Yeah, I know there's an atteribution to Mother Jones and I don't take credit for it, but some people are so stupid that if you don't attribute something in a way that is so obvious, they will accuse you of plagiarism.
Showing posts with label Obama Administration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama Administration. Show all posts
Friday, September 19, 2014
Chart: Almost Every Obama Conspiracy Theory Ever
From Mother Jones
Yeah, I know there's an atteribution to Mother Jones and I don't take credit for it, but some people are so stupid that if you don't attribute something in a way that is so obvious, they will accuse you of plagiarism.
Yeah, I know there's an atteribution to Mother Jones and I don't take credit for it, but some people are so stupid that if you don't attribute something in a way that is so obvious, they will accuse you of plagiarism.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Interesting thoughts
Some people don't know what things were like 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago--why should they have an idea what they were like 200+ years ago.
I'm not sure how many people remember that Kennedy was criticised for being a Catholic during the 1960 presidential campaign.
That said: check out this poster.
About 5,000 copies of this flyer were distributed around Dallas in the days before President Kennedy’s November 22, 1963 visit, accused Kennedy of a range of offenses, from being “lax” on Communism, to “appointing anti-Christians to Federal office,” to lying to the American people about his personal life.
The poster was designed by General Edwin A. Walker, a Texan who served in World War II and the Korean War, who had resigned from the Army in 1961 after a Kennedy-ordered investigation found that he had violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity on the job, by distributing John Birch Society literature to his troops. Walker then moved to Dallas and became a leader of right-wing activity in the city.
Look familiar?
See also:
I'm not sure how many people remember that Kennedy was criticised for being a Catholic during the 1960 presidential campaign.
That said: check out this poster.
About 5,000 copies of this flyer were distributed around Dallas in the days before President Kennedy’s November 22, 1963 visit, accused Kennedy of a range of offenses, from being “lax” on Communism, to “appointing anti-Christians to Federal office,” to lying to the American people about his personal life.
The poster was designed by General Edwin A. Walker, a Texan who served in World War II and the Korean War, who had resigned from the Army in 1961 after a Kennedy-ordered investigation found that he had violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity on the job, by distributing John Birch Society literature to his troops. Walker then moved to Dallas and became a leader of right-wing activity in the city.
Look familiar?
See also:
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Hooray!
I look forward to federal legislation that undoes these voter ID laws, excessive legislation that addresses a non-existent problem, a problem that is a right wing myth rather than fact. The issues of myth versus fact, of ideology versus reality, is pertinent as it is reflected in other aspects of our nation, and our differences.
There have been things about the Obama administration which were disappointing; this is not one of them.
From Reuters and MSNBC.com:
law blocked by Justice Department
There have been things about the Obama administration which were disappointing; this is not one of them.
From Reuters and MSNBC.com:
law blocked by Justice Department
'Non-white voters' are 'significantly burdened,' department alleges
By Jeremy Pelofsky
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Friday blocked a new South Carolina law that requires voters to have photo identification because of concerns it would hurt minorities' ability to cast a ballot.Republican Gov. Nikki Haley in May signed into law a measure that says voters must show a driver's license, passport or military identification along with their voter registration card in order to vote.
Under the law, anyone who wants to vote but does not have a photo identification must obtain a new voter registration card that includes a photo. A birth certificate or passport can be used to prove identity.
The Justice Department said the requirement could harm the right to vote of tens of thousands of people, noting that just over a third of the state's minorities who are registered voters did not have a driver's license needed to cast a ballot.
"The state's data demonstrate that non-white voters are both significantly burdened" by the law and "disproportionately unlikely to possess the most common types of photo identification" needed, Thomas Perez, head of the Justice Department's civil rights division, said in a letter to the state.
The state can appeal the decision at the Justice Department or in federal court. Attempts to reach a spokesman for Haley were not immediately successful.
Democrats have described the law as a "voter suppression" effort against minorities who historically do not always have photo identification cards. Republicans countered that their goal was to prevent voter fraud.
