyingChainSaw: I have read all the conflicting sources on how to treat octopus, I have tried the pounding, but lately I have read many sources espousing a long slow simmer, in water, they say that it softens, and you know its done the way you know a boiled potato is done. The tipping point for me was a serious sushi text that adocated this. Sushi chefs are the best at what they do, so I tried it, It worked well, I think, and I am convinced I did not go far enough, did not poach it long enough, I am going to try this method again, and poach it for a longer time. I will let you know. Its gonna be tough, no matter what. I would like to try putting it through one of those machines they use on the beef, those whatchamacallit steaks that are all perforated?

Holder v Bush on War on Terror Tactics

November 18, 2008 9:21 PM

In June, former deputy attorney general Eric Holder gave a speech to the American Constitution Society (ACS) in which he blasted the Bush Administration’s tactics in the war on terror, saying the nation needed to reverse “the disastrous course” set by the Bush administration.

“We have quite frankly lost our way,” Holder said, calling for the U.S. to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay (“an international embarrassment”); declare that it is the law, policy and practice that the U.S. does not torture people or subject them to cruel or inhumane treatment; end the practice of rendition; and stop any warrantless domestic surveillance.

“Our needlessly abusive and unlawful practices in the ‘War on Terror’ have diminished our standing in the world community and made us less, rather than more, safe,” Holder said. “For the sake of our safety and security, and because it is the right thing to do, the next president must move immediately to reclaim America’s standing in the world as a nation that cherishes and protects individual freedom and basic human rights.”

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/11/holder-…

@Promnight: Mine, too. I think the charges could be pursued without a great deal of manpower and would not distract the larger government from its remedial chores. Key would be getting the opening shots right – getting all the backup tapes and media form the RNC’s ISP in Tennessee, etc. and corner the right collaborators to turn them as witnesses. He’ll have days to get it right. Obama’s AG could play this case almost in the background and pick off GOP operatives slowly over a four- to seven-year time frame, keep the RNC terrorized while staying silent, of course, about the long term goals of the program: strapping Cheney and his sidekick to a gurney in Huntsville. I don’t think fixing the mess and prosecuting the guilty are necessarily mutually exclusive aims.

@Promnight: What kind of mallet are you using?

@Promnight: Cute. He claims he’d close them but he mentions nothing about putting Cheney and Bush on a scaffold with a nice short piece of rope.

@FlyingChainSaw: That’s not going to happen. He’s a moderate Democrat. Holder will do a competent job running the Justice Dept and won’t authorize arguments in the Supreme Court that will make us want to puke. In general.

@Dodgerblue: You can be a moderate Democrat and have an interest in seeing mass murderers meet justice.

@homofascist: See my 5:32 post, ese.

@FlyingChainSaw: “With all the attorneys in this country who are righteous defenders of civil rights, who devote their lives to good causes, who are smart and dedicated . . . “ I was actually thinking about this at lunch while reveling in the stinque of working politicos and enjoying my venison sausage on brioche two doors down from the Capitol/Bill Richardson World HQ. I was listing to my compadres list the sorry bunch of clowns who would be the next lt. governor, U.S. Attorney, gubernatorial candidates and I think the reason you don’t see real progressive public interest types go for that kind of gig, or even get mentioned, is becuase they don’t play the game. They are not going to school board candidate’s golf tournaments, the barbeque for the local judge or make enough money to be a major donor or bundler for the horse you think is gonna win. You don’t show your face, drop some coin, or do some favors, no one is gonna know who you are, but the deciders will have heard of Mr Corporate Law Guy who has been writing checks and serving the masters for years.

@redmanlaw: Oh, fuck, who could stand it, I know. What is disturbing is that the progressives don’t come up with an alternative program. Set up a PayPal account, say. Put out feelers that you’re gunning for fascists. Hire private investigators with the proceeds to dig up dirt on the fascists. Bundle documentation and send it to the local and national presses. Repeat. Or something. There has to other models besides joining the organized crime syndicates that operate local politics.

@FlyingChainSaw:
Just get Spanish magistrate judge Baltasar Garzon on the case. He went after Pinochet all those years later, and I saw that he’s dropped his Franco-era war-crimes investigation, so he’s probably freeing up his calendar to focus on Rumsfeld, Cheney, Bush, et al. There’s a nexus to Spain, what with the 2004 train bombings in Madrid in retaliation for that pendejo Aznar getting in bed w/ Shrub’s war machine.

@SanFranLefty: I will be in Barcelona for work soon, actually, I can go anytime up to February or March to lay out some ground work. I will make some inquiries then. Seriously, the rendition flights crossed too many jurisdictions for these clowns not to face any number of charges once they don’t have all the resources of the US government to defend them. In the end, Obama may cook these criminals by simply cooperating with overseas authorities seeking extradition. That is if the neocons don’t organize false flag attacks that take out 6 US cities and cast the country into total chaos and a generations-long dark age that depopulates the continent.

@redmanlaw: And if they do get in office, they don’t know how to play well with others and can be very uneffective. I am confident Bush will get his. He will never be prosecuted. To do so would be to prosecute those who supported him and create a more bitter and permanent divide than we have.