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Segami
Segami's Journal
Segami's Journal
February 19, 2014
INCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A judge has struck down a Nebraska law that allowed the Keystone XL oil pipeline to proceed through the state.
Lancaster County Judge Stephanie Stacy issued a ruling Wednesday that invalidated Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman's approval of the route. Stacy says the decision should have been made by the Nebraska Public Service Commission, which regulates pipelines and other utilities.
The ruling could cause more delays in finishing the pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to Texas refineries.
But it's a win for Nebraska-based pipeline opponents. They've argued that Heineman exceeded his authority when he approved the route in January 2013.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/19/keystone-pipeline-nebraska_n_4818171.html
Judge STRIKES DOWN LAW Allowing Keystone XL Pipeline To Run Through Nebraska
INCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A judge has struck down a Nebraska law that allowed the Keystone XL oil pipeline to proceed through the state.
Lancaster County Judge Stephanie Stacy issued a ruling Wednesday that invalidated Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman's approval of the route. Stacy says the decision should have been made by the Nebraska Public Service Commission, which regulates pipelines and other utilities.
The ruling could cause more delays in finishing the pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to Texas refineries.
But it's a win for Nebraska-based pipeline opponents. They've argued that Heineman exceeded his authority when he approved the route in January 2013.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/19/keystone-pipeline-nebraska_n_4818171.html
February 19, 2014
[Image via Donkey_Hoty on FLICKR, Creative Commons licensed]
Aaaaah,....such an annoying shitstain.....
Responding to criticism from CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about his use of Nazi rhetoric when talking about President Barack Obama, rocker Ted Nugent lashed back at Blitzer today stating that, if Wolf Blitzer is a journalist, he is a ‘gay pirate from Cuba.’ According to Oliver Willis at Media Matters, Nugent is denying that he has a history of making bigoted and misogynistic comments, stating: “All the negative stuff is dishonest, all the really wonderful stuff is accurate.” Nugent has become the focus of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s campaign for governor in the past few days due to his colorful history and statements.
On Tuesday’s broadcast of Wolf, Blitzer wondered if Nugent was aware that the term ‘subhuman mongrel’ can be traced to the writings of Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher who wrote: ‘The Jew is a mongrel. He has hereditary tendencies from Aryans, Asiatics, Negroes, and from the Mongolians. Evil always preponderates in the case of a mongrel.” Today, Nugent turned to Twitter, accusing CNN and Blitzer of being “Joseph Goebbells Saul Alinsky propaganda ministry mongrels” and “freaks.”
Ted Nugent ✔ @TedNugent
Follow
So much media has lost its soul lying Saul Alinsky Joseph Geobbells freaks
11:28 AM - 19 Feb 2014
Ted Nugent ✔ @TedNugent
Follow
CNN Joseph Goebbells Saul Alinsky propaganda ministry mongrels
11:29 AM - 19 Feb 2014
Ted Nugent ✔ @TedNugent
Follow
@WolfBlitzer is a journalist & Im a gay pirate from Cuba
11:31 AM - 19 Feb 2014
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/19/ted-nugent-on-twitter-if-wolf-blitzer-is-a-journalist-im-a-gay-pirate-from-cuba/
UPDATE: Ted Nugent on Twitter: If Wolf Blitzer Is A Journalist, I’m A ‘Gay Pirate From Cuba’
[Image via Donkey_Hoty on FLICKR, Creative Commons licensed]
Aaaaah,....such an annoying shitstain.....
Responding to criticism from CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about his use of Nazi rhetoric when talking about President Barack Obama, rocker Ted Nugent lashed back at Blitzer today stating that, if Wolf Blitzer is a journalist, he is a ‘gay pirate from Cuba.’ According to Oliver Willis at Media Matters, Nugent is denying that he has a history of making bigoted and misogynistic comments, stating: “All the negative stuff is dishonest, all the really wonderful stuff is accurate.” Nugent has become the focus of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s campaign for governor in the past few days due to his colorful history and statements.
On Tuesday’s broadcast of Wolf, Blitzer wondered if Nugent was aware that the term ‘subhuman mongrel’ can be traced to the writings of Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher who wrote: ‘The Jew is a mongrel. He has hereditary tendencies from Aryans, Asiatics, Negroes, and from the Mongolians. Evil always preponderates in the case of a mongrel.” Today, Nugent turned to Twitter, accusing CNN and Blitzer of being “Joseph Goebbells Saul Alinsky propaganda ministry mongrels” and “freaks.”
