Closing down on the Friday OPEN thread UPDATED
Shot by Dan Saturday at Tudor's Biscuit World on Church Avenue.
“Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits.”
Carl Sandburg
Unless they have food left over at closing time, in which case they’ll open tomorrow, today’s the last day for the best biscuit in town, and the best cup of coffee downtown.
Get’em while you can at Tudor’s Biscuit World on Church Avenue. And sign this book while you’re at it.
Good luck to Louis and Jessica and family.
Update: I dropped by Tudors at lunch time today, and Jessica told me they probably will be open Saturday morning because they didn’t sell out of food on Friday. She described Saturday as a “soft-closing” day.
September 14, 2012 - 5:46 PM
And now, another Open Thread update on one of my recurring rants the “CSI effect”:
http://tinyurl.com/9tur4vn
**
Conventional Forensic Theory on Order of Bugs That Feast on Corpses Upended
Beetles might precede blowflies (not vice versa, as forensic entomology has long suggested), a finding that could change time of death and other calculations made by crime-scene investigators
By Alaina G. Levine
SNIP
Since the dawn of modern forensic science in the 19th century, the general belief has been that the order in which carrion-attending arthropods descend starts with blowflies, proceeds to maggots (from the fly eggs) and then moves on to beetles and other predators. Now a 27-year-old graduate student has determined that this is not always the case. Her research could represent a fly in the ointment (we could not resist) for the still burgeoning field of forensic entomology, in which scientists use bug evidence to help them solve crimes.
SNIP
**
As I have posted before, LEOs, prosecutors, and judges gripe about the CSI effect, (namely that juries are so mislead by the TV CSI fiction about what can and is routinely done that they expect magic in cases where in real life that fictional forensics is just that — fictional).
And OTOH, we have defense attorneys griping about the bogus CSI work and/or the undue weight given to “expert” state witnesses by juries that believe in the TV magic and the infallibility of CSI.
Right-wing lunatics continue to embarrass the citizens of Kansas:
“State panel wants more information before ruling on Obama’s ballot eligibility”
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2012/sep/13/state-panel-wants-more-information-ruling-obamas-b/
Left-wing lunatics continue to embarrass the citizens of the U.S….Gdad…you`re an embarrassment to the male population.
Many times folk here have bantered back and forth on UN, treaties / et al v. the Constitution, National & State Laws et al — often re: 2A.
Here is some discussion re: 1A
http://tinyurl.com/8zhs756
**
Prof. Peter Spiro on Why “Hate Speech” Should Be “Ban[ned]” in the U.S. — and on How It Might Be Done, Using International Law
Eugene Volokh • September 13, 2012 11:27 am
From yesterday’s Opinion Juris post by Prof. Peter Spiro, one of the leading international law scholars in the country:
The deplorable killing of Chris Stevens in Libya suggests a foreign relations law rationale for banning hate speech.
SNIP
But how can this be done, given the First Amendment? Well, in Treaties, International Law, and Constitutional Rights, published in 2003 in the Stanford Law Review (one of the top three law journals in the country, Prof. Spiro suggested a mechanism: American decisions to sign on to international treaties may cut back on the scope of the protections of the Bill of Rights, for instance the First Amendment.
True, the Supreme Court has supposedly said otherwise, in Reid v. Covert (1957): “[N]o agreement with a foreign nation can confer power on the [federal government] which is free from the restraints of the Constitution” (speaking of the Bill of Rights). But, Prof. Spiro argues, this supremacy of the Bill of Rights really isn’t that strong: The President and the Senate can, in the long run, “insinuat[e] international law” that would create “a partial displacement of constitutional hegemony” (for instance, with “an international norm against hate speech … supply[ing] a basis for prohibiting it, the First Amendment notwithstanding”). “In the short term,” international norms would and should be “relevan[t] … in domestic constitutional interpretation.” But “In the long run, it may point to the Constitution’s more complete subordination.”
SNIP
**
and
http://tinyurl.com/9mlzkuy
**
Former Yale Dean Harold Koh (Now Legal Adviser at the State Department) on Dealing with “Hate Speech” by “Applying … the Transnationalist Approach to Judicial Interpretation”
Eugene Volokh • September 13, 2012 12:38 pm
Related to my post about Prof. Peter Spiro’s views on how international law could be used to diminish the force of U.S. First Amendment protection, I thought I’d note again some thoughts that I noted in 2009 from Harold Koh, former dean of Yale Law School and now Legal Adviser at the State Department, in his 2003 Stanford Law Review article On American Exceptionalism. Dean Koh, one of the most prominent and influential legal internationalists in the U.S., identifies the tactics that fellow internationalists can use to help shift American constitutional law to more closely mirror “international law” norms, including when it comes to “hate speech.”