However, Perez said that South Carolina's submission to the Justice Department did not offer any evidence of voter fraud that was not addressed by existing law and that "arguably could be deterred by requiring voters to present only photo identification at the polls."
The Justice Department said plans by state officials to provide exemptions to the photo identification requirement were incomplete and vague. The state also has not finalized education and training materials.
If those issues were addressed, the Justice Department said the state could resubmit its plans and officials would consider revising its position.
The Justice Department move marks an escalation in the battle between the Obama administration and Republicans who control the legislatures in some states just 11 months before the 2012 presidential and congressional elections.
Obama lost South Carolina in the 2008 presidential race by a nine-point margin to his Republican opponent Sen. John McCain.
Under the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, certain states like South Carolina must seek approval from the Justice Department or the federal courts for changes made to state voting laws and boundaries for voting districts.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder earlier this month said his team was reviewing changes to voting laws in other states including Florida and Texas and will challenge any that are discriminatory in violation of the federal voting rights law.
"The reality is that — in jurisdictions across the country — both overt and subtle forms of discrimination remain all too common," he said in a speech in Austin, Texas.
The Justice Department has also challenged a new election map drawn by Republicans in Texas, arguing that it does not fairly represent the exponential growth in Hispanic voters. Hispanics largely have supported Democrats in past elections.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Bad Guns!
Good Job by the Feds! Another Good Job by the Obama Administration!
From MSNBC.com and the AP:
Merchant of Death guilty over trying to sell arms to terrorists
New York City federal jury convicts notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout
NEW YORK — A notorious Russian arms dealer accused of evading authorities for years while fueling violence in war zones around the globe was convicted Wednesday in swift fashion in a U.S. courtroom on charges he conspired to sell weaponry to South American terrorists.
Viktor Bout, known as the Merchant of Death, looked straight ahead and showed no emotion as a jury forewoman read guilty verdicts on each of four conspiracy counts — a conviction that could result in a life sentence. Jurors had deliberated only six hours over two days in federal court in Manhattan.U.S. authorities "don't have anything," defense attorney Albert Dayan said. "All they have is speculation, innuendo and conjecture."
The outcome was immediately applauded by those who labored to bring Bout to justice before he was finally snared in an elaborate Drug Enforcement Administration sting in Thailand in 2008 and — over the objections of Russia — extradited last year to the United States.
"The guy was without a doubt one of the most dangerous of his kind on the face of the earth, and it's reassuring to know he'll be locked up behind bars where he belongs," said Michael Braun a former DEA official involved in the investigation. "If he had been allowed to carry on, he would have gone right back doing his dirty business."
The evidence proved that Bout, 44, was someone "ready to sell a weapons arsenal that would be the envy of some small countries," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.
Read the original indictment against Bout (.PDF)
Before Bout left court, he hugged one of his attorneys. The defense team said there would be an appeal.
"He's resolute," defense lawyer Kenneth Kaplan said of his client. "He's a strong man. He accepts the verdict and is hopeful."
For nearly two decades, the former Soviet military officer built a worldwide air cargo operation, amassing a fleet of more than 60 transport planes, hundreds of companies and a fortune reportedly in excess of $6 billion — exploits that were the main inspiration for the Nicholas Cage film "Lord of War."
Story: 'Merchant of Death' pleads not guilty in N.Y. court His aircraft flew from Afghanistan to Angola, carrying everything from raw minerals to gladiolas, drilling equipment to frozen fish. But the network's specialty, according to authorities, was black market arms — assault rifles, ammunition, anti-aircraft missiles, helicopter gunships and a full range of sophisticated weapons systems, almost always sourced from Russian stocks or from Eastern European factories.
In the months before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, U.S., British and United Nations authorities heard growing reports that Bout's planes and maintenance operations, then headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, were aiding the Taliban while it sheltered al-Qaida militants in Afghanistan. Bout later denied that he worked with the Taliban or al-Qaida — and denied ever participating in black market arms deals.
Read U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's full statement on verdict (.PDF)
'We have the same enemy': America In 2008, while under economic sanctions and a U.N. travel ban, Bout was approached in Moscow by a close associate about supplying weapons on the black market to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
Bout was told that the group wanted to use drug-trafficking proceeds to pay for surface-to-air missiles and other weapons, making it clear it wanted to attack helicopter pilots and other Americans in Colombia, prosecutors said.