Ted Nugent ✔ @TedNugent
Follow
So much media has lost its soul lying Saul Alinsky Joseph Geobbells freaks
11:28 AM - 19 Feb 2014
Ted Nugent ✔ @TedNugent
Follow
CNN Joseph Goebbells Saul Alinsky propaganda ministry mongrels
11:29 AM - 19 Feb 2014
Ted Nugent ✔ @TedNugent
Follow
@WolfBlitzer is a journalist & Im a gay pirate from Cuba
11:31 AM - 19 Feb 2014
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/19/ted-nugent-on-twitter-if-wolf-blitzer-is-a-journalist-im-a-gay-pirate-from-cuba/
February 19, 2014
Just one day before Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) was elected governor in 2010, a judge widened an ongoing investigation to also include four of the governor's top aides. That's according to documents from 27,000 emails and 434 pages of search warrants related to an ongoing secret investigation of Walker released on Wednesday.
According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the documents show that on Nov. 1, 2010 there were raids on Walker's campaign office, the Milwaukee County executive office and the residences of a number of Walker aides, including Kelly Rindfleisch, Walker's former deputy chief of staff. In 2012, Rindfleisch was convicted of misconduct in office. Specifically, Rindfleisch was found to be doing campaign work for a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor on official government time, which is a felony.
The investigations are regularly referred to in Wisconsin as "John Doe investigations," which is a type of probe where it's illegal for anyone involved in the investigations to talk about them. John Doe Judge Neal Nettesheim added the following Milwaukee County executive office aides to the investigation: Rindfleisch, Walker chief of staff Tom Nardelli, Walker spokeswoman Fran McLaughlin and scheduler Dorothy Moore.
Thus far, only Rindfleisch has been charged. Nardelli quit his $90,000-a-year job in the governor's office last July, just days after accepting the position, and McLaughlin went to work for Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke instead of following Walker into the governor's office. Moore still works as Walker's scheduler out of the Wisconsin governor's office.
cont'
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/scott-walker-judge-expand-investigation
Investigation Surrounding Scott Walker EVEN BIGGER Than We Thought
Just one day before Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) was elected governor in 2010, a judge widened an ongoing investigation to also include four of the governor's top aides. That's according to documents from 27,000 emails and 434 pages of search warrants related to an ongoing secret investigation of Walker released on Wednesday.
According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the documents show that on Nov. 1, 2010 there were raids on Walker's campaign office, the Milwaukee County executive office and the residences of a number of Walker aides, including Kelly Rindfleisch, Walker's former deputy chief of staff. In 2012, Rindfleisch was convicted of misconduct in office. Specifically, Rindfleisch was found to be doing campaign work for a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor on official government time, which is a felony.
To get the search warrants, prosecutors presented the judge with dozens of emails involving Walker's campaign and county staff. The prosecutor's tagged those emails and other supporting documents, SW1 through SW71.
The records show that in August 2010, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm used an investigation into Walker aide Darlene Wink — who had acknowledged posting political comments online while on the county dime — to seek the personal email records for four other Walker employees and allies.
Among those records were the emails of Timothy D. Russell, a longtime Walker campaign and county aide. Russell was later convicted of stealing more than $21,000 from a veterans group that Walker named him to head. Russell was sentenced to two years in prison.
The records make clear that Walker's campaign staff and county team were in constant communication in the months leading up to the 2010 primary and general election.
In April 2010, Nardelli and Walker's campaign manager, Keith Gilkes, arranged for daily 8 a.m. conference calls between the campaign and key county staff.
"These will not be long duration calls as we have much work on our plates, but good coordination will help (us) resolve issues before they blow out of proportion," Nardelli wrote.
Weeks earlier, campaign spokeswoman Jill Bader asked Rindfleisch and others with the county to provide a "backgrounder" on issues that could come up at an event featuring Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the Democrat who was running for governor.
On May 18, 2010, Walker's administration director, Cynthia Archer, wrote to campaign and county staff she would no longer be checking her private email account and told people to contact her on her cellphone for urgent matters.
"The significance of this email is that it shows that the people addressed on this email are acting in concert withthe county executive staff to find alternative ways to communicate using private email during the workday," David Budde, an investigator for the district attorney, testified in the Nov. 1, 2010, secret hearing. "This also is a direct admission that Archer was using private email during the workday."
Archer used her private email to discuss official county matters with Walker through his campaign account, and with campaign advisors including R. J. Johnson. One such exchange involved a story about Walker's potential county pension.
According to prosecutors, Rindfleisch had nearly 5,700 email exchanges withthe campaign staff of Walker and Brett Davis, who was running for lieutenant governor. Davis lost the primary in September 2010, but went on to serve in Walker's administration as Medicaid director.
