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Segami
Segami's Journal
Segami's Journal
May 20, 2013
In six months time, Detroit, Michigan has gained an ugly, dirty black mountain that is a city block long and three stories high — much to the city’s surprise. Windsor, Ontario is none too happy about it, either, since the mess lines the riverbank and mars the view from their side of the river. The mountain is made up of petcoke, described by researcher Lorne Stockman as “the dirtiest residue from the dirtiest oil on earth.”
Where did the residue come from? That would be Canadian tar sands. Last November, a riverside refinery owned by Marathon Petroleum began refining the oil from Canadian imports of tar sands bitumen. The initial step in the refinery process extracts the oil but leaves behind the waste byproduct known as petroleum coke, or petcoke. Petcoke is like coal, but even dirtier than the low-grade stuff. When burned, it’s too high in carbon emissions to be used in the U.S., so the byproduct is sold and distributed as fuel to other countries that aren’t so particular about air quality, like China and Mexico.
Who buys and distributes it? That would be the notorious Charles and David Koch and their company, Koch Carbon. Dirty energy is a family affair. A third brother, William, is the CEO of the Oxbow Corporation, a company which describes itself as “the largest distributor of petroleum coke in the world.”
So Detroit’s new black mountain is the property of the Koch brothers, who bought it from the refinery. Essentially, they’ve used Detroit as the dumping ground for their store of petcoke until it can be shipped overseas. According to the New York Times, the state representative for the area, Rashida Tlaib, said:
cont'
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/05/19/petkoch-waste-product-creates-black-mountain-on-detroits-riverbank/
How Did The Koch Brothers GET AWAY With POLLUTING DETROIT?
“The dirtiest residue from the dirtiest oil on earth” now lining the Detroit shoreline…courtesy of the Koch Borothers.
Photo: Fabrizio Costantini@TheNYTimes
Photo: Fabrizio Costantini@TheNYTimes
In six months time, Detroit, Michigan has gained an ugly, dirty black mountain that is a city block long and three stories high — much to the city’s surprise. Windsor, Ontario is none too happy about it, either, since the mess lines the riverbank and mars the view from their side of the river. The mountain is made up of petcoke, described by researcher Lorne Stockman as “the dirtiest residue from the dirtiest oil on earth.”
Where did the residue come from? That would be Canadian tar sands. Last November, a riverside refinery owned by Marathon Petroleum began refining the oil from Canadian imports of tar sands bitumen. The initial step in the refinery process extracts the oil but leaves behind the waste byproduct known as petroleum coke, or petcoke. Petcoke is like coal, but even dirtier than the low-grade stuff. When burned, it’s too high in carbon emissions to be used in the U.S., so the byproduct is sold and distributed as fuel to other countries that aren’t so particular about air quality, like China and Mexico.
Who buys and distributes it? That would be the notorious Charles and David Koch and their company, Koch Carbon. Dirty energy is a family affair. A third brother, William, is the CEO of the Oxbow Corporation, a company which describes itself as “the largest distributor of petroleum coke in the world.”
So Detroit’s new black mountain is the property of the Koch brothers, who bought it from the refinery. Essentially, they’ve used Detroit as the dumping ground for their store of petcoke until it can be shipped overseas. According to the New York Times, the state representative for the area, Rashida Tlaib, said:
“What is really, really disturbing to me is how some companies treat the city of Detroit as a dumping ground. Nobody knew this was going to happen.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/18/business/energy-environment/mountain-of-petroleum-coke-from-oil-sands-rises-in-detroit.html?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/18/business/energy-environment/mountain-of-petroleum-coke-from-oil-sands-rises-in-detroit.html?_r=0
cont'
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/05/19/petkoch-waste-product-creates-black-mountain-on-detroits-riverbank/
May 20, 2013
Julia Trigg Crawford by StateImpact/NPR
Wake up!!
