Saturday, August 24, 2013
Tribes
Over the years I've come to the conclusion that most "national security" journalists - you know, people who cover the pentagon, state, surveillance state agencies - identify strongly with their sources and the viewpoints of those agencies. That doesn't make them bad people, necessarily, just something to keep in mind.
Obviously there's a difference between those who obtain leaks and those who obtain official leaks. You get the point.
Obviously there's a difference between those who obtain leaks and those who obtain official leaks. You get the point.
Morning Thread
Interesting article in the NY Times about respecting religious tradition versus maintaining the separation clause. While these episodes may not have reverberated beyond New York’s Hasidic
enclaves, taken together they underscore a religious ascendancy
confronting the city’s secular authorities in ways not seen in decades.
Friday, August 23, 2013
DudeBros With Toys
Nobody could have predicted.
Caught cases, maybe.
WASHINGTON—National Security Agency officers on several occasions have channeled their agency’s enormous eavesdropping power to spy on love interests, U.S. officials said.
The practice isn’t frequent — one official estimated a handful of cases in the last decade — but it’s common enough to garner its own spycraft label: LOVEINT.
Caught cases, maybe.
46 Reasons This Is The Best Blog In The Universe
Apparently that's the new way to get the kids to click. Anyone wanna write that post for me?
Northeastern Elitism and the Awesomeness of the NCAA
Wow that's a dumb argument by Chait.
I'm not a huge sports fan, though much more of one than I used to be, but something about it does tend to break brains.
I'm not a huge sports fan, though much more of one than I used to be, but something about it does tend to break brains.
The Asshole Test
Spencer Bachus doesn't have the best record on this stuff, but kudos at least for him deciding that maybe he doesn't want to be a total asshole.
I'm a pretty "open borders" kinda guy, but I don't think you're a racist xenophobe if you have a different opinion on that policy. But people who want to deport parents of citizens, or deport kids who came here too young to have any knowledge of or connection to another country, are assholes. Maybe dealing with those issues isn't as simple as "let them stay," but wanting to bust up families makes you an asshole.
I'm a pretty "open borders" kinda guy, but I don't think you're a racist xenophobe if you have a different opinion on that policy. But people who want to deport parents of citizens, or deport kids who came here too young to have any knowledge of or connection to another country, are assholes. Maybe dealing with those issues isn't as simple as "let them stay," but wanting to bust up families makes you an asshole.
Not Given By Nature
Krgthulu:
And, amazingly, it generally makes out quite well every time. Aim the free money spigot at us or the world gets it. If this is the system, the system is flawed. We don't need better firefighters, we need a better system. Only Larry Summers can save the world from Larry Summers is not a particularly compelling argument.
O.K., the other obvious culprit is financial deregulation — not just in the United States but around the world, and including the removal of most controls on the international movement of capital. Banks gone wild were at the heart of the commercial real estate bubble of the 1980s and the housing bubble that burst in 2007. Cross-border flows of hot money were at the heart of the Asian crisis of 1997-98 and the crisis now erupting in emerging markets — and were central to the ongoing crisis in Europe, too.
In short, the main lesson of this age of bubbles — a lesson that India, Brazil, and others are learning once again — is that when the financial industry is set loose to do its thing, it lurches from crisis to crisis.
And, amazingly, it generally makes out quite well every time. Aim the free money spigot at us or the world gets it. If this is the system, the system is flawed. We don't need better firefighters, we need a better system. Only Larry Summers can save the world from Larry Summers is not a particularly compelling argument.
Bringing The Band Back Together
Impeachment was only really possible in the 90s because the 4th estate spent several years cheering on every little thing that moved us towards that moment. Impeachment talk is testing for a reaction, to see if we can go back to those glory days.
The Options Range From Blowing Things Up To Blowing Things Up
Which always works well.
At least there are some people currently in the "not blowing things up" camp.
Senior officials from the Pentagon, the State Department and the intelligence agencies met for three and a half hours at the White House on Thursday to deliberate over options, which officials say could range from a cruise missile strike to a more sustained air campaign against Syria.