The Rindfleisch emails are replete with examples of her communicating with campaign staff during what would have been her daytime work hours at the courthouse.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/court-set-to-release-emails-documents-tied-to-ex-aide-to-scott-walker-b99208267z1-246128301.html#ixzz2tnEUlUbA
The records show that in August 2010, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm used an investigation into Walker aide Darlene Wink — who had acknowledged posting political comments online while on the county dime — to seek the personal email records for four other Walker employees and allies.
Among those records were the emails of Timothy D. Russell, a longtime Walker campaign and county aide. Russell was later convicted of stealing more than $21,000 from a veterans group that Walker named him to head. Russell was sentenced to two years in prison.
The records make clear that Walker's campaign staff and county team were in constant communication in the months leading up to the 2010 primary and general election.
In April 2010, Nardelli and Walker's campaign manager, Keith Gilkes, arranged for daily 8 a.m. conference calls between the campaign and key county staff.
"These will not be long duration calls as we have much work on our plates, but good coordination will help (us) resolve issues before they blow out of proportion," Nardelli wrote.
Weeks earlier, campaign spokeswoman Jill Bader asked Rindfleisch and others with the county to provide a "backgrounder" on issues that could come up at an event featuring Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the Democrat who was running for governor.
On May 18, 2010, Walker's administration director, Cynthia Archer, wrote to campaign and county staff she would no longer be checking her private email account and told people to contact her on her cellphone for urgent matters.
"The significance of this email is that it shows that the people addressed on this email are acting in concert withthe county executive staff to find alternative ways to communicate using private email during the workday," David Budde, an investigator for the district attorney, testified in the Nov. 1, 2010, secret hearing. "This also is a direct admission that Archer was using private email during the workday."
Archer used her private email to discuss official county matters with Walker through his campaign account, and with campaign advisors including R. J. Johnson. One such exchange involved a story about Walker's potential county pension.
According to prosecutors, Rindfleisch had nearly 5,700 email exchanges withthe campaign staff of Walker and Brett Davis, who was running for lieutenant governor. Davis lost the primary in September 2010, but went on to serve in Walker's administration as Medicaid director.
The Rindfleisch emails are replete with examples of her communicating with campaign staff during what would have been her daytime work hours at the courthouse.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/court-set-to-release-emails-documents-tied-to-ex-aide-to-scott-walker-b99208267z1-246128301.html#ixzz2tnEUlUbA
The investigations are regularly referred to in Wisconsin as "John Doe investigations," which is a type of probe where it's illegal for anyone involved in the investigations to talk about them. John Doe Judge Neal Nettesheim added the following Milwaukee County executive office aides to the investigation: Rindfleisch, Walker chief of staff Tom Nardelli, Walker spokeswoman Fran McLaughlin and scheduler Dorothy Moore.
Thus far, only Rindfleisch has been charged. Nardelli quit his $90,000-a-year job in the governor's office last July, just days after accepting the position, and McLaughlin went to work for Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke instead of following Walker into the governor's office. Moore still works as Walker's scheduler out of the Wisconsin governor's office.
cont'
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/scott-walker-judge-expand-investigation
February 19, 2014
Wolf & Newt spar over Nugent controversy
On Tuesday’s edition of CNN’s Wolf, host Wolf Blitzer addressed in great detail the Nazi past of ‘subhuman mongrel‘ used by rocker Ted Nugent to describe President Barack Obama. With Texas gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott (R-TX) already facing criticism over campaigning with ‘sexual predator’ Ted Nugent at his side, Wolf Blitzer wondered if the Abbott campaign was aware of Nugent’s use of racially loaded term ‘subhuman mongrel’. Speaking with Wayne Slater of the Dallas Morning News, Blitzer pointed out, “That’s what the Nazis called Jews to justify the genocide of the Jewish community.
“They called them ‘untermenschen,’ subhuman mongrels, if you read some of the literature that the Nazis put out there, there is a long history of that specific phrase he used involving the President of the United States.” Slater responded that it was a phrase that is “deeply offensive, to some voters, and not just Democratic voters, but other voters,” before adding “might that phrase be a kind of dog whistle, and code to exactly some of the voters that Greg Abbott wants?” Blitzer then went on to quote Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher who wrote: ‘The Jew is a mongrel. He has hereditary tendencies from Aryans, Asiatics, Negroes, and from the Mongolians. Evil always preponderates in the case of a mongrel.’ Blitzer went to wonder if Nugent is aware of the history of the phrase and whether the Texas Republicans know “what this means to so many people out there?’