Julia Trigg Crawford of Direct, Texas, is the manager of a 650-acre farm that her grandfather first bought in 1948. The farm produces mostly corn, wheat, and soy. On its north border is the Red River; to the west is the Bois d'Arc Creek. TransCanada is an Alberta-based corporation that is building the controversial Keystone Pipeline that will carry bitumen--thicker, more corrosive and toxic, than crude oil--through 36-inch diameter pipes from the Alberta tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast, mostly to be exported. The $2.3 billion southern segment, about 485 miles from Cushing, Okla., to the Gulf Coast is nearly complete. With the exception of a 300-mile extension between Cushing and Steele City, Neb., the rest of the $7 billion 1,959 mile pipeline is being held up until President Obama either succumbs to corporate and business pressures or blocks the construction because of environmental and health concerns.
When TransCanada first approached Crawford's father in 2008, and offered to pay about $7,000 for easement rights, he refused, telling the company, "We don't want you here." He said the corporation could reroute the line, just as other pipeline companies in oil-rich Texas had done for decades. TransCanada increased the offer in the following years, but the family still refused. In August 2012, with Dick Crawford's daughter, Julia Trigg Crawford now managing the farm, TransCanada offered $21,626 for an easement--and a threat. "We were given three days to accept their offer," she says, "and if we didn't, they would condemn the land and seize it anyway." She still refused.
And so, TransCanada, a foreign corporation exercised the right of eminent domain to seize two acres of the farm so it could build a pipeline. Governments may seize private property if that property must be taken for public use and the owner is given fair compensation. Although the exercise of eminent domain to seize land for the public good is commonly believed to be restricted to the government, federal law permits natural gas companies to use it. To get that "right," all TransCanada had to do was fill out a one-page form and check a box that the corporation to declare itself to be a "common carrier." The Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas in Texas, merely processes the paper, rather than investigates the claim; it has admitted it has never denied "common carrier" status. In the contorted logic that is often spun by corporations, TransCanada then declared itself to be a common carrier because the Railroad Commission said it was, even though the Commission's jurisdiction applies only to intrastate, not interstate, carriers.
On Aug. 21, 2012, the day before Judge Bill Harris of Lamar County rendered his decision on Crawford's complaint, the sheriff, with the judge's signature, issued a writ of possession giving TransCanada the right to seize the land. The next day, Harris issued a 15-word decision, transmitted by his iPhone, that upheld TransCanada's rights. In Texas, as in most states, the landowner can only challenge the settlement not the action.
cont'
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Standing-Tall-for-Landowne-by-Walter-Brasch-130519-327.html
KEYSTONE XL, Through Transcanada, Uses EMINENT DOMAIN To SEIZE Texan's Land
Julia Trigg Crawford by StateImpact/NPR
Wake up!!
Julia Trigg Crawford of Direct, Texas, is the manager of a 650-acre farm that her grandfather first bought in 1948. The farm produces mostly corn, wheat, and soy. On its north border is the Red River; to the west is the Bois d'Arc Creek. TransCanada is an Alberta-based corporation that is building the controversial Keystone Pipeline that will carry bitumen--thicker, more corrosive and toxic, than crude oil--through 36-inch diameter pipes from the Alberta tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast, mostly to be exported. The $2.3 billion southern segment, about 485 miles from Cushing, Okla., to the Gulf Coast is nearly complete. With the exception of a 300-mile extension between Cushing and Steele City, Neb., the rest of the $7 billion 1,959 mile pipeline is being held up until President Obama either succumbs to corporate and business pressures or blocks the construction because of environmental and health concerns.
When TransCanada first approached Crawford's father in 2008, and offered to pay about $7,000 for easement rights, he refused, telling the company, "We don't want you here." He said the corporation could reroute the line, just as other pipeline companies in oil-rich Texas had done for decades. TransCanada increased the offer in the following years, but the family still refused. In August 2012, with Dick Crawford's daughter, Julia Trigg Crawford now managing the farm, TransCanada offered $21,626 for an easement--and a threat. "We were given three days to accept their offer," she says, "and if we didn't, they would condemn the land and seize it anyway." She still refused.
And so, TransCanada, a foreign corporation exercised the right of eminent domain to seize two acres of the farm so it could build a pipeline. Governments may seize private property if that property must be taken for public use and the owner is given fair compensation. Although the exercise of eminent domain to seize land for the public good is commonly believed to be restricted to the government, federal law permits natural gas companies to use it. To get that "right," all TransCanada had to do was fill out a one-page form and check a box that the corporation to declare itself to be a "common carrier." The Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas in Texas, merely processes the paper, rather than investigates the claim; it has admitted it has never denied "common carrier" status. In the contorted logic that is often spun by corporations, TransCanada then declared itself to be a common carrier because the Railroad Commission said it was, even though the Commission's jurisdiction applies only to intrastate, not interstate, carriers.