Neither man knew at the time that the two FARC officials they were dealing with were undercover informants working for the DEA, said the associate, South African businessman Andrew Smulian, who took the witness stand for the government as part of a plea deal.
At first, Bout dismissed the idea of a deal, Smulian testified.
"He said he didn't deal with drug dealers," Smulian said.
Smulian testified that Bout overcame his doubts and agreed that for a down payment of $20 million he would arrange for cargo planes to air-drop 100 tons of weapons into Colombia. Bout finalized the phony deal with the two DEA informants in a bugged hotel room in Bangkok in March 2008.
Jurors heard an informant on one tape saying: "We want to knock down those American sons of bitches."
Bout is quoted as saying on the tapes: "Yes, yes, yes. They act as if ... as if it was their home."
One of the informants, Guatemala-born Carlos Sagastume, testified at trial that during the conversation Bout was writing on a sheet of paper a list of weapons he could provide and remarked, "And we have the same enemy."
Asked on the witness stand what that meant, the informant responded, "He was referring to the Americans."
Lawyers for Bout had offered what the government dismissively referred to as the "planes defense," claiming their client had no intention of selling any weapons but acted as though he would so he could unload two old cargo planes for $5 million.
In closing arguments, the defense sought to convince the jury the DEA had framed a legitimate businessman by building its case on recorded conversations that were open to interpretation and never resulted in the exchange of any arms or money.
Prosecutor Brendan McGuire countered there was ample proof that Bout "did everything he could to show he could be the one-stop shop for FARC."
Sentencing was set for Feb. 8.
___
Braun reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Larry Neumeister in New York contributed to this report.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Another Terrorist Plot Defeated by the Obama Administration
Too bad that Ahmadinajad wasn't still visiting the U.N., making his annual revisionist history rant, where he could be confronted over this.
I also post it because I have personally noticed that there seems to be at least some overlap between the pro-gun and right-wing Islamophobia. So I find a certain satisfaction in the very excellent track record of excellence by the Obama administration in both forging a better relationship of respect for and from the Muslim countries of the world that could otherwise be persuaded to be our enemies, and at the same time, successfully fighting terrorism, both foreign and domestic. Further, this highlights that the Muslim parts of the world are far from homogeneous or monolithic, as they are so often erroneously presented by the right.
From MSNBC.com, Reuters and the AP:
US: Iran faction plotted to kill Saudi ambassador
Saudi, Israeli embassies were also targeted, U.S. says; two men chargedNBC, msnbc.com and news service
City, identified the two as Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri.
Holder said Arbabsiar, who was arrested on Sept. 29 in New York, was
working for the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard and had confessed to
a plot.
Shakuri, who is based in Iran, remains at large, Holder said. He
allegedly is a member of Iran's Quds Force, a special unit of the
Revolutionary Guard.
Both are originally from Iran and Arbabsiar, 56, is a naturalized U.S. citizen, the complaint said.
The Obama administration will be "taking further action" against Iran as a result, Holder said.
Nicholas Kamm
/
AFP - Getty Images
Saudi Arabia's ambassador is Adel al-Jubeir, who has served in that post since 2007.
The indictment is the result of a sting operation conducted by the FBI, Holder said.
The case started when Arbabsiar, who lived in Texas, allegedly made
contact with an undercover DEA informant in Mexico and asked for
assistance from the Zetas drug cartel to assassinate the ambassador by
blowing up a restaurant that he frequented.
No explosives were actually placed, and no one was in any danger, officials said.
A Justice Department statement
said Arbabsiar claimed he was being directed by his cousin in Iran,
described as a "big general" in the Iranian military and within the Quds
Force.
Arbabsiar allegedly wired $100,000 to the informant as a down payment on a $1.5 million assassination fee.
Other sources told ABC News that he reportedly told the informant that Iran could provide "tons of opium" to the Zetas.