SNIP
**
Does the switch of focus from 2A to 1A change anyone’s opinion on the tactic or raise any concerns?
That is sad. Another small business closing down. I wonder why?
Hey anybody hear that the genius we have in the FED is going to print a bunch of Benjamins for the purpose of helping the economy?
Thats great to know that EVERYTHING I buy from now on will cost more. Great Idea, deflate the dollar. Inflate prices!!
That will sure help the economy in the long run.
Very sad. I’ve always a big fan of Tudors. As you said, best biscuit in town. The Tarheel was my favorite and introduced me to the joy of a hash brown ON the biscuit. Best of luck to Louis & Co. You’ll be missed.
The Other Title Is Funnier
Does anyone else think that some religious people are no better than dogs when they react with violence over an insult to their religion?
A case in point would be the recent video in the news and how some Muslims reacted with murderous riots over the perceived insult. Isn’t it time they grow up and act like adults? Because people who will kill over an insult, real or imaginary, are a disgrace to humanity.
In the past year I have been active in a number of Virginia localities to stop Christian prayers that have crept into government meetings. My efforts have included editorial letters, emails, phone calls, and numerous occasions that I have spoken in front of boards of supervisors. Some of those meetings were full houses, jam packed with Christians and their priestcrafters, many of whom were obviously hostile towards me.
Yet, for all the angry emails and nasty phone calls I have received, all the hateful looks and snide remarks – not once have I been attacked, or even threatened by a Christian for criticizing that religion. Had I done these same things regarding Islam in a Muslim county, not only would I have been beaten and jailed repeatedly, I would have been killed several times.
So between Christian and Islamic influenced cultures, there is a tangible difference in the degree of mental illness they represent (only we know the true God and you must agree with us), though some betterment is due to western laws guaranteeing freedom of religion and separation of church and state.
In closing, Islam deserves insults, non-stop, until the violent mutts within that religion are cast out by other followers. So in light of what they deserve, my alternate title for this missive will be: Islam is Mental Dog Food.
I’ll change my opinion when they change their behavior.
Here’s an important question about the presidential election that I’d like our “conservative” posters to answer: during this year’s run for the presidency, Rmoney has described himself as “severely conservative”. The question for you “conservatives’ is: is that true, or was Rmoney lying?
“Romney debuted the new adverb (“severely”) at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. Before that, he had spent months and millions spent to convince supporters of his conservatism–but somehow managed the opposite.
Since November, the number of Republican-leaning voters convinced that he is a strong conservative has actually dropped, from 53 percent to 42, according to a Pew Research Center poll.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romney-reframes-himself-as-a-severely-conservative-governor/2012/02/14/gIQAaMiqHR_story.html
Sure gonna miss my favorite off their menu, the Tarheel. Eat one of those in the morning with a cup of coffee and you could skip lunch and supper that day, no problem. I hope the reason they closed PP was that they had made enough money to sail off into the sunset…they seem like good folk and I wish them well.
I gather from RWT2557′s post that he or she is one of the right-wing lunatics to which gdad refers. Another birther? Really?
Although the closing of a small business is sad, it is more a sign of the times – companies laying off workers, closing plants only to build new plants overseas, and outsourcing these jobs – makes a significant impact on small businesses. Businesses need customers, customers need jobs, jobs are now “outsourced” – which leads to no income – no customers – no sales and small businesses struggle… and around, and around we go.
My husband and I were small business owners, and we were fortunate to be successful. Although we continued to make a profit and had increased sales yearly, by the time Bush was leaving office, we could see the proverbial “handwriting on the wall” – with two wars, the banking crisis, home foreclosures, and the economy declining, we decided to sell the business, and our store. Both were sold to other small businesses – and although they have struggled, both are still doing well enough to continue on. Sometimes success is in the timing, sometimes it is luck, but always it is the small business owners that take the financial hit when the economy slowly grinds to a halt – their struggles and sacrifices often go unnoticed. Dan, to his credit, often points out small businesses – their successes and their doom.
And before the RWers go off the deep end and begin to blame the current President, some information may be helpful.
“Obama’s attention has been focused on small firms as creators of new ideas and technology. During his first year in office, grants to small companies from a federal research and development program jumped 8% to $1.9 billion.