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/19/ted-nugent-calls-obama-subhuman-mongrel-cnns-wolf-blitzer-flips-out/
Ted Nugent Calls Obama ‘SUBHUMAN MONGREL’, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer FLIPS OUT
Wolf Blitzer Detailed Rant Nazi Origins Ted Nugent Subhuman Mongrel Obama RemarkWolf & Newt spar over Nugent controversy
On Tuesday’s edition of CNN’s Wolf, host Wolf Blitzer addressed in great detail the Nazi past of ‘subhuman mongrel‘ used by rocker Ted Nugent to describe President Barack Obama. With Texas gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott (R-TX) already facing criticism over campaigning with ‘sexual predator’ Ted Nugent at his side, Wolf Blitzer wondered if the Abbott campaign was aware of Nugent’s use of racially loaded term ‘subhuman mongrel’. Speaking with Wayne Slater of the Dallas Morning News, Blitzer pointed out, “That’s what the Nazis called Jews to justify the genocide of the Jewish community.
“They called them ‘untermenschen,’ subhuman mongrels, if you read some of the literature that the Nazis put out there, there is a long history of that specific phrase he used involving the President of the United States.” Slater responded that it was a phrase that is “deeply offensive, to some voters, and not just Democratic voters, but other voters,” before adding “might that phrase be a kind of dog whistle, and code to exactly some of the voters that Greg Abbott wants?” Blitzer then went on to quote Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher who wrote: ‘The Jew is a mongrel. He has hereditary tendencies from Aryans, Asiatics, Negroes, and from the Mongolians. Evil always preponderates in the case of a mongrel.’ Blitzer went to wonder if Nugent is aware of the history of the phrase and whether the Texas Republicans know “what this means to so many people out there?’
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/19/ted-nugent-calls-obama-subhuman-mongrel-cnns-wolf-blitzer-flips-out/
February 19, 2014
George Zimmerman fled Miami after someone threatened there was a huge bounty on his head.
Zimmerman taped an interview last Tuesday with Univision and Fusion, and then took his girlfriend, her kid and his brother to the beach. While they were catching some rays, people noticed him, started harassing him, and then someone shouted out George had a $10,000 bounty on his head.
We're told it freaked him out and they all retreated to the hotel, but the crowd followed them.
Security swept their room to make sure no one tampered with their stuff and then stood guard throughout the day and night. We're told Zimmerman did his CNN interview early the next morning and then beat it ... literally fleeing Miami.
http://www.tmz.com/2014/02/18/george-zimmerman-miami-tv-interviews-bounty/
George Zimmerman FLEES Miami After DEATH THREAT
"..Fact is ... the bounty threat seems somewhat real. There's a Black Panthers video online in which one of the leaders puts a $1 MILLION bounty on Zimmerman's head..."
George Zimmerman fled Miami after someone threatened there was a huge bounty on his head.
Zimmerman taped an interview last Tuesday with Univision and Fusion, and then took his girlfriend, her kid and his brother to the beach. While they were catching some rays, people noticed him, started harassing him, and then someone shouted out George had a $10,000 bounty on his head.
We're told it freaked him out and they all retreated to the hotel, but the crowd followed them.
Security swept their room to make sure no one tampered with their stuff and then stood guard throughout the day and night. We're told Zimmerman did his CNN interview early the next morning and then beat it ... literally fleeing Miami.
http://www.tmz.com/2014/02/18/george-zimmerman-miami-tv-interviews-bounty/
February 19, 2014
I'm pleased to announce that there is at least one liberal billionaire out there ready to spend big money to advance the cause of climate change. Actually, I'm not that pleased to announce it. Yes, I'm glad Tom Steyer is stepping up to defend a cause which shouldn't be liberal or conservative, but I'm also cognizant of the price that goes with it. As Nick Confessore says in this segment with Chris Hayes, dark money cabals are displacing political parties. At first blush that might sound like a good thing, but it's not if it means all future political agendas will be determined by fabulously wealthy people who may or may not give a damn about the rest of us.
There is one difference, though. Steyer is forthright about his effort to change the debate, rather than hiding behind secret corporations and non-profit organizations. For that, I congratulate him, but in the overall big picture, it's an escalation that threatens the foundations of our political system.
All In with Chris Hayes video segment:
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/02/dark-money-tribes-displacing-political
DARK MONEY TRIBES Displacing Political Parties
"..Citizens United has given rise to cabals of secret donors, supplanting the role of political parties in 2014..."