Arbabsiar was to make a first court appearance later Tuesday. He could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The Quds Force was designated a terrorist group by the United States
in 2007, in part because of alleged support of the Taliban and other
extremist groups.
A senior U.S. official told NBC News to look to Treasury and the State Department for the immediate response against Iran.
The official also said that U.S. intelligence has a "high-degree" of
confidence that the "Quds Force at the highest levels" was involved in
the alleged plot and that this was not some "rogue operation."
President Barack Obama was first briefed on the alleged plot in June,
said White House spokesman Tommy Vietor."The disruption of this plot is
a significant achievement by our intelligence and law enforcement
agencies, and the president is enormously grateful for their exceptional
work in this instance and countless others," Vietor said.
NBC's Pete Williams and Jim Miklaszewski, as well as the Associated Press and Reuters, contributed to this report.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Petard
I also post it because I have personally noticed that there seems to be at least some overlap between the pro-gun and right-wing Islamophobia. So I find a certain satisfaction in the very excellent track record of excellence by the Obama administration in both forging a better relationship of respect for and from the Muslim countries of the world that could otherwise be persuaded to be our enemies, and at the same time, successfully fighting terrorism, both foreign and domestic. Further, this highlights that the Muslim parts of the world are far from homogeneous or monolithic, as they are so often erroneously presented by the right.
From MSNBC.com, Reuters and the AP:
US: Iran faction plotted to kill Saudi ambassador
Saudi, Israeli embassies were also targeted, U.S. says; two men chargedNBC, msnbc.com and news service
updated 2 hours 7 minutes ago
men allegedly working for "factions of the Iranian government" have
been charged with plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the
U.S. and to attack the Saudi and Israeli embassies, Attorney General
Eric Holder said Tuesday.
The criminal complaint, unsealed Tuesday in federal court in New Yorkbeen charged with plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the
U.S. and to attack the Saudi and Israeli embassies, Attorney General
Eric Holder said Tuesday.
City, identified the two as Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri.
Holder said Arbabsiar, who was arrested on Sept. 29 in New York, was
working for the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard and had confessed to
a plot.
Shakuri, who is based in Iran, remains at large, Holder said. He
allegedly is a member of Iran's Quds Force, a special unit of the
Revolutionary Guard.
Both are originally from Iran and Arbabsiar, 56, is a naturalized U.S. citizen, the complaint said.
The Obama administration will be "taking further action" against Iran as a result, Holder said.
Nicholas Kamm
/
AFP - Getty Images
Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir was the target of an alleged plot by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, the U.S. said Tuesday.
The indictment is the result of a sting operation conducted by the FBI, Holder said.
The case started when Arbabsiar, who lived in Texas, allegedly made
contact with an undercover DEA informant in Mexico and asked for
assistance from the Zetas drug cartel to assassinate the ambassador by
blowing up a restaurant that he frequented.
No explosives were actually placed, and no one was in any danger, officials said.
A Justice Department statement
said Arbabsiar claimed he was being directed by his cousin in Iran,
described as a "big general" in the Iranian military and within the Quds
Force.
Arbabsiar allegedly wired $100,000 to the informant as a down payment on a $1.5 million assassination fee.
Other sources told ABC News that he reportedly told the informant that Iran could provide "tons of opium" to the Zetas.
Arbabsiar was to make a first court appearance later Tuesday. He could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The Quds Force was designated a terrorist group by the United States
in 2007, in part because of alleged support of the Taliban and other
extremist groups.
A senior U.S. official told NBC News to look to Treasury and the State Department for the immediate response against Iran.
The official also said that U.S. intelligence has a "high-degree" of
confidence that the "Quds Force at the highest levels" was involved in
the alleged plot and that this was not some "rogue operation."
President Barack Obama was first briefed on the alleged plot in June,
said White House spokesman Tommy Vietor."The disruption of this plot is
a significant achievement by our intelligence and law enforcement
agencies, and the president is enormously grateful for their exceptional
work in this instance and countless others," Vietor said.
NBC's Pete Williams and Jim Miklaszewski, as well as the Associated Press and Reuters, contributed to this report.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Petard
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