Saturday, June 15, 2013
Deep Thought
There's no reason to be concerned about an agency with a director who feels free to lie under oath.
Nerd Week
Heading to San Jose this week to meet with all of the other basement dwelling* pajama wearers at Netroots Nation. Missed the last couple due to various reasons. I'm sure we'll figure out our plan to usher in the Marxist Paradise this time.
*To be fair, lately I have been working in the basement. But it's a nice basement.
*To be fair, lately I have been working in the basement. But it's a nice basement.
Morning Thread
5:00 a.m. and it's already getting light outside. Only a few more days before they start getting shorter again, so enjoy!
Friday, June 14, 2013
Safety Net First
A minor plea to those stylizing themselves as neoliberal+redistribution types. We're a rich country, and the rich are getting richer all the time. Spend a bit more time advocating for the redistribution, then we can discuss the supposed efficiencies.
Supporting cuts to Social Security isn't a way to burnish your redistribution/safety net cred.
Supporting cuts to Social Security isn't a way to burnish your redistribution/safety net cred.
Nice Things
As I've said before, if I had a hundred billion bucks to spend on my dream transit projects, I wouldn't build a California SUPERTRAIN. I'd spend it on intra-city transit systems. But as I have yet to be appointed to be your benevolent dictator, I don't get to make that choice. To the extent that there is a choice, it's more between flying death robots and a CA SUPERTRAIN. I'll take the train.
Priorities
My local radio is airing a big state-sponsored ad campaign for the Jersey Shore. I suppose some businesses might be better off for it. But, you know, that tunnel would probably have made more business more better off. Not to mention, you know, people.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Looters
When the insurance industry destroys itself what are the odds we'll bail them out? I don't just mean the customers, I mean the firms themselves.
Free Labor
I think unpaid internships are always going to be a problem in that the affluent are more able to have them than the less affluent, but it's also the case that just about any situation I can imagine such that an unpaid internship would comply with federal law would be a pretty short term affair. Weeks, not months.
But it's also the case that firms offering genuinely valuable internships can probably manage to fork over the $7.25/hr. Problem solved.
But it's also the case that firms offering genuinely valuable internships can probably manage to fork over the $7.25/hr. Problem solved.
Dumb
I don't doubt that the economics of the movie industry will continue to change, but, no, people aren't going to pay a hundred bucks to see a movie that's been out for 8 months or more. The "blockbuster" model is more about everybody seeing it as soon as it comes out. And Lincoln didn't have any trouble getting into theaters. It was on almost 1800 screens on its first wide release weekend,
Dumbass
One problem with the whole media criticism genre of blogging is that you end up shining a light on things that you don't think deserve any attention, because of the desire to criticize the fact that they received attention. Never figured out a way around that.
But, no, I don't care about the dumbassery of the kids of members of Congress unless there's some very solid and clear way that it somehow refutes the wisdom of their policy agenda, or, with a somewhat higher bar, their general rhetoric.
But, no, I don't care about the dumbassery of the kids of members of Congress unless there's some very solid and clear way that it somehow refutes the wisdom of their policy agenda, or, with a somewhat higher bar, their general rhetoric.
Those Kids Today
Sir Paul of Beatles was on Colbert last night. An occasion to do the math and think about how the kids today might relate to the Beatles. I didn't really know anything about them until I was 15 or so, 1987. I'm not saying I'd never heard of them or never heard their music - of course I had - I mean... I knew there was this band that sang Twist and Shout and Yesterday and Love Me Do, but I didn't have any sense of their place in musical or cultural history until I was well into high school. And that was a time when there was a 60s revival thing going on (MTV, etc., promoting) so I went from knowing not much to knowing a reasonable amount.
Doing the math, the Beatles ended 1970 or so. 17 years before I was 15. Going 17 years back from today brings us to... 1996.
No deep point. Just perspective from an old guy. Get the fuck off my lawn.
Doing the math, the Beatles ended 1970 or so. 17 years before I was 15. Going 17 years back from today brings us to... 1996.
No deep point. Just perspective from an old guy. Get the fuck off my lawn.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Did You Try Turning It Off And Then On Again?
If they don't understand the technology, they can't possibly understand how to have proper oversight. And I just don't mean over privacy issues, I mean the billion dollar contracts they're handing out to the people who know how to turn it off and then on again.
It's Unconstitutional If The Supreme Court Says It's Unconstitutional
This is one of my wee pet peeves. Yes we can all have opinions about and debate what should or shouldn't pass constitutional muster, but if a ruling is a specific enough about something then there isn't any debate about what currently IS constitutional. I can think that a ruling was wrongly decided for various reasons, but once it's decided the law is the law.