[...]
Despite these efforts, nearly every small business survey shows the main worry right now is weak sales.”
http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/07/smallbusiness/Romney-Obama-Small-Biz/index.htm
#3 Oh look, Dolto’s back.
#5 Because he didn’t change enough to accommodate people who no longer want biscuits for breakfast?
Someone needs to follow the money on this anti-Islamic “movie.”
BTW, I notice that the “film” (or video or whatever it is) might have been made by a Coptic Christian. Thanks.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/romney-middle-income_n_1883819.html
O Rmoney.
“Mitt Romney is promising to reduce taxes on middle-income Americans.
But how does he define “middle-income”? The Republican presidential nominee defined it as income of $200,000 to $250,000 a year.”
Current median household income in this country is $50K. He’s not too out of touch.
PP, Bernanke recognizes that it’s either inflate (not deflate, btw) the dollar, or deflate the economy. If you believe the former is worse than the latter, I’d refer you to the Great Depression.
HuffPo is a Democrat Party site. Do you have an authentic link to a real source?
Henry,
Here’s one: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2012/president/candidates/romney/2012/09/14/romney-middle-income-and-less/Ubi0sPwZhs5f8UwS7jCDRP/story.html
Cue Henry’s retort: “Boston.com is a Democratic Party site. Do you have an authentic link to a real source?”
Sorry, but I couldn’t find a link to FreeRepublic, Newsmax or WND for that one.
Kinda funny how no one ever heard of this movie until riots started on the other side of the world. Has anyone here even seen the movie? Anyone? Bueller?
House GOP Bill Would Actually End Welfare Reform Work Requirements
“Republicans have embraced a widely debunked premise to attack President Obama for “gutting” welfare reform. But a House GOP bill that has already cleared a major committee would actually ax the welfare program’s work requirements, according to Congress’ nonpartisan referee.”
Oh, the irony.
Does anyone really think that some movie that only a handful of people actually saw in June of 2012 resulted in a spontaneous, unplanned, uncoordinated, random attack on the US embasy in Libya where rocket grenade launchers were used?
This was planned in advance, and had nothing to do with a movie that hardly anyone has even seen.
#19 Another lie by Henry.
#21 In fact people DID hear of it before then, Henry. Just because YOU didn’t hear of it means nothing.
For those who want to see the video that is causing the riots, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfVsfOSbJY0
And now for some more stupidity from the Rethugs:
“The attacks on American embassies and diplomats are outrageous. The administration owes the American people detailed answers on how this happened and how it can be prevented in the future,” DeMint said in a statement.”
I wonder if DeMint demanded similar guarantees from Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and BushII?
As I said before, the ReTHUGS are working hard to make sure Americans don’t come together behind the president in a time of possible crisis. The plan by right wingers to divide the country has never been more apparent than it is now.
6. PP – Mr. Bernanke should be paraded down the streets of NY to Times Square. As a hero and the savior of the World’s economy. He has managed, in spite of Congress, to keep us out of a Depression, to keep us out of a double dip recession, to keep inflation from rising, to keep the dollar strong but at a level that our exports grow. From the beginning he has had to fight off the naysayers, those that swore inflation was going through the roof, those that swore interest rates would destroy us, those that complained that oil prices and commodities would balloon, those that swore the dollar was worthless.
The many amateur economists that try to compare today’s economy with the late 1970s and early 1980s. Those that follow Ron Paul’s gold standard BS (not even enough gold in the world to back even 1/10th of the world’s or US currency), that simply don’t have a clue.
Bernanke recognized today’s economy as unique and took action to see us through. Congress and especially the Tea Party simply have had no clue and have done more to damage the economy each and every day. Their austerity pleas were and are simply wrong and all it takes is a look at Europe to see how wrong it is.
Ben Bernanke took action when the government was frozen by the naysayers and is a hero. He advised both GW Bush and Obama and thankfully Obama had the good sense to keep him on as Fed Chairman.
As to the Tea Party – you were used by the GOP to take control of Congress from the Democrats, but the GOP has paid dearly for their manipulation. The sooner the Tea Party slips away into the night, the better democracy will be.
Your source refutes your argument:
‘No, middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 and less,’ Romney responded.
And less. PWN3D!
“Does anyone really think that some movie that only a handful of people actually saw in June of 2012 resulted in a spontaneous, unplanned, uncoordinated, random attack on the US embasy in Libya where rocket grenade launchers were used?
This was planned in advance, and had nothing to do with a movie that hardly anyone has even seen.”