On Aug. 21, 2012, the day before Judge Bill Harris of Lamar County rendered his decision on Crawford's complaint, the sheriff, with the judge's signature, issued a writ of possession giving TransCanada the right to seize the land. The next day, Harris issued a 15-word decision, transmitted by his iPhone, that upheld TransCanada's rights. In Texas, as in most states, the landowner can only challenge the settlement not the action.
cont'
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Standing-Tall-for-Landowne-by-Walter-Brasch-130519-327.html
May 19, 2013
The Turtle takes a step back!!
On Sunday, during an appearance on Meet The Press, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — the GOP leader in the senate — distanced himself from Republican efforts to portray the Obama administration’s response to the attacks on a U.S. diplomatic issue in Benghazi, Libya as a Watergate-level scandal that should result in impeachment. McConnell’s comments come just days after the White House released 100 pages of emails undermining GOP claims that administration officials doctored the public talking points U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice used to discuss the incident on the Sunday morning talk shows.
“You’re talking about others who may have said various things about this, let me tell you what I think about it. It’s clear there was inadequate security out there and it’s very clear that it was inconvenient within six weeks of the election, for the administration to in effect announce, that it was a terrorist attack,” McConnell said. “I think that’s worth examining, it is going to be examined.”
But asked repeatedly if Republicans should tone down their attacks against the administration, McConnell demurred, saying only that Obama should allow for an investigation. He also couldn’t identify specific evidence of an administration cover-up:
DAVID GREGORY (HOST): But you have specific evidence that they made up a tale, or was it based on information they had at the time?
MCCONNELL: Well, the talking points clearly were not accurate. I think getting to the bottom of this is an important investigation.
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/05/19/2033451/mitch-mcconnell-backs-away-from-gop-claims-of-a-benghazi-cover-up/
Mitch McConnell BACKS AWAY From GOP CLAIMS Of A Benghazi COVER UP
The Turtle takes a step back!!
On Sunday, during an appearance on Meet The Press, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — the GOP leader in the senate — distanced himself from Republican efforts to portray the Obama administration’s response to the attacks on a U.S. diplomatic issue in Benghazi, Libya as a Watergate-level scandal that should result in impeachment. McConnell’s comments come just days after the White House released 100 pages of emails undermining GOP claims that administration officials doctored the public talking points U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice used to discuss the incident on the Sunday morning talk shows.
“You’re talking about others who may have said various things about this, let me tell you what I think about it. It’s clear there was inadequate security out there and it’s very clear that it was inconvenient within six weeks of the election, for the administration to in effect announce, that it was a terrorist attack,” McConnell said. “I think that’s worth examining, it is going to be examined.”
But asked repeatedly if Republicans should tone down their attacks against the administration, McConnell demurred, saying only that Obama should allow for an investigation. He also couldn’t identify specific evidence of an administration cover-up:
DAVID GREGORY (HOST): But you have specific evidence that they made up a tale, or was it based on information they had at the time?
MCCONNELL: Well, the talking points clearly were not accurate. I think getting to the bottom of this is an important investigation.