I'm pleased to announce that there is at least one liberal billionaire out there ready to spend big money to advance the cause of climate change. Actually, I'm not that pleased to announce it. Yes, I'm glad Tom Steyer is stepping up to defend a cause which shouldn't be liberal or conservative, but I'm also cognizant of the price that goes with it. As Nick Confessore says in this segment with Chris Hayes, dark money cabals are displacing political parties. At first blush that might sound like a good thing, but it's not if it means all future political agendas will be determined by fabulously wealthy people who may or may not give a damn about the rest of us.
David Firestone:
But it’s worth thinking twice before celebrating Mr. Steyer’s donation, which will make plutocracy politics even worse.
Big money pollutes politics whether it comes from the Koch brothers, with a hard-edged agenda against environmental or financial regulation, or from Mr. Steyer and his liberal friends. Either way, the donations enhance the ability of those with money to influence what the country is talking about, and how it votes.
In state after state, corporate executives and financiers are giving money to super PACs associated with Republican congressional candidates, prompting unions to contribute to Democratic super PACs. This arms race escalates every campaign cycle, producing a torrent of attack ads that make all candidates look like liars, cowards and thieves, increasing cynicism that keeps people away from the polls.
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/liberal-donors-pollute-politics-too/?_php=true&_type=blogs&smid=tw-share&_r=0
But it’s worth thinking twice before celebrating Mr. Steyer’s donation, which will make plutocracy politics even worse.
Big money pollutes politics whether it comes from the Koch brothers, with a hard-edged agenda against environmental or financial regulation, or from Mr. Steyer and his liberal friends. Either way, the donations enhance the ability of those with money to influence what the country is talking about, and how it votes.
In state after state, corporate executives and financiers are giving money to super PACs associated with Republican congressional candidates, prompting unions to contribute to Democratic super PACs. This arms race escalates every campaign cycle, producing a torrent of attack ads that make all candidates look like liars, cowards and thieves, increasing cynicism that keeps people away from the polls.
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/liberal-donors-pollute-politics-too/?_php=true&_type=blogs&smid=tw-share&_r=0
There is one difference, though. Steyer is forthright about his effort to change the debate, rather than hiding behind secret corporations and non-profit organizations. For that, I congratulate him, but in the overall big picture, it's an escalation that threatens the foundations of our political system.
All In with Chris Hayes video segment:
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/02/dark-money-tribes-displacing-political
February 18, 2014
Pompous weasels................
What explains the toxic mélange of entitlement and shame that’s driving the raging One Percent sore-winner backlash? From Tom Perkins comparing the ultra-rich to Jews during “Kristallnacht,” to tycoon and newspaper-destroyer Sam Zell insisting “the top 1 percent work harder,” to investment banker Wilbur Ross proclaiming that “the 1 percent is being picked on for political reasons,” there’s an epidemic of plutocrat self-pity afoot. Just last week ex-CEO Morgan Stanley CEO John Mack told the media to “stop beating up on” CEOs Jamie Dimon and Lloyd Blankfein after they got obscene raises from JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs. The sore winner backlash is odd timing. There’s no longer any real movement to hike taxes on their income or their wealth, both of which are at all time highs. President Obama has said an increase in tax rates is “off the table.” There’s no more discussion of the “Buffett Rule,” named for the Berkshire-Hathaway oracle who famously suggested his secretary should no longer pay higher rates than her boss.
Almost nobody talks about ending the “carried interest” loophole that lets hedge fund managers pay a shamefully low rate on much of what should be considered income; instead there’s a “boom in trusts passing carried interest to heirs,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Yes, they’ve figured out a way to pass that unfair advantage onto their heirs through new estate-tax dodges. Sadly, Occupy Wall Street has fizzled, so they can even enjoy Zuccotti Park unaccosted. So why all the whining now? I read Kevin Roose’s buzzy “I crashed a secret Wall Street society” piece Monday morning looking for insight. You should read it if you haven’t. It’s a fun hate-read. You’ll come away thinking, if you don’t already, that a lot of these people are monsters.
Apparently the secret fraternity Kappa Beta Phi gathers the titans of Wall Street at the St. Regis once a year for a gala that celebrates their wealth and power and mocks the rest of us. New inductees to the fraternity are charged with putting on a variety show to entertain the long-tenured. The evening features all the standard bad behavior common to male societies, from sports teams to military units to the boys of the Bohemian Grove. Cross dressing? Check. After cocktail hour, the new inductees – all of whom were required to dress in leotards and gold-sequined skirts, with costume wigs – began their variety-show acts.