Funny, Rush said almost exactly this, this afternoon.
Are the leftwingers really sticking to this phony story that the ‘movie’ caused all this rioting. That’s what the 0bama WH is saying. They’re saying the attacks were not premeditated. See, this is the only way they can avoid blame for 0bama.
0bama must think all of America is as stupid as his base.
0bama is getting hurt badly on these uprisings. He supported and funded them. Romney is kicking his ass on this daily. Romney is the one looking presidential.
Not hard to see the Right Wing Talking Point of the Day. They’re regurgitating it verbatim.
Art Hill, one of the guys who claims to have made the “movie” says he did it with money from 100 “private investors”. I’m sure the list would be interesting.
Rush? Rush who? Oh, the guy who you were going to shut down Dan? The guy who is in decline that nobody listens to? Say it isn’t so Dan!
Sorry to pop your bubble Dan. I don’t listen to Rush Limbaugh. I listened to Dr. David Jeremiah who had part 2 of his wrap up on Mary Magdalene today, and Dr. Woodrow Kroll who continued his discussion on the book of Revelation.
Check their websites if you don’t believe me.
This is just common sense. No one has seen this video. No one even knows anyone who has seen this video. You don’t bring rocket grandade launchers to a random and spontaneous act.
I sure didn’t need Rush Limbaugh to figure that out for me.
But, not surprised YOU listen to him.
@28 – Ahhhh and….. so you’re by your response there supposedly it could be taken that you’re saying all of these attacks are just going off one by one because of a movie on the interwebs?
Henry, you asked for a non “Democratic Party” source. I provided it, then you cherry picked a couple of grafs from it to make it look like Romney WASN’T specifying $200-250k as “middle” income. Here’s the full context:
‘‘No one can say my plan is going to raise taxes on middle-income people, because principle number one is (to) keep the burden down on middle-income taxpayers,’’ Romney told host George Stephanopoulos.
‘‘Is $100,000 middle income?’’ Stephanopoulos asked.
‘‘No, middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 and less,’’ Romney responded.
His campaign later clarified that Romney was referencing household income, not individual income.
The Census Bureau reported this week that the median household income — the midpoint for the nation — is just over $50,000.”
So, at the least, there is ambiguity there about what he believes. That is the Romney way with just about everything else, too. Abortion, gun control, gay marriage, global warming etc
On a personal note, I would add that apparently Romney considers me “poor.” But he seems intent on raising my taxes, while cutting his own. I don’t understand that.
Another way to underscore my point might be to pose this question: Would you rather burn a bible in front of a church in Washington, DC, or burn a koran in front of a mosque in Tripoli? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FFkHb6b8ZU
So, according to Mitt, $100,000 is not middle income because middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 or less. He thinks $100,000 is not less than $200,000? Did he realize what he was saying? The debates are looking like they could be very entertaining.
No you guys conveniently left out the “and less” part of the speech because it didn’t fit your talking points.
“But he seems intent on raising my taxes”
You are making things up now.
dobbs,
It’s pretty ambiguous what he meant. Maybe he meant $100,000 is not the upper reach of “middle income.” Maybe he meant anywhere between $200-250,000 is middle income and that $100,000 is not. Maybe he considers $100k “middle income” despite his statement that he doesn’t. Whatever, the range he cited is high as hell, given that the median household income is 1/4th of the lower-end figure. It speaks to how out of touch he is. Which is understandable, for a guy hauling down $20 million a year and who builds elevators for his cars.
Somebody in the Repub Party has gotten to the nutcase in Kansas:
“Manhattan (Kansas) man drops challenge to Obama on state ballot”
While it seems obvious that the attacks in Libya were preplanned — suzie is LYING yet again when she says the WH is saying the film caused all the rioting (“U.S. officials suspect that a group sympathetic to al Qaeda used the protests over the film as cover for the complex and well-coordinated attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi”) — are right wingers on this blog suggesting that all those folks screaming about the video are in fact faking the reason for their rage?
Riiiiight
#38 Well, Dave, given a choice, I’d rather do neither.
I wonder how much the laborers that installed Mitt’s car elevator got paid. I wonder how it compares to what the car elevator salesperson made. I wonder where all of them fit into Mitt’s idea of the middle class.
More likely one of the Obama hitmen got to him Gdad.
$20 says Obama doesn’t win Kansas. With or without his name on the ballot it makes no difference.
Dan/Kristen and others,
“Obama also has set his definition for “middle class” as families with income of up to $250,000 a year.”