The meeting broke up without any decision, according to senior officials, amid signs of a deepening division between those who advocate sending Mr. Assad a harsh message and those who argue that military action now would be reckless and ill timed.
At least there are some people currently in the "not blowing things up" camp.
Secrecy
What digby said.
The celebrated writer William Vollmann has revealed that the FBI once thought he might be the Unabomber, the anthrax mailer and a terrorist training with the Afghan mujahideen.Of course, Moynihan said it first, at somewhat greater length.
Crass commercialism link.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Not Sure What To Call This
I sometimes steal Olbermann's "worst person in the world" because too often "wanker of the day" just seems a bit too lighthearted of an award title for some truly awful things. But of course Olbermann's WPITW was a bit jokey, too, so I'm not sure it's appropriate for this from the Daily Beast.
Nothing To See Here
Nothing to worry about.
A nuclear expert has told the BBC that he believes the current water leaks at Fukushima are much worse than the authorities have stated.
Mycle Schneider is an independent consultant who has previously advised the French and German governments.
He says water is leaking out all over the site and there are no accurate figures for radiation levels.
Afternoon Thread
Currently have only very crappy internet connection making blogging difficult. So, uh, talk amongst yourselves.
They Control This
It really isn't even debatable that there are tons of people in long term incarceration for nonviolent drug offenses who shouldn't be there. If only there were someone with the power to let them go...
HR
Operating outside normal business channels, working in secret with the enemy trying to disrupt and corrupt your organization makes running a terrorist organization difficult at best. Even worse, good help is hard to find.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
I See Nothing Wrong With Keeping The Kerosene Stash In The Basement WIth The Old Newspaper Piles
If "serious financial crises are occurring with ever greater frequency" we don't need better firefighting skills, we need better fire codes.
And firefighting is the easiest thing a Fed chief can do. You open up the free money spigot and aim it at the people and institutions who almost destroy the world. It's what you do next (and before) that's tricky.
And firefighting is the easiest thing a Fed chief can do. You open up the free money spigot and aim it at the people and institutions who almost destroy the world. It's what you do next (and before) that's tricky.
Everything's Fine Now
I'm not optimistic that without implementing my "give free money to people" there's much the Fed can really do to help the economy, but "can't do anything" and "don't need to do anything" are different things. Unemployment's still high. Everyone in charge should be in panic mode, not complacency mode.
Good Reading Weather
so I'll highly recommend Mary E. Donnelly's Boys Don't Lie: A History of Shoes, with a foreword by Steve Simels. You don't need to be a fan of pop music to get absorbed in this highly engrossing history of the band and its times. Damnit, after reading the brief history of Zion, IL, the band's hometown, I now want to learn more about it, Ms. Donnelly's writing is that good! Hurry, get a copy now!
Nothing To See Here
The relative lack of coverage in Fukushima has been pretty astounding.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's nuclear crisis escalated to its worst level since a massive earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima plant more than two years ago, with the country's nuclear watchdog saying it feared more storage tanks were leaking contaminated water.
The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday it viewed the situation at Fukushima "seriously" and was ready to help if called upon, while nearby China said it was "shocked" to hear contaminated water was still leaking from the plant, and urged Japan to provide information "in a timely, thorough and accurate way".
Cellphone
And the point is that getting access to your "cellphone" is no longer about having access to your contact list, phone logs, and a few voicemails you failed to delete, it's about having access to a big chunk of how you interact with the world in every way.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Duh?
This has been one of those tee-hee liberal jokes for years. And of course the NRA gathering such information isn't equivalent to the DOJ gathering it, but it does provide a place for one stop shopping when the government jackboots get in the mood.
Sum Sum Sum Sum Sum Sum Summertime
I really don't get the argument that despite not really having the appropriate experience or temperament, we should support Summers because if he screws up and causes the world to blow up he's slightly more likely to push the Omega 13 button in order to go back and fix his mistakes.