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/05/19/2033451/mitch-mcconnell-backs-away-from-gop-claims-of-a-benghazi-cover-up/
May 19, 2013
Petition: ABC NEWS: FIRE JON KARL
This petition will be delivered to ABC NEWS:
We, The People have a Constitution that names the media as our Fourth Estate, and worthy of Constitutional protections. When our media peddles lies as truth for ideological ends, it misinforms & disinforms the People & undermines the Democracy which we are pledged to defend. Such acts deserve NO Constitutional protection. http://fair.org/extra-online-articles/a-right-wing-mole-at-abc-news/
To:
ABC NEWS
Fire Jon Karl
Sincerely,
[Your name]
http://www.change.org/petitions/abc-news-fire-jon-karl
To:
ABC NEWS
Fire Jon Karl
Sincerely,
[Your name]
http://www.change.org/petitions/abc-news-fire-jon-karl
May 19, 2013
A quotation attributed to Winston Churchill, “A well educated population is the cornerstone of democracy,” was Churchill’s praise for America’s universal education system that Republicans are attempting to bring to a whimpering end. It is in Republicans’ paymasters’ best interest to keep the public ignorant regarding science, because if their sycophants ever understood why science is so important to the nation’s well-being, they would lose a major share of their supporters; especially conservative Christians. Science has been under assault from the religious right because it disproves the mythos inherent in ancient Bronze Age understanding of the world, and to indoctrinate the next generation of Americans into believing fantasy over science, religious groups and Republicans are on a campaign to bring an end to science to advance religion and oil industry profits. A couple of weeks ago a parent of a student enrolled in a Christian private school was shocked and appalled that his child was being taught creationist dogma as science. The image of the child’s 4th grade science quiz is not a joke, but it is typical of science instruction at private religious schools all over America, and unfortunately, it is being taught in public schools in Republican-controlled states such as Louisiana where Governor Bobby Jindal admitted he was thumbing his nose at the Constitution in pursuit of inculcating ancient fairy tales to public school children in lieu of science. Republican attacks on science have nothing whatsoever to do with religion or religious freedom, but to advance the interests of the dirty energy industry that is wholly responsible for the dangerous climate change that jeopardizes the world’s population.
The latest assault on science in Congress is courtesy of Lamar Smith (R-TX), who proposes ending what Republicans call “frivolous and wasteful research” in what may be the worst attack on the National Science Foundation (NSF) in history. Smith is the new chair of the House of Representatives science committee, and his legislation replaces scientific peer review at the NSF with funding criteria chosen by conservative Christians in Congress, and to guarantee that every other federal science agency is beholden to money-changers in Congress, it will set in motion a process requiring all federal science research to follow suit. If Smith’s bill becomes law, then it will be climate science deniers on big oil’s payroll who decide what scientists are allowed to research; not the scientific community. Smith’s bill is bad news for American scientific research to be sure, but it is horrible news for any chance America will ever address or take steps to combat global climate change and will provide anti-environmental groups like Koch Industries and fossil fuel advocates cover to continue pouring dangerous chemicals into the air that reached record levels last week.
Over the past few years, scientists and environmentalists gave particularly close attention to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and late last week a monitoring station in Hawaii discovered that the daily mean concentration reached a level that is higher than at any time in human history at 400 parts per million according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA is focused on the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere, and the 400 ppm threshold is 50 ppm over what climate scientists have designated the safe zone for avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. It is noteworthy that it was not the bible, or young-Earth creationists, who noted that the dirty energy industry helped exceed the “safe zone” to avoid deleterious damage of climate change, but then again there is no mention of carbon dioxide destroying the atmosphere in the bible, so the creationist crowd and energy industry has no interest in the dangerous milestone.
The president of the American Meteorological Society, J. Marshall Shepherd, who is also a scientist, said that within the next year climate scientists will “see 400 ppm consistently, and that avoiding the future warming will require a large and rapid reduction in greenhouse gases.” It is not the kind of news Republicans’ in the employ of the energy industry want to hear, because nearly every scientist, environmentalist, and climate-conscious policymaker in the world agree it will require, at a minimum, slashing fossil fuel use, and in the meantime, taking bold steps to adapt for a world with higher temperatures, higher seas, and more extreme weather. Already climate change is wreaking havoc on the environment and is costing Americans hundreds-of-billions of dollars in natural disaster reparations that are the result of drought conditions, flooding, devastating wildfires, and extreme weather events across the nation.