If there is no clearly applicable ruling, I get to express opinions such as "this is clearly unconstitutional." But once they've ruled, it is what it is. I don't have to agree with the ruling, but the ruling then becomes current law.
If there is no clearly applicable ruling, I get to express opinions such as "this is clearly unconstitutional." But once they've ruled, it is what it is. I don't have to agree with the ruling, but the ruling then becomes current law.
Wednesday Crass Commercialism
As my brain is mush after reading the computer all day, reading anything other than graphic novels for fun is sometimes a chore. Not putting down graphic novels, it's just that they do have fewer words. Haven't read anything new in awhile (brain mush has moved me from graphic novels to netflixing old tv series), but I quite enjoyed Ex Machina when I read it.
Most Unpaid Internships Are Clearly Illegal
And it's time to start enforcing the law.
Aside from the "fetch my coffee for free" aspect, unpaid internships shut out people from less wealthy backgrounds from important, desirable, lucrative, and influential career paths.
Aside from the "fetch my coffee for free" aspect, unpaid internships shut out people from less wealthy backgrounds from important, desirable, lucrative, and influential career paths.
There's No Money There
This is from a few days go, a lifetime in blog years, but I neglected to link to it. I think even relatively sensible liberals get stuck in the "means testing" trap occasionally. But the thing about Social Security is that there isn't any money in means testing unless you take it away from people who aren't making much money at all.
Think rich people have too good a deal? Just increase their damn tax rates.
Think rich people have too good a deal? Just increase their damn tax rates.
Who Leaked To Tom Friedman?
Probably no one, of course, except the voices in his head. But if does actually know enough to assert something like that then maybe he did ring up some important person. "Hey, Paul, is that super-classified program being abused?" "No Tom, don't think so." "Ah, ok, thanks, column written."
Blabbermouth
We should be worried about Glennzilla and Snowden. It's good they're doing this very publicly, and that they have allies who are speaking out very publicly in support. They're exposing corruption of the very worst sort--as Atrios has pointed out--and that is a very dangerous thing to do.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
So Why Did He Have The Keys To The Castle?
Jay's post earlier made this point, but more generally as the Snowden demonization process goes on, the rather obvious question is... why did he have such access if he's so horrible? How about the people and process who vetted him? Snowden, at least, isn't using his access for direct personal gain. What about the rest of them? And there are a lot of them.
The Big Grift
The smartest line of work these days is looting non-profit institutions before they go under. Obviously the former hastens the latter, but you just gotta pull out the money before somebody else does.
Tell Us Sweet Little Lies
Forget the lying, the incompetent appearance with Andrea Mitchell should be reason enough to get rid of Clapper.
Who Runs The Government
Whatever one thinks of what they imagine they know about the specifics of our surveillance state, one would hope that a few more people would get upset about who our security agencies think is really in charge. Spoiler: them.
Sen. Ron Wyden says Director of National Intelligence James Clapper had a day to prepare his answer to Congress that there was no widespread collection of Americans' phone records.
Clapper, in answer to Wyden's questions in March testimony, denied that any intentional and massive sweep of Americans phone records as part of counterterror surveillance was occurring. It was revealed in the last week that two such programs do exist and were recently renewed.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Wyden said when NSA Director Keith Alexander didn't provide a full answer to questions about the programs, Wyden gave Clapper a day's notice that he would be asked the question at the hearing. Afterwards, he said, he gave Clapper's office another chance to amend his answer, but Clapper declined.
Hey DiFI!
Julian Sanchez
Though, if you DO think Snowden is a traitorous criminal, shouldn't you be concerned about a system that gave him keys to the spy machine?
Monday, June 10, 2013
Monday Night
I suppose an interesting story which could be fleshed out is just how do 29-year old GED having/bounced out of the military/basically no college dudes get high security clearances?
I don't have a problem with any of those things, but they've all been used to "poke holes" in his story. How does one become a watcher, and who is watching that process?
I don't have a problem with any of those things, but they've all been used to "poke holes" in his story. How does one become a watcher, and who is watching that process?
Monday Crass Commercialism
X-Box One pre-order!!!!
Or just click the link and buy something else so I get all of amazon's moneys.
Or just click the link and buy something else so I get all of amazon's moneys.