...adding that I know that this isn't the argument Brad thinks he's making, but it's the argument he is making. Winding up in the "lower tail of the outcomes distribution" won't be due to some exogenous event, it'll be due to some endogenous one. Sure I suppose Europe could get swallowed up by a sinkhole, or be eaten by a giant badger, but otherwise bad events will happen, if they do, because the people in charge with the power from stopping them from happening didn't do their jobs.
...adding that I know that this isn't the argument Brad thinks he's making, but it's the argument he is making. Winding up in the "lower tail of the outcomes distribution" won't be due to some exogenous event, it'll be due to some endogenous one. Sure I suppose Europe could get swallowed up by a sinkhole, or be eaten by a giant badger, but otherwise bad events will happen, if they do, because the people in charge with the power from stopping them from happening didn't do their jobs.
Killed Bill
Happy for Josh to be wrong, but the problem with endless pursuits of deals which never materialize is that the advertised deals are basically shit and distinctions between the parties get blurred. A shit immigration bill might be an improvement over the status quo, but it might be nice to stand up for non shit one too, especially if they have the same chances of passing.
Friends
Over the years I've read many righteous rants in support of journalistic freedom from journalists. Usually I agreed, though occasionally the equation of "working for elite press operation" with "freedom of speech" would rankle. Sure it didn't happen here, but the lack of noise about the destruction of the hard drives has been a bit unsettling. Freedom's important when it's about your friends or maybe friends of your friends. Otherwise, not so much.
Don't Care
I feel like all the discussion about Ted Cruz and his citizenships is just a way of pretending there's some sort of lefty birther movement even though nobody actually gives a shit. I, too, was born outside of the country. Australia, specifically. I have no idea if I have any claim to Australian citizenship. Once upon a time I was curious, but back then there was no internet and finding things like that out was hard. Now I really don't care.
The Trouble With Dynamic Pricing
I remember seeing this in earlier studies of California toll lanes. The tolls are supposed to adjust to keep congestion on the toll lane down, but the problem is that the toll price is used by commuters (correctly or not) as a signal for how congested the non-toll lanes are.
Deep
A while ago, Fallows wrote about the Deep State, the post-war apparatus that persists across presidential administrations and legislative sessions. This week, Bacevich.
One characteristic of the Deep State participants, by the way, is they hate democracy.
Before the Good War gave way to the Cold War and then to the open-ended Global War on Terror, the nation’s capital was a third-rate Southern city charged with printing currency and issuing Social Security checks. Several decades of war and quasi-war transformed it into today’s center of the universe. Washington demanded deference, and Americans fell into the habit of offering it. In matters of national security, they became if not obedient, at least compliant, taking cues from authorities who operated behind a wall of secrecy and claimed expertise in anticipating and deflecting threats.
One characteristic of the Deep State participants, by the way, is they hate democracy.
I Hate Music
Of all my favorite bands ever, Superchunk is one of them. And they have a new record that shreds! Came out today, and it's The Shit.
Buy the record, I don't know how to make you buy it through Atrios but do that if you can. I bought the whole thing and it is a Great Record.
Buy the record, I don't know how to make you buy it through Atrios but do that if you can. I bought the whole thing and it is a Great Record.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Monday Night
When Dick Van Dyke was in the burning car
He whistled to his friends
And flying porpoises rescued his fiery ass
Using their sonar
The world is weird.
He whistled to his friends
And flying porpoises rescued his fiery ass
Using their sonar
The world is weird.
Monday Crass Commercialism
I think I need one of these SD cards to stick in my phone. Was making nasty memory overload noises. You probably do too!
...commenters inform that I'm an idiot and this is probably the thing which goes in your phone.
...commenters inform that I'm an idiot and this is probably the thing which goes in your phone.