cont'
http://www.politicususa.com/republicans-attack-science-advance-religion-oil-industry-profits.html
Republicans ATTACK SCIENCE To Advance Religion and Oil Industry PROFITS
A quotation attributed to Winston Churchill, “A well educated population is the cornerstone of democracy,” was Churchill’s praise for America’s universal education system that Republicans are attempting to bring to a whimpering end. It is in Republicans’ paymasters’ best interest to keep the public ignorant regarding science, because if their sycophants ever understood why science is so important to the nation’s well-being, they would lose a major share of their supporters; especially conservative Christians. Science has been under assault from the religious right because it disproves the mythos inherent in ancient Bronze Age understanding of the world, and to indoctrinate the next generation of Americans into believing fantasy over science, religious groups and Republicans are on a campaign to bring an end to science to advance religion and oil industry profits. A couple of weeks ago a parent of a student enrolled in a Christian private school was shocked and appalled that his child was being taught creationist dogma as science. The image of the child’s 4th grade science quiz is not a joke, but it is typical of science instruction at private religious schools all over America, and unfortunately, it is being taught in public schools in Republican-controlled states such as Louisiana where Governor Bobby Jindal admitted he was thumbing his nose at the Constitution in pursuit of inculcating ancient fairy tales to public school children in lieu of science. Republican attacks on science have nothing whatsoever to do with religion or religious freedom, but to advance the interests of the dirty energy industry that is wholly responsible for the dangerous climate change that jeopardizes the world’s population.
The latest assault on science in Congress is courtesy of Lamar Smith (R-TX), who proposes ending what Republicans call “frivolous and wasteful research” in what may be the worst attack on the National Science Foundation (NSF) in history. Smith is the new chair of the House of Representatives science committee, and his legislation replaces scientific peer review at the NSF with funding criteria chosen by conservative Christians in Congress, and to guarantee that every other federal science agency is beholden to money-changers in Congress, it will set in motion a process requiring all federal science research to follow suit. If Smith’s bill becomes law, then it will be climate science deniers on big oil’s payroll who decide what scientists are allowed to research; not the scientific community. Smith’s bill is bad news for American scientific research to be sure, but it is horrible news for any chance America will ever address or take steps to combat global climate change and will provide anti-environmental groups like Koch Industries and fossil fuel advocates cover to continue pouring dangerous chemicals into the air that reached record levels last week.
Over the past few years, scientists and environmentalists gave particularly close attention to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and late last week a monitoring station in Hawaii discovered that the daily mean concentration reached a level that is higher than at any time in human history at 400 parts per million according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA is focused on the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere, and the 400 ppm threshold is 50 ppm over what climate scientists have designated the safe zone for avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. It is noteworthy that it was not the bible, or young-Earth creationists, who noted that the dirty energy industry helped exceed the “safe zone” to avoid deleterious damage of climate change, but then again there is no mention of carbon dioxide destroying the atmosphere in the bible, so the creationist crowd and energy industry has no interest in the dangerous milestone.
The president of the American Meteorological Society, J. Marshall Shepherd, who is also a scientist, said that within the next year climate scientists will “see 400 ppm consistently, and that avoiding the future warming will require a large and rapid reduction in greenhouse gases.” It is not the kind of news Republicans’ in the employ of the energy industry want to hear, because nearly every scientist, environmentalist, and climate-conscious policymaker in the world agree it will require, at a minimum, slashing fossil fuel use, and in the meantime, taking bold steps to adapt for a world with higher temperatures, higher seas, and more extreme weather. Already climate change is wreaking havoc on the environment and is costing Americans hundreds-of-billions of dollars in natural disaster reparations that are the result of drought conditions, flooding, devastating wildfires, and extreme weather events across the nation.
cont'
http://www.politicususa.com/republicans-attack-science-advance-religion-oil-industry-profits.html
May 18, 2013
Transcript:
Bill Maher: What about trying to repeal it for the 37th time? Is that a wise use of our resources and time? I mean, at some point obstruction becomes I don’t know, treason. They’ve also blocked Obama’s head of the EPA. There’s no head of the circuit court in DC. At some point, it becomes more about hating him than loving their country.
Michael Moore: No. They hate America. That’s what it is.
Maher: They hate America?
Moore: Yeah, I think these conservatives and right wingers really, for as much as they say they love this country. They hate it. They hate the government. They hate the people.
Maher: Those are really two different things, aren’t they?
Moore: No. Well it shouldn’t be, the government is supposed to be of, for, and by the people. Right? So why is the government the big evil bastard here?
Maher: Cause Merica got taken over by a Kenyan socialist. That’s why… That’s why we need our guns. We might have to take over the government.
Maher and Moore’s discussion brings up an interesting point. Republicans started out by hating this president. Their hate was reflected in obstruction. By obstructing and opposing everything that this president has tried to accomplish, Republicans created the perception that they hate government. Since the American people, not only elect the government, but count on the government to provide safety and security, obstruction has created the perception that Republicans hate the American people.
