A friendly message from your Dept. of Homeland Security :)

Warning!

Your child may not be an American citizen if born in a foreign country. Homeland Security's tighter regulation on the immigration of illegal aliens (and believe me all newborns really look like aliens) will require you to leave your newborn in the country of its birth.*

This will preserve the purity of the American Presidency in the unlikely event that your child would like to eventually seek the office. In this age of heightened security we cannot be too careful who we allow to aspire to become president 40 years from now.

*Fundamentalist Christians believe citizenship begins at conception and are therefore exempt from the above regulation per Constitutional separation of church and state.

So what to do? Your boycotts mean little. Since you are already here you are not watching Fox News Channel. Advertiser boycotts are also of limited value, most make barely a dent in the company. Besides which, an advertiser in this economy which found its sales boosted by an association with malaria, would start breeding mosquitoes.

If there is a solution, it is perhaps an indirect boycott. It has probably been your experience (as it has been mine) that stores, bars, restaurants, waiting rooms - often show Fox News on their televisions. Don't write a letter. Don't make a threat - just get up and explain: If they will not change the channel, leave the place, and say (calmly) why it is you are taking your business elsewhere. If you know a viewer of that channel, show them this tape. Or just the tape with the attacks on Dr. Tiller, which set the stage for his assassination.

Fox News Channel will never restrain itself from incitement to murder and terrorism, not until its profits decline, when its growth stops. So not so much as a boycott here, but as a quarantine - because this has got to stop!

Keith's segment tonight moved me to post this clip to help his quarantine along. Please feel free to email this clip to any and all business that, in your experience, regularly show Fox News. Please also send to anyone of your acquaintance that regularly watch that domestic terrorist network.

Media Matters and Brave New Films have been working diligently for years, trying to expose Fox for what it is.

I do not want to be an advocate that squashes free speech. But there is a fine line between free speech and hate speech. Fox has gone very much past that line so many times. I agree with Keith - this has to stop!

In this Business Meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Whitehouse called on Committee Republicans to explain their opposition to Dawn Johnsen to be Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), after remaining silent during Bush's abuse of that office. His impassioned words make us really remember the high standard that American Justice once held, and how much it was destroyed by the Bush Administration.

The office of legal Counsel at the Department of Justice is a contender, and perhaps the lead contender, for the most rotten place in the United States government during the Bush administration. The rot ran deep, the rot is reflected in legal opinions that are so far below OLC's regular standard of scholarship, indeed so far below simple run of the mill levels of scholarship that a whole slew of them have already been withdrawn. It is a rarity for an OLC opinion to be withdrawn because it was wrong. Obviously they are constantly adjusted as case law changes going forward, but I can't recall anything like this ever having happened. The OLC was like a temple of scholarship within the Department of Justice. The notion that it would be the subject of a examination by the Office of Professional Responsibility of the Department of Justice, was before the Bush administration, unthinkable. And yet, there has been considerable stall, but sooner or later, and I hope soon, we will get the report from the Office of Professional Responsibility that looks into what has taken place.

For those of us who have taken a first hand look into those opinions, the spectacle we have seen has been appalling. Perhaps the most disgraceful example is the torture opinion, omitting any discussion whatsoever of a decision of the 5th circuit court of appeals of the United States of America, describing waterboarding, and repeating - I think it was 11 times in the opinion - describing it as torture, using the word torture.

Another area of historical research that completely eluded the Office of Legal Counsel in making these opinions. The Department of Justice has had some very dark days through the Bush Administration. The joy and relief with which Atty General Eric Holder was greeted when he came back to the Department, the sense that propriety has been restored, the bipartisan nature of that relief - has all been a very good thing. It has brought the Department of Justice back from some very dark days.

But the darkest part of those dark days is what became of the Office of Legal Counsel. And so I welcome this discussion. I think the more we discuss the Office of Legal Counsel and what took place during the Bush Administration, the better the American people will understand how previously proud agencies of their government were corrupted and turned to ideological pursuits. I hope we spend a lot of time on the floor discussing this because I think it is an important piece of America's learning and coming to grips with just how bad the interference with the integrity of government became in areas, that I said before, had been temples of scholarship. People who have been around the Depart of Justice just cannot accept, cannot believe, cannot countenance what took place there. The more you know the Department of Justice the more you know the reputation the Office of Legal Counsel had within that department and what became of it is shameful and disgraceful.

