kenga's Blog

kenga Commented on Anti-War Group Asks Obama: Are More Troops in Afghanistan 'Digging an Even Bigger Hole'? by Elana Schor

2009-02-18T14:04:07Z

Nothing will be accomplished, nothing has EVER been accomplished by outside powers trying to remake Afghanistan. (Unless you consider the CIA's creation of al Qaeda an "accomplishment".)

You need to be more specific, and say "Nothing positive and enduring ..." Lots has been accomplished by outside powers, just in this century! Consider: - small and medium arms delivered to the country - proliferation(further) of landmines - proliferation(further) of unexploded ordnance other than landmines(cluster bomblets, bombs, grenades, etc) - Afghani casualties - dwellings and other buildings deconstructed - etc.

kenga Commented on Anti-War Group Asks Obama: Are More Troops in Afghanistan 'Digging an Even Bigger Hole'? by Elana Schor

2009-02-18T13:58:18Z

If you're genuinely worried about "narco-terrorism", you should be promoting decriminalization or legalization. At the very least get them growing cannabis again and exporting hashish instead of heroin.

kenga Commented on Anti-War Group Asks Obama: Are More Troops in Afghanistan 'Digging an Even Bigger Hole'? by Elana Schor

2009-02-18T13:56:02Z

And to follow on, if the US had made a good faith effort at rebuilding, they might have got the Bronze Age by the 2006 mid-terms. We had a couple years where the Afghanis trusted us to try - after we blew that, well, you could call it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

kenga Commented on Anti-War Group Asks Obama: Are More Troops in Afghanistan 'Digging an Even Bigger Hole'? by Elana Schor

2009-02-18T13:34:26Z

The best the US can do there is the Pakistani approach

Uh, Jonze, the Pakistani approach was to create the Taliban, and to arm and fund other extremist groups. One could argue it was similar to or modeled upon the US funding anti-Soviet forces in the 80s. The only reason the US and NATO are there at all right now is because that turned out to be a bad fucking idea in the long run.

kenga Commented on Anti-War Group Asks Obama: Are More Troops in Afghanistan 'Digging an Even Bigger Hole'? by Elana Schor

2009-02-18T13:12:34Z

But, it's a mistake to completely disassociate Afghanistan and Iraq - Afghanistan was put on a back burner to focus on Iraq.
Which has led to the situation we have there now.
We can't say for sure that committing the personnel, materiels and other resources to Afghanistan that were sent to Iraq would have led to a better outcome than we have.
It's probable, but we can only say with certainty that what we did instead has led to where we are.

kenga Commented on Anti-War Group Asks Obama: Are More Troops in Afghanistan 'Digging an Even Bigger Hole'? by Elana Schor

2009-02-18T12:36:01Z

The ideal game plan: don't invade Iraq.
After 7 years with negligible progress, any good outcomes aren't feasible within a generational timeframe. I'm conflating good for the USA with good for Afghanis here, admittedly, but I think that cessation of violence(political, religious and business) and widespread civil stability can be reasonably considered "good" in this case.

kenga Commented on Cornyn Took Caribbean Junket On Stanford's Dime by Zachary Roth

2009-02-17T22:01:46Z

Heh.
The real scandal is the operation itself - it's more substantial than many other US corporate presences, yet still manages to consist solely of a PO box and a voicemail account(no actual phone or machine).

kenga Commented on Where There's a (George) Will There's A Way ... To Deny Global Warming by Zachary Roth

2009-02-17T15:19:35Z

Dont we have a change every so often naturally. Tell me didnt we have an ice age scare in the 70's? Gore started this 10 years ago and by now if it were true, wouldnt we be dead by now. I cannot stand this. It is a money grabbing idea.

Ice age scare in the 70's?
No.

Gore started this 10 years ago?
No.

... if it were true wouldn't we be dead by now?
Wow. No.

You cannot stand this.
I'm having trouble stomaching your completely curable willful ignorance.