The mainstream media is so busy treating Obama hate and conspiracy theories as a legitimate point of view that they never stop to consider whether or not they are playing a role in damaging the country. The media loves to talk about the dysfunction in Washington, but they will never acknowledge the role that they continue to play in legitimizing Republican obstruction.
The media is so terrified of the right that they will never bring up the fact that congressional Republicans have violated their oaths of office by refusing to do the duties that they were elected to carry out. This behavior has gotten so extreme that Republicans have taken to boycotting committee hearings for Obama nominees.
cont'
http://www.politicususa.com/bill-maher-media-calling-republican-obstruction-treason.html
Bill Maher Goes Where The Media Won’t By CALLING Republican Obstruction TREASON
Bill Maher did something that the mainstream media won’t. He made the case that the Republican obstruction of Obama has crossed over into treason.
Transcript:
Bill Maher: What about trying to repeal it for the 37th time? Is that a wise use of our resources and time? I mean, at some point obstruction becomes I don’t know, treason. They’ve also blocked Obama’s head of the EPA. There’s no head of the circuit court in DC. At some point, it becomes more about hating him than loving their country.
Michael Moore: No. They hate America. That’s what it is.
Maher: They hate America?
Moore: Yeah, I think these conservatives and right wingers really, for as much as they say they love this country. They hate it. They hate the government. They hate the people.
Maher: Those are really two different things, aren’t they?
Moore: No. Well it shouldn’t be, the government is supposed to be of, for, and by the people. Right? So why is the government the big evil bastard here?
Maher: Cause Merica got taken over by a Kenyan socialist. That’s why… That’s why we need our guns. We might have to take over the government.
Maher and Moore’s discussion brings up an interesting point. Republicans started out by hating this president. Their hate was reflected in obstruction. By obstructing and opposing everything that this president has tried to accomplish, Republicans created the perception that they hate government. Since the American people, not only elect the government, but count on the government to provide safety and security, obstruction has created the perception that Republicans hate the American people.
The mainstream media is so busy treating Obama hate and conspiracy theories as a legitimate point of view that they never stop to consider whether or not they are playing a role in damaging the country. The media loves to talk about the dysfunction in Washington, but they will never acknowledge the role that they continue to play in legitimizing Republican obstruction.
The media is so terrified of the right that they will never bring up the fact that congressional Republicans have violated their oaths of office by refusing to do the duties that they were elected to carry out. This behavior has gotten so extreme that Republicans have taken to boycotting committee hearings for Obama nominees.
cont'
http://www.politicususa.com/bill-maher-media-calling-republican-obstruction-treason.html
May 18, 2013
"....I'll just remind you of the context. Remember, Karl's scoop last week, timed to the testimony of the three consular aides, set off an earthquake. It appeared to show that the administration was chiefly concerned with how the State Department would look, and with doctoring the talking points to minimize political damage. That's pretty damning stuff. It's why a number of commentators who had theretofore said Benghazi was nothing was now something. It's why a lot of people said Jay Carney had lied about the talking points.
But now it turns out, beyond argument, that Karl didn't see the emails, and that portions were read to him and were fabricated. Karl put those fabrications inside quote marks. Let's assume for now the most benign explanation of Karl's behavior: He trusted a source, and that source fucked him.
What should he and ABC do? Do you stand by sources who you know lied to you? There are certain circumstances when "burning" a source is considered permissible. Suppose you were a journalist and a source told you someone had committed a felony but that person had not. Do you have to protect that source? No.
ABC News, if you ask me, has had a worse week than Obama, not that as many people are paying attention. But consider. CNN and Jake Tapper got the actual emails, proving beyond a doubt that ABC and Karl were wrong. And last night on CBS, Scott Pelley and Major Garrett took the unheard of step of basically calling news gatherers at a fellow network liars.
cont'
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/05/17/will-abc-finger-the-liar.html
Is It TIME For Jon Karl To 'BURN HIS SOURCE' For LYING To Him?
The Daily Beast's Michael Tomasky wonders.....