If there is a single irony in these proceedings that outdoes all of the other ironies, which are legion right now, it is my friends on the other side of this table who were silent through those long dark days of degradation of this proud office, now suddenly come forward and have discovered that they have concerns about partisanship or ideology or rule of law.

[looks directly at the republicans across the table]
Where were you when the problem was really acute? Where were you when these incompetent ideological opinions were being issued one after another? Where were the reassuring remarks after these opinions had to be withdrawn? What will they have to say when the OPR report comes out? It will be interesting to see all of this. And as I have said, the larger this debate gets, the better it is for America, and I can't tell you how much I look forward to energetically having this whole question thoroughly air out on the floor of the United Sates Senate before the American people.

For those who cannot see the video, Whitehouse's words were delivered with both frustration and yet a heartbreaking forlornness which is hard to describe. Being a former US Atty himself, his pain at seeing this degradation seems especially acute. Which brings me to the point of my post.

For a hypothetical, let's say you are a CIA interrogator. Let's say you are asked to do things that you know are torture. You know it down to your bones. You refuse stating ethical and legal reasons why. The admin then breaks down your ethical argument by laying the weight of another attack on your shoulders by your refusal. Let's say you still refuse, stating even if the ethical problems were abolished, there were still caselaw preventing torture. Now here is where it gets sticky.

Your CIA bosses give you a legal opinion from the OLC assuring you your actions are legal and you will be free from prosecution. As shown by Whitehouse's impassioned statements, most DOJers believed the OLC to be the first and last word for legal scholarship. But you could even say no to that, knowing that what you are doing is torture. But lets remember that this is the Bush Administration we are talking about. They outed a CIA agent, they put Don Siegleman behind bars, and don't even get me started on the US Atty scandal. All of this kind of makes you wonder just how intimidated the longtime CIA agents themselves were. I am not talking about Bush lackeys in the DOJ, I am talking about the career professionals, who, like Whitehouse, took pride in the rule of law.

This is just my hypothesis. I could be totally wrong. But I think Obama's reasons for not prosecuting the CIA interrogators could be something along those lines.

I love the analogy he makes about the toaster. It shows his remarkable skill to cut to the heart of the complex problems and yet is able to convey this information in a way that is accessible to Jay's broad audience.

UPDATE

Here is the transcript for the interview courtesy of the NYT:

President Barack Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Ron Reagan at Air America has some brilliant (and hilarious) commentary on the newest developments in the dysfunctional relationship that is GOP vs Rush. Check out the clip below.

Keith makes the compelling case of the crimes committed by our government.

This is the people's democracy, we are the people, these are our elected officials. That they did not come to us and ask to act thusly in our names is unfortunate, indeed criminal, but it is also almost irrelevant. They work for us, they tortured people, and so, we have tortured people.

Bush's own words told to Fox News:

"And I'm in the Oval Office and I am told that we have captured Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the professionals believe he has information necessary to secure the country.

"So I ask what tools are available for us to find information from him, and they give me a list of tools. And I said, are these tools deemed to be legal? And so we got legal opinions before the decision was made."

"And I think when people study the history of this particular episode they'll find out we gained good information from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in order to protect our country. We believe that the information we gained helped save lives on American soil."

"Are these tools deemed to be legal?" That quote sends a chill up my spine. How horrid these "tools" must have been for GWB to actually question their legality?
Keith is far more elequoent that I could ever be on this subject.
The entire transcript to the above video Special Comment can be read here for those who are video impaired.

I thought we were done with pure, unadulterated stupidity. Palin is back in Alaska. GWB is outta there in just a few short days. Why oh why does the the ridiculous right feel the need to torture us with Joe the Plumber?