Getting Shot Sucks
I don't really know Brian Beutler. I've met him a couple of times and have "known" him online for a long time. Online relationships like that are a bit weird in that to some degree "knowing" people involves reading their stuff and having a vague awareness of their lives due to social media and occasional interactions over the same while not really having any sense of how much the other person "knows" you. But, anyway, I remember when Brian was shot and he wrote a good piece about it.
It's The State
This article emphasizes the important point that is usually lost about the Philadelphia school system. It is run by the state. It has been run by the state for a dozen years. The state has used its incompetent and corrupt management of the school district as evidence that the school district needs to be destroyed due to incompetence and corruption.
Nobody ever seems to blame the people in charge. The state is in charge and has been for a long time now.
Nobody ever seems to blame the people in charge. The state is in charge and has been for a long time now.
Priorities
Just adding to this post, it's not that I think everyone to "the left" of me is a posing emo-prog and everyone to "the right" of me is a posing o-bot. There are people genuinely to the left and to the right of me on policy, people who have different ideas about what our goals should be and how best to achieve those goals. And, you know, these people rarely piss me off. People disagree about stuff. People have different priorities. But there are also people who seem to enjoy judging your worth by how righteously you dislike or like the Obama administration. It's annoying.
Only For Other People
I imagine they'd score a few coke busts if they spent some time frisking banksters.
A usually defiant Michael Bloomberg showed the faintest crack in his stubborn stop-and-frisk reasoning in an interview with The New Yorker's Ken Auletta. "If I had a son who was stopped, I might feel differently about it, but nevertheless," the mayor "conceded," according to Auletta, who called the mayor's comments on the issue occasionally "callous."
World Gone Weird
I try to avoid the emoprog-obot debates. I don't really get them really. It's just posing. I never claim to have the ultimate authority over things but, honestly, I'm really not posing. That I imagine I call-em like I see-em doesn't mean I think I'm always right, it just mean that I'm mostly not being a hack. Tell me I'm wrong when I am! I listen.
The surveillance state is obviously out of hand, super expensive, and quite likely totally pointless (for its expressed purpose) and incompetent. I don't even consider this to be a comment on Obama, except to the extent that he is dishonest/supports dishonesty on this issue.
The surveillance state is obviously out of hand, super expensive, and quite likely totally pointless (for its expressed purpose) and incompetent. I don't even consider this to be a comment on Obama, except to the extent that he is dishonest/supports dishonesty on this issue.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Bring On The Ideologues
I think this is a "be careful what you wish for" thing for Republicans, as I think the status quo of inane moderators asking inane questions probably helps them, but if the point is to inform their likely primary voters about things those voters actually care about, ideological moderators would be superior. And, yes, Dems should do it too.
Give Me Your Papers, Citizen
I'll never understand how people think "stop and frisk" is ok. I mean, I know that those who do rightly imagine that they'll never actually be stopped and frisked, but still.
The only crimes it'll find are illegal drug possession and illegal gun ownership. Who cares about the former and I didn't think we were supposed to care about the latter because freedom.
The only crimes it'll find are illegal drug possession and illegal gun ownership. Who cares about the former and I didn't think we were supposed to care about the latter because freedom.
The Worst Person In The World
Michael Grunwald.
Love that the objectivity of objective journalism allows for the endorsement of assassination. What if bloggers had opinions? The Republic might fall!!!
Assange seems like a weirdo to me, but, you know, not a can't wait to justify his state assassination kind of weirdo. Maybe I'm a wierdo.
Love that the objectivity of objective journalism allows for the endorsement of assassination. What if bloggers had opinions? The Republic might fall!!!
Assange seems like a weirdo to me, but, you know, not a can't wait to justify his state assassination kind of weirdo. Maybe I'm a wierdo.
Coup
The closing paragraph in the NYT piece Atrios referred to:
Is that what they call "burying the lede?"
“Both sides have a strong interest in preserving it and will work to that end,” Mr. Springborg said. “The Egyptian military will take steps to clothe the military’s behind-the-scene rule with suitable civilian trappings, making it possible for the U.S. and others to deal with it.”
Is that what they call "burying the lede?"
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