"....I'll just remind you of the context. Remember, Karl's scoop last week, timed to the testimony of the three consular aides, set off an earthquake. It appeared to show that the administration was chiefly concerned with how the State Department would look, and with doctoring the talking points to minimize political damage. That's pretty damning stuff. It's why a number of commentators who had theretofore said Benghazi was nothing was now something. It's why a lot of people said Jay Carney had lied about the talking points.
But now it turns out, beyond argument, that Karl didn't see the emails, and that portions were read to him and were fabricated. Karl put those fabrications inside quote marks. Let's assume for now the most benign explanation of Karl's behavior: He trusted a source, and that source fucked him.
What should he and ABC do? Do you stand by sources who you know lied to you? There are certain circumstances when "burning" a source is considered permissible. Suppose you were a journalist and a source told you someone had committed a felony but that person had not. Do you have to protect that source? No.
ABC News, if you ask me, has had a worse week than Obama, not that as many people are paying attention. But consider. CNN and Jake Tapper got the actual emails, proving beyond a doubt that ABC and Karl were wrong. And last night on CBS, Scott Pelley and Major Garrett took the unheard of step of basically calling news gatherers at a fellow network liars.
cont'
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/05/17/will-abc-finger-the-liar.html
May 18, 2013
Boy do I wish they'd take her advice, but again, I'm not holding my breath.
VIDEO:
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/maddow-fair-game-disclose-names-republican
MADDOW: Fair Game to DISCLOSE NAMES of Republicans WHO LIED to ABC News
After taking her viewers through the whole, long, ugly mess with ABC's big "scoop" on the Benghazi emails and the how the story pretty much fizzled out by the end of the week with the discovery that Republicans were responsible for doctoring the supposed quotes from the emails that they published, Rachel Maddow had given her two cents on ABC still protecting the sources who lied to them.
MADDOW: And now, part of the scandal here is a press scandal. You know what? When you get used like this and you end up publishing false information, false quotes, you have to correct it. But the bigger scandal here is not a process matter, not a press matter. There's a very stark fact that somebody in Congress right now, or somebody working for somebody in Congress right now, a staffer, concocted a big lie to try to make the White House look very desperately bad on this Benghazi scandal that they otherwise have not been able to get traction on.
Who told the lie? And a note to my journalist pals who got involved in this scandal. If your source lied to you, they are not actually a source. They are a con artist and you are their victim. It means you don't have to protect them any more. They're not a source.
When you get lied to, when you are a tool of somebody else's deception, when you get lied to, the person lying to you is no longer a source, they are news. Their lie to you is itself news and you can report that news. Republican Congressional offices shopped a false dossier as if it was a White House email. That is a story. The office and the staffers and the members of Congress maybe who did that... that is news. And if you know who it is, you can say so.
Who told the lie? And a note to my journalist pals who got involved in this scandal. If your source lied to you, they are not actually a source. They are a con artist and you are their victim. It means you don't have to protect them any more. They're not a source.
When you get lied to, when you are a tool of somebody else's deception, when you get lied to, the person lying to you is no longer a source, they are news. Their lie to you is itself news and you can report that news. Republican Congressional offices shopped a false dossier as if it was a White House email. That is a story. The office and the staffers and the members of Congress maybe who did that... that is news. And if you know who it is, you can say so.
Boy do I wish they'd take her advice, but again, I'm not holding my breath.
VIDEO:
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/maddow-fair-game-disclose-names-republican
May 18, 2013
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. The mainstream media should be tired of being shamed. Democrats should be tired of being shamed. But most of all, every American citizen should be tired of being shamed. Shortly after the Benghazi terrorist attack where Ambassador Christopher Stevens was murdered, Fox News and the Republican Party have been hyping and politicizing the event. Early on, Thomas Rick, author of “The Generals,“ said that much in a Fox News Interview where he called out the network. Fox News simply cut the interview short and continued with the uncorroborated hyping of the Benghazi massacre.
Most networks put the Benghazi story in perspective for some time. Fox News’ persistence seemed to have paid off recently when ABC’s Jonathan Karl claimed to have an exclusive that made it seem the State Department was more instrumental than it was in altering the Benghazi talking points. The Whitehouse released 100 pages of Benghazi emails this week. CBS News reported on Thursday that the actual emails differ from what the Republicans released. In other words Republicans doctored the emails they released to the mainstream media and used the mainstream media to create a false scandal.