For those who cannot see the video above, I have a tidbit for you. It is hard to do more than just tidbits, because it really makes my brain hurt. From Huffpo

"I don't think journalists should be anywhere allowed war (sic). I mean, you guys report where our troops are at. You report what's happening day to day. You make a big deal out of it. I think it's asinine. You know, I liked back in World War I and World War II when you'd go to the theater and you'd see your troops on, you know, the screen and everyone would be real excited and happy for them. Now everyone's got an opinion and wants to downer-and down soldiers. You know, American soldiers or Israeli soldiers."

If that doesn't set your neurons aching, how about this little ditty not shown in the vid above. This is an actual quote from JTP's "reporting" gig in Israel. From Firedoglake:

JOE: The story here is people are being killed and the media's slanting it and trying to make it Hamas is, uh, as far as, that Israel's being bad. Do you believe Israel is bad?
REPORTER: Do I believe it?
JOE: Yeah, do you?!
REPORTER: I'm Israeli, so...
JOE: So answer the question!
REPORTER: No, I don't think Israel is bad.
JOE: Do you think Israel has every right to protect itself?
REPORTER: Yeah.
[pause]
JOE: You do?!
REPORTER: Yeah.
JOE: Have you said that on air?
REPORTER: I'm just a reporter.

But it gets even worse. Christian Science Monitor is reporting that JTP might become the next senator from OH:

Joe the Senator
Bring it on
He told conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham last October that he was interested in Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur's seat and was mulling a run.
"I'll tell you what, we'd definitely be in one heck of a fight but, you know, I'd be up for it," he said.

Oh please no no no.
Ibuprofen. I need Ibuprofen.

I love the message Eddi Reader is conveying. It reaches out and grabs your heart.
(Click image to play)

You must know someone like him
He was tall and strong and lean
With a body like a greyhound
And a mind so sharp and keen
But his heart, just like a laurel,
Grew twisted round itself
Till almost every thing he did
Caused pain to someone else


It's not just what you're born with
It's what you choose to bear
It's not how big your share is
But how much you can share
And it's not the fights you dreamed of
But those you really fought
It's not what you've been given
It's what you do with what you've got


Now what's the use of two strong legs
If you only run away?
And what use is the finest voice
If you've nothing good to say?
And what use is strength and muscle
If you only push and shove?
And what's the use of two good ears
If you can't hear those you love?


Between those who use their neighbors
And those who use a cane
Between those in constant power
And those in constant pain
Between those who run to glory
And those who cannot run
Tell me which ones are the cripples
And which ones touch the sun?

This song came to mind after the huge debate we had on healthcare in CVille's post the other day. I thought I would share. This song is so packed with wisdom - how easy it is to forget it though.

From Alaska Daily News:

Gov. Sarah Palin is a grandmother. The baby's name is Tripp, and he was born Sunday, People magazine is reporting. Palin's daughter Bristol gave birth to the healthy 7-pound, 4-ounce baby in Palmer, the magazine reports on its Web site.

The full name: Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston.

ADN Article

What is with the "Tr" names? Sarah's oldest is Track, her youngest is Trigg, and now her grandchild, Tripp?

Grandma is not overbearing is she?

The US Economy as described by Calvin and Hobbes

For a larger image, and easier reading, click on the image above.

Who needs high priced economists? Calvin pretty much explains it all.

Transcript as follows

Today, the leaders of the G-20 countries -- a group that includes the world's largest economies -- are gathering in Washington to seek solutions to the ongoing turmoil in our financial markets. I'm glad President Bush has initiated this process -- because our global economic crisis requires a coordinated global response. And yet, as we act in concert with other nations, we must also act immediately here at home to address America's own economic crisis. This week, amid continued volatility in our markets, we learned that unemployment insurance claims rose to their highest levels since September 11, 2001. We've lost jobs for ten straight months -- nearly 1.2 million jobs this year, many of them in our struggling auto industry. And millions of our fellow citizens lie awake each night wondering how they're going to pay their bills, stay in their homes, and save for retirement.

Make no mistake: this is the greatest economic challenge of our time. And while the road ahead will be long, and the work will be hard, I know that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis -- because here in America we always rise to the moment, no matter how hard. And I am more hopeful than ever before that America will rise once again.

