Merkel's Cell Phone and the Black Guy

    By NCD on Sun, 10/27/2013 - 5:45pm |

    (1) Merkel's now famous or infamous cell phone has apparently been 'monitored' since 2002, initiated by, I assume, white guys in the Bush administration. No one has asked who authorized that action. It was before she was Chancellor. She apparently was put on the NSA 'list' when she became an important politician in Germany. This would lead one to believe that this could have been a very long list, perhaps 'a routine intelligence' procedure, NSA business as usual, and furthermore, the program involved may date back to well before 2002.

    Richard Day's picture

    WILL WITHOUT GRACE

    By Richard Day on Sat, 10/26/2013 - 3:49pm |

    Well thank you so very much.

    You are still going to hell you know, it is just that they might give you a nicer room!

    (Hack, Ep 2)

    Goodnews, it appears he still has feelings in all of his extremities.

    (6:05 PM CDT, GB V CLEVELAND; CBS)

    I wished to simply discuss the senility of George Will. Hahahaha

    jollyroger's picture

    Getting value for your criminal defense dollar--when a million dollar lawyer lays down and dies

    By jollyroger on Fri, 10/25/2013 - 5:24pm |

    Post conviction relief based upon inadequate assistance of counsel is notoriously hard to achieve.

     

    Appellate atrocities abound: Lawyers who were observed to sleep during large stretches of the trial have been found adequate, at least at the initial level of review.

     

    Likewise lawyers confirmed to have been drunk.

     

    What I am saying is that a successful appeal based on lousy lawyering is an uphill fight.

     

    jollyroger's picture

    Today I am a (gun)man

    By jollyroger on Wed, 10/23/2013 - 12:14pm |

    Attendant upon the catalog of horrors surrounding the latest school shooting atrocity, a peripheral editorial offense.

     

    Multiple news outlets, when alluding to the perpetrator of this crime, have referred to him as "the gunman".

     

    Now there are traditions in which at the age of 13 a male child is considered to have attained majority, and can serve as an adult for a variety of purposes.

     

    The New Malcontents.

    By Oxy Mora on Tue, 10/22/2013 - 12:23pm |

    After the government shutdown ended last week the title of Steinbeck's novel, "The Winter of our Discontent" kept ringing in my head to such an extent that I drove all the way into Dallas to buy the book at an actual book store which is peculiarly located near that bastion of American History known as the Bush "Library" and its attendant hub of Conservatism, SMU.

    "MOMENTS LIKE THIS . . ."

    By Dennie Briggs on Sun, 10/20/2013 - 11:25am |

    Set against the government’s shutdown charade, President Obama, awarded the Medal of Freedom to retired Army Captain William Swenson, citing among his incredible acts of valor under fire, “a simple act of compassion & loyalty to a fellow brother-in-arms.” As Captain Swenson places a wounded soldier he has just rescued onto a helicopter, he bends down &, in the President’s words, does “something unexpected”: kisses his comrade on his forehead. All recorded from a rescue pilot’s helmet video camera, now displayed before the public during the White House ceremony.

    Blame it on the Freemasons

    By Oxy Mora on Thu, 10/17/2013 - 9:16pm |

    When the vote to reopen the government ended in the House of Representatives last night a woman staffer grabbed a microphone and as she was rudely escorted from the hall she imparted to the crowd snippets of her religious beliefs along with epithets against the Freemasons. When the overseers of an institution act like inmates it is not surprising that the inmates become the normal ones.

    Richard Day's picture

    HEADLINES IN OCTOBER!

    By Richard Day on Thu, 10/17/2013 - 6:04pm |

    Hadley argued strenuously for military intervention in appearances on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and Bloomberg TV, and authored a Washington Post op-ed headlined "To stop Iran, Obama must enforce red lines with Assad."

    All together now

    By Flavius on Wed, 10/16/2013 - 4:33am |

    The White House must take control of the Obamacare registration process.

    Rather than 'first come first not served' it should impose some sort of "rationing": perhaps this Friday only applicants whose names begin with "A" Monday the B's , etc until the demand shrinks sufficiently .

    Richard Day's picture

    TED CRUZ AS SON OF SAMP!

    By Richard Day on Fri, 10/11/2013 - 10:08pm |

    I listen to the geese

    I find at the least, solace

    (ME

    I am a victim of self defecation.

    (Darrell Malaprop, Storage_Wars)

     

    You read about Ted Cruz, you read about his birth

    Slavery Program has glitches.

    By Oxy Mora on Fri, 10/11/2013 - 10:00pm |

    At the Value Voters Summit today, Mr. Ben Carson curiously juxtaposed the practice of Slavery with "Obamacare", saying: "Obamacare is the worst thing since Slavery". Because Slavery preceded the Emancipation Proclamation (I grant myself license to, as Mr. Carson was wont to do, riff a bit on what can actually be called a thing)---it would mean that Obamacare is worse than the Emancipation Proclamation---perhaps a question for further debate at the Values Summit---and at the same time one could say that Obamacare is worse than Woman's Suffrage, Prohibition, & Roe v. Wade. or any thing that's happened since about the year 1600.