When Roose was discovered, he was ejected from the ballroom, and the story wound up in his new book, “Young Money,” a portrait of eight entry-level Wall Street traders, which came out today. The Kappa Beta Phi story was excerpted in New York magazine. What the excerpt captured was the insularity and paranoia of plutocrats who band together to protect themselves from mostly imagined social approbation and self-doubt. As Paul Krugman has argued, they aren’t like the titans of yore who made things; they “push money around and get rich by skimming some off the top as it sloshes by.” They’ve gotten insanely wealthy mainly by rigging the rules of the game to privilege the world of finance, and it’s no wonder they’re worried the rest of us will some day figure that out.
cont'
http://www.salon.com/2014/02/18/filthy_rich_but_secretly_terrified_inside_the_one_percents_sore_winner_backlash/
Filthy Rich But SECRETLY TERRIFIED: Inside the One Percent’s SORE-LOSER Backlash
Why are the super-rich whining so much? They rigged the game for themselves, but are terrified of being discovered
Pompous weasels................
What explains the toxic mélange of entitlement and shame that’s driving the raging One Percent sore-winner backlash? From Tom Perkins comparing the ultra-rich to Jews during “Kristallnacht,” to tycoon and newspaper-destroyer Sam Zell insisting “the top 1 percent work harder,” to investment banker Wilbur Ross proclaiming that “the 1 percent is being picked on for political reasons,” there’s an epidemic of plutocrat self-pity afoot. Just last week ex-CEO Morgan Stanley CEO John Mack told the media to “stop beating up on” CEOs Jamie Dimon and Lloyd Blankfein after they got obscene raises from JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs. The sore winner backlash is odd timing. There’s no longer any real movement to hike taxes on their income or their wealth, both of which are at all time highs. President Obama has said an increase in tax rates is “off the table.” There’s no more discussion of the “Buffett Rule,” named for the Berkshire-Hathaway oracle who famously suggested his secretary should no longer pay higher rates than her boss.
Almost nobody talks about ending the “carried interest” loophole that lets hedge fund managers pay a shamefully low rate on much of what should be considered income; instead there’s a “boom in trusts passing carried interest to heirs,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Yes, they’ve figured out a way to pass that unfair advantage onto their heirs through new estate-tax dodges. Sadly, Occupy Wall Street has fizzled, so they can even enjoy Zuccotti Park unaccosted. So why all the whining now? I read Kevin Roose’s buzzy “I crashed a secret Wall Street society” piece Monday morning looking for insight. You should read it if you haven’t. It’s a fun hate-read. You’ll come away thinking, if you don’t already, that a lot of these people are monsters.
Apparently the secret fraternity Kappa Beta Phi gathers the titans of Wall Street at the St. Regis once a year for a gala that celebrates their wealth and power and mocks the rest of us. New inductees to the fraternity are charged with putting on a variety show to entertain the long-tenured. The evening features all the standard bad behavior common to male societies, from sports teams to military units to the boys of the Bohemian Grove. Cross dressing? Check. After cocktail hour, the new inductees – all of whom were required to dress in leotards and gold-sequined skirts, with costume wigs – began their variety-show acts.
Misogyny and homophobia? Check.
The jokes ranged from unfunny and sexist
(Q: “What’s the biggest difference between Hillary Clinton and a catfish?” A: “One has whiskers and stinks, and the other is a fish”)
to unfunny and homophobic
(Q: “What’s the biggest difference between Barney Frank and a Fenway Frank?” A: “Barney Frank comes in different-size buns”).
Mocking the loser-outsiders, who paradoxically make their great wealth possible? Check.
One of the last skits of the night was a self-congratulatory parody of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” called “Bailout King.”
The jokes ranged from unfunny and sexist
(Q: “What’s the biggest difference between Hillary Clinton and a catfish?” A: “One has whiskers and stinks, and the other is a fish”)
to unfunny and homophobic
(Q: “What’s the biggest difference between Barney Frank and a Fenway Frank?” A: “Barney Frank comes in different-size buns”).
Mocking the loser-outsiders, who paradoxically make their great wealth possible? Check.
One of the last skits of the night was a self-congratulatory parody of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” called “Bailout King.”