Gatekeepers
I find the degree of hostility from our journalistic class (largely but not just cable news) to Edward Snowden to be fascinating. As much as I think the whole surveillance state/secret security state stuff is bullshit, even I get that some information shouldn't actually be published, such as leaks that really don't serve to inform the public of something they should know and are simply there to injure individuals or parties. If Glennzilla publishes some stuff like that it would be appropriate to direct the ire at him. But the hostility to a leaker from people who supposedly (if not really) spend their time attempting to get unknown and relevant information to the public is fascinating.
I guess my point is that I understood (whether or not I agreed) the hostility to wikileaks when they did a big data dump, but when they did the "responsible" thing and ran the info through "respectable" news outlets, there were objections to that, even from the recipients of the information who used it.
It seems that only the made men and women of Washington can be sources or the recipients of the information, no matter how relevant or responsible.
I guess my point is that I understood (whether or not I agreed) the hostility to wikileaks when they did a big data dump, but when they did the "responsible" thing and ran the info through "respectable" news outlets, there were objections to that, even from the recipients of the information who used it.
It seems that only the made men and women of Washington can be sources or the recipients of the information, no matter how relevant or responsible.
Administration
The problem with colleges and universities today.
All they need to do is get rid of a few more tenure lines and they can demonstrate their commitment to student education by hiring some more chauffeurs.
City College President Lisa Coico’s Upper West Side home is just four subway stops from the Manhattanville campus, but Coico is chauffeured the two miles to work and back every day in a state-issued Buick.
Coico, whose salary is $300,000, is among nearly 70 SUNY and CUNY officials who enjoy the use of taxpayer-funded wheels and sometimes a driver. In Coico’s case the driver is a college public-safety officer.
All they need to do is get rid of a few more tenure lines and they can demonstrate their commitment to student education by hiring some more chauffeurs.
The Expectations Fairy
Ultimately the point is that the Fed can, in theory, just do stuff, while Obama can't. For reasons too boring for the margin of this blog post, I don't have much confidence in the expectations fairy. But I have less confidence in massive fiscal expansion being passed by Congress, even if I have great confidence that, if passed, it would work pretty well. So we cheer on the arrival of the expectations fairy even if we don't have too much confidence in it. It might work, and it doesn't cost anything to try.
CoT
Translation. And exegesis.
NBC again preempted Meet The Press for a sporting event. If the network preempts the show much more, they may win a Peabody Award for contributing to the national discourse. Since even I don't watch Face the Nation with Grandpa Schieffer, it was left to George Stephanopoulos to carry the burden for the shows.
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Apparently Some Stuff Happened This Weekend
Haven't had a chance to dive into it fully, but my basic belief is that aside from civil liberties issues, the security/surveillance state industry is just a giant grift, a big scam there to enrich certain communities in Northern Virginia. That it is a net good is bullshit, that it makes us "safe" is bullshit, and that "making us safe," as opposed to perpetuating its own existence and fattening the wallets of its members and those that play along, has much to with anything that goes on is bullshit.
I'm sure the Men in Black could pay me a visit and convince me otherwise. What do I know? There are known unknowns and unknown unknowns, and I can't claim knowledge of any of them. Much of what is "intelligence work" is boring, and stuff produced from that work is probably useful and the people who do it are probably doing good work for good reasons. But the unholy alliances with big businesses and third party contractors and the empire of well-paid informants and agents is just bullshit in which everyone takes their cut of your money.
...from someone I'm not exactly a fan of.
You do the hokey pokey
and you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about.
I'm sure the Men in Black could pay me a visit and convince me otherwise. What do I know? There are known unknowns and unknown unknowns, and I can't claim knowledge of any of them. Much of what is "intelligence work" is boring, and stuff produced from that work is probably useful and the people who do it are probably doing good work for good reasons. But the unholy alliances with big businesses and third party contractors and the empire of well-paid informants and agents is just bullshit in which everyone takes their cut of your money.
...from someone I'm not exactly a fan of.
I love DC; at Little League game, dads are talking about catastrophic consequences of Snowden on contractors they work for.
You do the hokey pokey
and you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about.
Stuff To Do
I don't think Pennsylvania is exactly known for its natural beauty. Like just about anywhere it has some, of course, but it's certainly not what it's known for. A bit surprised Ricketts Glen State Park doesn't get a bit more wider notice. Been a few times in my life, and the Falls Trail is one of the nicer hikes I've been on.
Surveillance States
Ian Welsh provides some context, and a little dispassionate analysis. (That's not to say he's not pissed off.)
XXI
KagroX compiles his #gunFAIL news feed for the twenty-first week.
14 kids accidentally shot this week. Don't know of any suffocated in discarded refrigerators.
14 kids accidentally shot this week. Don't know of any suffocated in discarded refrigerators.
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