This is a money-grabbing idea.
I disagree. Imagine if the horse-carriage wheel and buggy-whip manufacturers had been able to mount the kind of pseudo-scientific and political challenges to the people developing early automobiles that have been brought to bear against climate change activists - it would have been WWII before the Model A was brought to market.
Technologies that can replace fossil fuels for energy supply have the potential to also replace the revenues and jobs now provided by oil, gas, and coal. Those interests would prefer we not bother, regardless of the non-economic consequences. At least, not until they can corner the market on those too.

kenga Commented on Where There's a (George) Will There's A Way ... To Deny Global Warming by Zachary Roth

2009-02-17T15:11:19Z

And we in New England are in the midst of our early February warm spell - the week or two where the daytime temps get up into the high-30s and 40s, and melt most of the snow at low altitudes.
We've gotten used to it over the last 20 years, but it's a recent phenomenon - when I was a kid, and when my parents and grand-parents were kids, it didn't happen.
And we got very heavy snow this year, as well.
A strange juxtaposition, almost as if things are changing ...

kenga Commented on Dem Senators To DOJ: How's That Report On Torture Opinions Coming? by Zachary Roth

2009-02-17T14:14:48Z

That would be the Naval Observatory, and not the White House ... ;-)

kenga Commented on The Bizarre Burgeoning Legend of Judd Gregg by Elana Schor

2009-02-13T18:45:54Z

Technically, not much of NH is on the coast - less than 1% of its border is coastal if you look at a typical map. It's a tiny strip squeezed between NE MA and SE Maine.
I have a feeling the state is in for some hard times. A substantial amount of their residents are employed out of state - there is less industry than the population would suggest.

kenga Commented on TPMDC Morning Roundup by Eric Kleefeld

2009-02-13T16:12:45Z

Oh come on, next you'll be telling us it was one of the reasons Georgia got its nose bloodied so badly, and Ukraine recently has been less enthusiastic about joining NATO.
Or that it's among the reasons Russia has been playing hard-ball with European gas supplies.
Or why Kyrgystan is asking the US to leave and stop using their territory to supply US/NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Or they haven't been particularly helpful in negotiations with Iran or North Korea dealing with nuclear proliferation issues.

kenga Commented on Who's Psyched For That Fiscal Responsibility Summit? by Elana Schor

2009-02-13T15:58:57Z

With all due respect, I think you're mis-characterizing the issue. Personality and ideological differences ARE an issue, and recent events surrounding Sen. Gregg, while filled with drama, will have an impact on the discussion.
And it will not simply be because the media is suggesting that will be the case.

kenga Commented on Who's Psyched For That Fiscal Responsibility Summit? by Elana Schor

2009-02-13T15:51:00Z

Obama will be painted as a big government tax and spend liberal

That will be tough to do - he campaigned with tax CUTS as part of his platform. His suggestions for the stimulus bill included tax cuts, which he later suggested he should have let the Republicans propose so that they could take credit for it.
I'm not saying it's impossible - most of the media has demonstrated(quell surprise!) they're happy to proliferate the Republican talking points on the issue.

Personally, I think any such attempts will leave him a nice opportunity for a strong rebuttal.
All he has to do is say, "Now wait a minute, that's garbage, that's on the edge of libel. I would be happy to follow in Dwight Eisenhower's footsteps, and raise tax rates on the rich. We can eliminate any budget deficits for this year, and begin paying down the national debt, quickly, but Congressional Republicans won't let that happen, so I haven't even proposed it."

kenga Commented on Are Executive Pay Caps Getting Sliced From the Stimulus? by Elana Schor

2009-02-11T18:59:33Z

Top rate of 91% too high?
Given that it's a marginal rate?
Why do you think so?
Seriously, I don't think so, because I know it's possible to live on 8-12k a year - if you have no dependents and good health.
I'd suggest not changing the rates, just inflation-adjust the threshold - that $500K would have to be something like 6 or 8 million in 2008 dollars, no?

And to sweeten the pot from a legislative horse-trading perspective, give it a sunset provision - when the national debt is back under 1 Trillion in 2008 dollars. I'd be OK with $0.00 too ...

kenga Commented on Morgan Stanley Exec Announced "Very Generous" Retention Award Last Week by Zachary Roth

2009-02-11T18:51:59Z

Given the likely figures for the upcoming year, is it still reasonable to call them "producers"?
What if they produced exposure to the CDOs that ruined the firm?(Selling itself at fire sale price to Citi is pretty solid evidence that the firm was fucked.)
Would not the firm be better off with a lower-paid employee whose experience doesn't include disastrously-bad judgment driven by greed?
A. lower costs for salary and benefits - the up-front sunk costs.
B. no previous activity that damaged the firm, its clients, and the global economy.

MBAs can learn to say "Would you like fries with that" just as well as any high-school dropout. Better, I would expect.

kenga Commented on Frank Stumps CEO: What's The Point Of Bonuses? by Zachary Roth

2009-02-11T18:43:52Z

The question is which Dems. I doubt you'll find Rep. Frank among them.