Huffington Post reports the following.
No one should be surprised by these tactics by the current crop of Tea Party Republicans. They lied to the American people about the benefits of healthcare reform with outrageous claims like death panels and government control of healthcare that the mainstream corporate media was happy to promote. They lied about a carbon tax they once proposed that would have started the mitigation of our climate problems.
There are real scandals out there. It is a scandal that sequester is harming many poor and middle class Americans while provisions are made for the affluent. It is a scandal that Republicans are spending all their legislative time on symbolic items (repealing Obamacare, manufactured scandals) while ignoring policies that can get Americans back to work. It is a scandal that neither party will modify the American tax code that removes the bias for wealth growth of mostly the top 1% (taxing capital gains at a lower rate than the working people’s income).
cont'
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/05/18/what-scandal-republicans-doctored-benghazi-emails/
WHAT SCANDAL? Republicans DOCTORED Benghazi Emails
Republicans doctored Benghazi emails and used the mainstream media to create a false scandal. What good is a media interested in entertainment and not news?
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. The mainstream media should be tired of being shamed. Democrats should be tired of being shamed. But most of all, every American citizen should be tired of being shamed. Shortly after the Benghazi terrorist attack where Ambassador Christopher Stevens was murdered, Fox News and the Republican Party have been hyping and politicizing the event. Early on, Thomas Rick, author of “The Generals,“ said that much in a Fox News Interview where he called out the network. Fox News simply cut the interview short and continued with the uncorroborated hyping of the Benghazi massacre.
Most networks put the Benghazi story in perspective for some time. Fox News’ persistence seemed to have paid off recently when ABC’s Jonathan Karl claimed to have an exclusive that made it seem the State Department was more instrumental than it was in altering the Benghazi talking points. The Whitehouse released 100 pages of Benghazi emails this week. CBS News reported on Thursday that the actual emails differ from what the Republicans released. In other words Republicans doctored the emails they released to the mainstream media and used the mainstream media to create a false scandal.
Huffington Post reports the following.
CBS News reported Thursday that leaked versions sent out by the GOP last Friday had visible differences than Wednesday’s official batch. Two correspondences that were singled out in the report came from National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes and State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.
The GOP version of Rhodes’ comment, according to CBS News: “We must make sure that the talking points reflect all agency equities, including those of the State Department, and we don’t want to undermine the FBI investigation.”
The White House email: “We need to resolve this in a way that respects all of the relevant equities, particularly the investigation.”
The GOP version of Nuland’s comment, according to CBS News: The penultimate point is a paragraph talking about all the previous warnings provided by the Agency (CIA) about al-Qaeda’s presence and activities of al-Qaeda.”
The White House email: “The penultimate point could be abused by members to beat the State Department for not paying attention to Agency warnings.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/16/republicans-benghazi-emails_n_3289428.html
The GOP version of Rhodes’ comment, according to CBS News: “We must make sure that the talking points reflect all agency equities, including those of the State Department, and we don’t want to undermine the FBI investigation.”
The White House email: “We need to resolve this in a way that respects all of the relevant equities, particularly the investigation.”
The GOP version of Nuland’s comment, according to CBS News: The penultimate point is a paragraph talking about all the previous warnings provided by the Agency (CIA) about al-Qaeda’s presence and activities of al-Qaeda.”
The White House email: “The penultimate point could be abused by members to beat the State Department for not paying attention to Agency warnings.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/16/republicans-benghazi-emails_n_3289428.html
No one should be surprised by these tactics by the current crop of Tea Party Republicans. They lied to the American people about the benefits of healthcare reform with outrageous claims like death panels and government control of healthcare that the mainstream corporate media was happy to promote. They lied about a carbon tax they once proposed that would have started the mitigation of our climate problems.
There are real scandals out there. It is a scandal that sequester is harming many poor and middle class Americans while provisions are made for the affluent. It is a scandal that Republicans are spending all their legislative time on symbolic items (repealing Obamacare, manufactured scandals) while ignoring policies that can get Americans back to work. It is a scandal that neither party will modify the American tax code that removes the bias for wealth growth of mostly the top 1% (taxing capital gains at a lower rate than the working people’s income).
cont'
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/05/18/what-scandal-republicans-doctored-benghazi-emails/
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