But we must act right now. Next week, Congress will meet to address the spreading impact of the economic crisis. I urge them to pass at least a down-payment on a rescue plan that will create jobs, relieve the squeeze on families, and help get the economy growing again. In particular, we cannot afford to delay providing help for the more than one million Americans who will have exhausted their unemployment insurance by the end of this year. If Congress does not pass an immediate plan that gives the economy the boost it needs, I will make it my first order of business as President.

Even as we dig ourselves out of this recession, we must also recognize that out of this economic crisis comes an opportunity to create new jobs, strengthen our middle class, and keep our economy competitive in the 21st century.

That starts with the kinds of long-term investments that we've neglected for too long. That means putting two million Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, and schools. It means investing $150 billion to build an American green energy economy that will create five million new jobs, while freeing our nation from the tyranny of foreign oil, and saving our planet for our children. It means making health care affordable for anyone who has it, accessible for anyone who wants it, and reducing costs for small businesses. And it also means giving every child the world-class education they need to compete with any worker, anywhere in the world.

Doing all this will require not just new policies, but a new spirit of service and sacrifice, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. If this financial crisis has taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers -- in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people. And that is how we will meet the challenges of our time -- together. Thank you.

Awesome first fireside chat, don't you think?

This was posted at the change.gov website

This is hysterical. The real John McCain and the real Cindy too! And of course Tina Fey as the spot on Sarah Palin.

Since it appears that the insert image and or file buttons cannot find the "asset?" which to upload an image to a blog post, I thought I would try this out - and if it worked - share with you how I did it.

It seems to be working so if you would like to add an image to your blog, here is how I managed it. Locate the Format field on the top right of your create entry screen. Click on the drop down menu button (to the right of this field) and choose "none".

Now you can do some html! I know...you all are groaning (I know I was) but it is not as bad as it sounds, trust me. :) So here is the easy way, copy the following line into a word document or notepad or whatever and save it. That way, whenever you need to insert a picture, all you have to do is paste the line and change the address of the image. So here you go:

<img src="http://yeswecarve.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/j_meyer.jpg">

Notice the web address for the image is in between the quotation marks? When you want to insert an image, paste the above html line of code into your post, then delete the address of the image above (be careful - you need those quotation marks) and insert your own.

So to recap:1) Change format to none. 2) Open your saved document and copy the html code you previously saved from above and paste it into your blog. 3) Change the address in between quotations marks in the code to your image address.

A fun website to play around with html code is here: HTML Basics

That is pretty much it. Once you get used to seeing the html image code often, you will be able to remember it and type it in without the need to copy and paste. I just found it easier the first couple of times until I got the hang of it. But hey, I might just be a slow learner. And I am sure there are many more computer gurus here on TPM that probably have an easier way. If there are easier ways, please come forward with your knowledge! :)

Unfortunately these instructions are for images already uploaded to the web. If you have images on your machine that you want to post, you will need to upload them to a photo site like photobucket or flickr. You can then use the address the site assigns the image to post in your blog using the above info.

Note: for those who feel especially adventurous, you can also change the size of your image. For example, the above image I resized a little. To do so you need to add a little more to the html code I posted above:

<img src="http://yeswecarve.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/j_meyer.jpg" width="450" height="338">

Notice the code is exactly as it was above, only with a width and height added before the closing end tag >:. Thanks to the lovely new preview feature, you can play around with these parameters to get the right fit for you.

Obviously if TPM gets the "insert image" and/or "insert file" fixed, the world would be a happy place. :) But until then, I hope this helps as a work around.

This is really amazing. In this clip, Neil Cavuto (yes..that Neil Cavuto) is taking McCain to the shed over his erratic economic stances. He cites many examples of the campaign's totally inconsistent message and informs him that is the reason he is losing.

Cavuto goes on to contrast, in what seems to be grudging admiration, Obama's economic message, noting it has always been clear, concise and never wavering. But my description does not do it justice - Check it out (I am still trying to get my jaw off of the floor):