When Roose was discovered, he was ejected from the ballroom, and the story wound up in his new book, “Young Money,” a portrait of eight entry-level Wall Street traders, which came out today. The Kappa Beta Phi story was excerpted in New York magazine. What the excerpt captured was the insularity and paranoia of plutocrats who band together to protect themselves from mostly imagined social approbation and self-doubt. As Paul Krugman has argued, they aren’t like the titans of yore who made things; they “push money around and get rich by skimming some off the top as it sloshes by.” They’ve gotten insanely wealthy mainly by rigging the rules of the game to privilege the world of finance, and it’s no wonder they’re worried the rest of us will some day figure that out.
cont'
http://www.salon.com/2014/02/18/filthy_rich_but_secretly_terrified_inside_the_one_percents_sore_winner_backlash/
February 18, 2014
A former Lackawanna, Pennsylvania assistant public defender is set to go on trial this month for allegedly raping a teenage girl. The defendant apparently used his position within the justice system to keep his victim from talking. Fortunately, his threats were ignored and she spoke up. Two years ago Kenneth Andrew Kovaleski was charged with nine counts of rape. The charges include rape by forcible compulsion and involuntary deviant sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age. His victim, a 15-year-old girl, told police that the abuse began in 2011. She said the public defender warned her, “I know every single [District Attorney] in this town, and every single police officer, and no one is going to believe you.”
According to testimony the teen said that she lost track of how many times the public defender abused her. She said that she decided to come forward after Kovaleski grabbed her by the throat and threatened her when he found out she had a sexual relationship with a boy her age. Kovaleski was a Lackawanna County public defender until he was terminated in 2008. After his termination he sued the county claiming that Democratic commissioners fired him because he was a Republican. At the time of his arrest Kovaleski was working at a representative of parents in child-custody disputes and was once a legal guardian for children in Susquehanna County. Since his arrest another woman has come forward and accused the former public defender of raping her when she was fifteen too. What a lovely person he is (insert lots of sarcasm).
But, the DA did believe the girl’s story about the ex-public defender.
The District Attorney, Mariclaire Hayes, who Kovaleski was so sure wouldn’t believe the story of a 15-year-old girl, spoke to WNEP News at the time of his arrest.
cont'
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/02/18/public-defender-charged-rape-warned-victim-one-going-believe/
Public Defender Charged With RAPE, Warned Victim ‘NO ONE IS GOING TO BELIEVE YOU’
“I know every single [District Attorney] in this town, and every single police officer, and no one is going to believe you.”
– Lackawanna, PA’s ex-Public Defender Kenneth Andrew Kovaleski
– Lackawanna, PA’s ex-Public Defender Kenneth Andrew Kovaleski
A former Lackawanna, Pennsylvania assistant public defender is set to go on trial this month for allegedly raping a teenage girl. The defendant apparently used his position within the justice system to keep his victim from talking. Fortunately, his threats were ignored and she spoke up. Two years ago Kenneth Andrew Kovaleski was charged with nine counts of rape. The charges include rape by forcible compulsion and involuntary deviant sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age. His victim, a 15-year-old girl, told police that the abuse began in 2011. She said the public defender warned her, “I know every single [District Attorney] in this town, and every single police officer, and no one is going to believe you.”
“I know every single [District Attorney] in this town, and every single police officer, and no one is going to believe you.”
– Lackawanna, PA’s ex-Public Defender Kenneth Andrew Kovaleski
– Lackawanna, PA’s ex-Public Defender Kenneth Andrew Kovaleski
According to testimony the teen said that she lost track of how many times the public defender abused her. She said that she decided to come forward after Kovaleski grabbed her by the throat and threatened her when he found out she had a sexual relationship with a boy her age. Kovaleski was a Lackawanna County public defender until he was terminated in 2008. After his termination he sued the county claiming that Democratic commissioners fired him because he was a Republican. At the time of his arrest Kovaleski was working at a representative of parents in child-custody disputes and was once a legal guardian for children in Susquehanna County. Since his arrest another woman has come forward and accused the former public defender of raping her when she was fifteen too. What a lovely person he is (insert lots of sarcasm).
But, the DA did believe the girl’s story about the ex-public defender.
The District Attorney, Mariclaire Hayes, who Kovaleski was so sure wouldn’t believe the story of a 15-year-old girl, spoke to WNEP News at the time of his arrest.
“This is difficult, it’s sad, it’s certainly not something we take any pleasure in. This is an individual we had a professional relationship with. But, we don’t have the luxury of choosing which child predators we prosecute, we follow the evidence wherever it leads us. In that position he would be responsible for making sure a child is protected, so it is upsetting to think that somebody in that position would be taking advantage of a child in their own life.”
cont'
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/02/18/public-defender-charged-rape-warned-victim-one-going-believe/
February 18, 2014
Rachel...." This is a flaming pile of what you think it is.."......Could that be SHIT Rachel?....