And of course Barney is playing for the camera(although it's not a game) - how else do you expect the normal TV-watching public to become informed?

kenga Commented on Report: Mrs. Madoff Withdrew $15 Million Days Before Bernie's Arrest by Zachary Roth

2009-02-11T18:41:04Z

Well, if the laws are supposed to deter the activities they're supposed to address, they need to have teeth. Big, nasty-sharp, scary teeth.
I'm with you on that - I think that going after the heirs in perpetuity might be a few steps too far, but then again, maybe not if we are trying to deter this kind of behavior.
I believe there will have to be some changes made to existing law - for instance monies that go in to trusts for family members are(I believe/recall) untouchable.
That needs to be changed.
Mayhap it's time for some creative application of asset forfeiture laws(as used in the "War on Drugs") - if you can't demonstrate conclusively that your "compensation" is not a result of fraud or malfeasance, you may petition the government for its return, after it has been seized. A short review period, then liquidation. That should go double for Board members.
I imagine 50,000 shares of stock and a Cezanne would be easier to dispose than a $2million cigarette boat, or a Ferrari whose treatment/maintenance is unknown.

kenga Commented on You Too: How to Mantle Your Own Atomic Bomb by Desidero

2009-02-11T18:19:40Z

Heh.
The genie is out of the bottle - in this case, the basic knowledge required. It can't be put back in, there is simply no way to restrain the knowledge.

On the front of preventing access to fissionables, there's been mixed success, notably the-Middle-East-country-that-can't-be-named, India and Pakistan. Those are states, though, and are more difficult to constrain than individuals, as North Korea has demonstrated.

So, given that, why are we apparently so disinterested in making sure the fewest possible number of people have a desire to acquire or construct, and use, a nuclear weapon?

kenga Commented on Obama Advisory Board Member Is Senior Exec With Firm Under Federal Investigation For Tax Scam by Zachary Roth

2009-02-11T16:32:29Z

I got an idea for job stimulus!

We need gang audits of every person in the country who:
- has served in the US House or Senate, and White House or federal court at a senior level;
- has served as a C or V level of a partnership, corporation or LLC with annual earnings that have ever exceeded $10 million;
- has personal or family assets(including trusts) exceeding $10 million

This way we'll have a frame of reference for when an appointee has failed to pay $25 or $125 thousand in taxes.

That ought to employ a couple dozen thousand of the lawyers and financial types who are about to default on their Alt-A mortgages because they were laid off.
I imagine pre-employment screening could weed out those who were looking for a gravy train in Finance, OR wreaking vengeance on their former employers.

kenga Commented on Obama Advisory Board Member Is Senior Exec With Firm Under Federal Investigation For Tax Scam by Zachary Roth

2009-02-11T16:23:31Z

There's certainly a relationship to look into.
However, I'd like to point out that UBS and UBS Group Americas are different critters. UBS Group Americas isn't referenced in any of the linked articles - only UBS, and UBS AG, both Swiss entities.
Personally, I am suspicious that there's a few places in those articles wherein the authors should have referenced UBS Group Americas rather than UBS instead.
But, they did not, so I am left to wonder whether it was lousy reporting, lousy writing, lousy editing, or if UBS Group Americas is not the organization being investigated.

It's kinda like lambasting Nancy Pelosi for something Harry Reid did - sure they're both in Congress, but Nancy Pelosi is not part of the Senate Democratic Leadership, nor is she invited to their meetings under normal circumstances. She does not tell Harry what to do, nor is she responsible for overseeing his actions or statements.
Or for another example - bashing the CEO of GM for something done by the CEO of GMAC.

kenga Commented on Feeling Bad for Obama: Why Did He Diss Helen Thomas? by M.J. Rosenberg

2009-02-10T17:26:24Z

That should read "over the last 50 years"
sigh.

kenga Commented on Feeling Bad for Obama: Why Did He Diss Helen Thomas? by M.J. Rosenberg

2009-02-10T17:16:46Z

Not exactly.
There've been some prosecutions of US personnel for espionage over the last 5 years, and reports of some product from Savannah River disappearing from inventory a long time ago.
It's not like we have the receipts and EUCs for chemicals as we did for Iraq, but we also spent a lot of time and energy making sure UNSCOM could inspect any suspect Iraqi facility to follow up on those.
To my knowledge, UN or any other non-proliferation based organization has never had an opportunity to inspect facilities in Israel.

It could very well be a well executed bluff, but anyone who questions whether the technical expertise and determination exist to acquire the weapons in question needs their head examined.

kenga Commented on Pawlenty Touts Palin-Like Foreign Policy Experience by Eric Kleefeld

2009-02-10T16:45:54Z

Maybe the Labatt's, rather than Molson.
Although if we're talking about liberating a healthy quantity of Boreal, I may re-consider signing up.