    The data center for the NSA appears to have a scaling issue

    By nothere on Wed, 10/09/2013 - 8:41am |

    WSJ article. It seems that the electrical system inside the center randomly arcs, destroying a lot of equipment. That's a plural arcs. Almost once a month in the last year; with a destroyed equipment cost around $100,000 each time. That's before multiple consultants to identify the problem were paid and before the repairs were made.

    Shutdown=GOP 1% Cabal for 'Grand Bargain' Cuts

    By NCD on Sun, 10/06/2013 - 1:34pm |

    The Grand Bargain, the plan that would cut entitlements for the middle and lower class, 'chained CPI' to cut Social Security, cuts to Medicare for the aged and cuts to Medicaid for the poor.

    trkingmomoe's picture

    AFSCME Union is really making fun of the Republicans

    By trkingmomoe on Wed, 10/02/2013 - 5:23pm |

    This struck me really funny.  I am still laughing.  Some one had a good time putting up this site.  Enjoy and laugh a little at the republicans. http://www.gopshutdownlive.com/  Anyone want to predict what the out come will be with this shut down?  I am at a loss at their glee in screwing many fellow Americans.

    Richard Day's picture

    MUSINGS OVER MY RESTORE FUNCTION!

    By Richard Day on Fri, 09/27/2013 - 9:45pm |

    Hell hath no fury, Lewis!

    (Inspector Morse)

     

    My PC has been on the fritz the last two days.

    Puttin on the fritz...

    jollyroger's picture

    Privatizing warfare, prisons and security clearances-a recipe for disaster

    By jollyroger on Fri, 09/27/2013 - 2:58pm |

    Today's news explicating in part the ostensible shortcomings in the process by way of which Edward Snowden and Aaron Alexis received their security clearances ought to give pause to the insane stampede of contracting out government that began during the Reagan years.

    Shutdown Prediction

    By NCD on Fri, 09/27/2013 - 11:17am |

    Since Articleman is not here to give us his more discerning take, I will predict that the Republicans in the House, led by Speaker Boehner, will not pass a 'clean continuing resolution', or any government spending Bill the President will sign, by this Monday. Their ultimate list of demands for federal law and  finances includes everything from means testing for Medicare, less regulation of Wall Street, tax cuts for the rich, approving the XL pipeline to deregulation of environmental laws. 

    Theodore Fancy Pants Underestimated.

    By Oxy Mora on Thu, 09/26/2013 - 4:10pm |

    The political repercussions of the latest budget and debt hostage-taking exercise by tea Republicans in Congress won't be known for another week or two when we find out whether or not the government has been shut down, if the nation's credit rating has been lowered again, and what concessions Obama has made this time around. And the long term aftermath of this latest tea party act of sabotage is unpredictable. What is knowable is that Ted Cruz has name recognition on a level that rivals anyone in politics or the entertainment industry.

    CVille Dem's picture

    I DO NOT LIKE YOU CRUZ -- YOU LOSE!

    By CVille Dem on Wed, 09/25/2013 - 5:44pm |

    With extreme apologies to Dr. Seuss:

     

     

    Mr. Cruz, become aware-

    Our country needs ObamaCare

    Despite your oratory tear.

    You and your TeaParty Group

    Hmn?

    By Flavius on Tue, 09/24/2013 - 6:25am |

    This is the first pan -or attempted pan-of Janet Yellen I've read. It was in Brad Delong . More below

    The news from all over

    By Flavius on Fri, 09/20/2013 - 12:54pm |

     

    "All the momentum is in our direction. Warren Buffett said yesterday, ‘Scrap the bill.’ ………. Everyone knows this thing isn’t ready. Everyone knows,” said Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, a former Republican Study Committee chairman…………..

    Cryptography

    By nothere on Wed, 09/18/2013 - 7:04pm |

    In case anyone is interested, Bruce Schneier is a recognized face for cryptography and related issues. While I am sure there are others, I find Schneier to be accessible and he is covering this latest issue on his blog.

    If interested, one can read a live thread by hackers concerned with such issues here. The first line in the thread:

    The man with the rag-on tattoo

    By Oxy Mora on Wed, 09/18/2013 - 2:04pm |

    Since it was discovered that Barack Obama had "rag-on" tattooed on his back below the neckline, the punditry have been at odds about what the tattoo means, how it got there, whether Presidents should have tattoos, and whether he fumbled the ball by allowing Maureen Dowd to see the tattoo in an exclusive swim-along in the White House gym. I'm going to throw a lifeline to Obama and try to explain the tattoo.

    Europeans agree with Snowden

    By nothere on Tue, 09/17/2013 - 8:14am |

     

    At least several someones get it:

     

    Fugitive Snowden in running for European rights prize

     

    Snowden, who is in hiding in Russia, is one of seven nominations made by members of the European Parliament for the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought [emphasis added for those who don't get it], a move likely to upset Washington which wants to try him on espionage charges.

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