Rachel Maddow has exposed the lengths that Republicans will go to in order to keep their base from knowing that they have voted in a way that will upset the Tea party extremists within their ranks and done the job beautifully. She began by showing how Ted Cruz (R-TX), darling of the Tea party helped set the stage for the passage of the debt ceiling increase after the House Republican caucus was forced to give up after their retreat two weeks ago on creating a bill that they could agree on and that the House Democrats would not accept. The result being that the Democrats were able to pass a clean debt ceiling bill to send to the Senate.
Ted had vowed to filibuster the bill in the Senate in order to require a super majority to bring it to a vote which is just what the Republican leadership in the Senate did not want. They did not want to take a chance on a possible repeat of the shutdown debacle of last October and that created a dilemma for them. How to pass this bill and avoid a filibuster while also avoiding the ire of their Tea party voters?
As it turned out Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn found a rather creative way to accomplish a seemingly impossible task and pulled it off. Six Republicans changed their No votes to Yes and passed the bill in the Senate, much to the chagrin of Tail Gunner Ted.
They thought that they had found a foolproof way but as it turned out the names of those who voted with the Democrats came out almost immediately although those who actually did switch their votes have, for the most part little to worry about since looking more moderate is unlikely to do them much harm politically.
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/02/watch-rachel-maddow-expose-sneaky
Watch Rachel Maddow EXPOSE Sneaky Republicans HIDING VOTES From Tea Party
Rachel...." This is a flaming pile of what you think it is.."......Could that be SHIT Rachel?....
Rachel Maddow has exposed the lengths that Republicans will go to in order to keep their base from knowing that they have voted in a way that will upset the Tea party extremists within their ranks and done the job beautifully. She began by showing how Ted Cruz (R-TX), darling of the Tea party helped set the stage for the passage of the debt ceiling increase after the House Republican caucus was forced to give up after their retreat two weeks ago on creating a bill that they could agree on and that the House Democrats would not accept. The result being that the Democrats were able to pass a clean debt ceiling bill to send to the Senate.
Ted had vowed to filibuster the bill in the Senate in order to require a super majority to bring it to a vote which is just what the Republican leadership in the Senate did not want. They did not want to take a chance on a possible repeat of the shutdown debacle of last October and that created a dilemma for them. How to pass this bill and avoid a filibuster while also avoiding the ire of their Tea party voters?
As it turned out Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn found a rather creative way to accomplish a seemingly impossible task and pulled it off. Six Republicans changed their No votes to Yes and passed the bill in the Senate, much to the chagrin of Tail Gunner Ted.
They thought that they had found a foolproof way but as it turned out the names of those who voted with the Democrats came out almost immediately although those who actually did switch their votes have, for the most part little to worry about since looking more moderate is unlikely to do them much harm politically.
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/02/watch-rachel-maddow-expose-sneaky
February 17, 2014
Did the dog just say "I LIKE TURTLE SOUP"??............... .
A Senate Republican primary challenger in Texas is using some unflattering analogies to deride Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn and his partnership with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell -- who, a new ad observes, "looks and fights like a turtle." Dwayne Stovall, one of Cornyn's several primary challengers, released the ad last week. He chides Cornyn for taking votes that would hurt Texas, saying they would "enslave its children with unconstitutional laws and overwhelming debt."
"And you certainly don't do all this," Stovall tells the camera as a split-screen of McConnell and a cartoon turtle pop on the screen, "to please some guy who looks and fights like a turtle."
A Texas county's Tea Party Straw Poll found Stovall in the lead for the GOP nomination with 42 percent of the 70-some votes. Cornyn earned just 18 percent.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mcconnell-turtle-ad
BWHAHAHAHAHA: - McConnell 'LOOKS AND FIGHTS LIKE A TURTLE,' Says Texas GOP Primary Ad
Did the dog just say "I LIKE TURTLE SOUP"??...............
.
A Senate Republican primary challenger in Texas is using some unflattering analogies to deride Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn and his partnership with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell -- who, a new ad observes, "looks and fights like a turtle." Dwayne Stovall, one of Cornyn's several primary challengers, released the ad last week. He chides Cornyn for taking votes that would hurt Texas, saying they would "enslave its children with unconstitutional laws and overwhelming debt."
"And you certainly don't do all this," Stovall tells the camera as a split-screen of McConnell and a cartoon turtle pop on the screen, "to please some guy who looks and fights like a turtle."
A Texas county's Tea Party Straw Poll found Stovall in the lead for the GOP nomination with 42 percent of the 70-some votes. Cornyn earned just 18 percent.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mcconnell-turtle-ad
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