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/romney-middle-income-200k-250k-152818009.html
Also noted in the link from Huffington posted by Kristen, however the Huffington post for some reason omitted the “or less” from Romneys definition. Can’t imagine why they would leave this part out?
Why is is that Romney is out of touch for saying the middle-class is those families earning 200-250k or less however it is ok for Obama to say the same?
The Libyan attack was a well planned, coordinated terrorist attack. There already exists evidence that the attack was carried out by a Libyan branch of Al Quaeda. These other demonstartions are not close to being as well organized or as deadly as the Libyan attack. That is not to say that the initial demonstrations were not purposely incited by some radical jihadist group who used the video to incite gullible followers and take advantage of existing anti american sentiment. Once the intitial demonstrations took place and got the worldwide neww and internet/social network coverage that they have been given, it is easy to see how they would proliferte and spread to other middle east nations and cities.
That does not make the video any less hateful or idiotic nor does it make it any less responsible for the proliferation of the attacks and the creation of the volatile situation. Dave Gresham, it seems to me that you are painting Muslims with much too broad a brush. The vast majority of Muslis do not participate in or condone the violence and the attacks. It is the small percentage who are drawn to the radical elements that create the violence and give a bad name to all Muslims.
“Also noted in the link from Huffington posted by Kristen, however the Huffington post for some reason omitted the “or less” from Romneys definition. Can’t imagine why they would leave this part out?”
–Comment by Big Momma.
Here is the link from Huffington Post that Kristen posted, following by the first two grafs of the story at that link.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/romney-middle-income-200k-250k-152818009.html
BOSTON (AP) — Mitt Romney is promising to reduce taxes on middle-income Americans.
But how does he define “middle-income”? The Republican presidential nominee defined it Friday as income of $200,000 to $250,000 a year and less.
Read the end of the 3rd sentence closely with your own eyes. Does it include the phrase “$200,000 to $250,000 a year and less” or not?
Now consider BM’s statement that HuffPost left off “or less.”
And ask yourself, who is being dishonest here? Kristen? Huffington Post? Or BM?
“money from 100 “private investors”.’
A 501(c)(4) no doubt. This is beginning to smell.
So does anyone actually believe that some well-heeled anti-Obama forces plotted this thing? That they had the movie made, then made sure it was seen by the right people in the mideast in the hopes of fomenting the rage we’re seeing now, knowing that it would put the president in a pickle in the middle of a close election?
I don’t buy that, at the this point. It seems like the kind of conspiracy stuff the 911 truthers are pushing.
And ask yourself, who is being dishonest here? Kristen? Huffington Post? Or BM?
Comment by Dan Casey — September 14, 2012 @ 4:31 pm
Dan,
You’re an idiot.
The article was updated after 4:00PM to reference the correct statement.
Read Kristens original quotation pasted below. And then look at the article update time.
Boy, you struggle more every day.
“Mitt Romney is promising to reduce taxes on middle-income Americans.
But how does he define “middle-income”? The Republican presidential nominee defined it as income of $200,000 to $250,000 a year.”
Comment by Kristen — September 14, 2012 @ 2:14 pm
Romney: ‘Middle-Income’ Up To $250,000 Per Year
AP | By STEVE PEOPLES Posted: 09/14/2012 9:47 am Updated: 09/14/2012 4:18 pm
So Dan, ask yourself again, who is more dishonest? You, Kristen or the Huffington Post?
I think Kristen just copied and pasted, you are just too dumb to know better or pay attention to the details, so I go with Huffington Post.
P.S.- Other sites had the correct quotation in the AP article long before 4:19PM.
“Dan,
You’re an idiot.
The article was updated after 4:00PM to reference the correct statement.
Read Kristens original quotation pasted below. And then look at the article update time.”
And BM made the comment at 4:25 p.m.
So I ask again: who is being more dishonest here? Huffington Post, which apparently fixed the thing, or BM, who was criticizing them for being dishonest 25 minutes AFTER they fixed it, without initially acknowledging the update.
Dan,
Once again, I pasted when the article was updated.
It was 4:18PM.
Now I know numbers aren’t your thing, but if I posted at 4:25, well this is not 25 minutes after they fixed it as you claim in post #54. Rather 6 minutes.
Well I guess we know who is dishonest.
Who the heck taught you math? Once again, you struggle more every day.
A larger issues is that other media websites had the correct AP article hours ago. I guess if something like this happened to Obama, the RTs and you would dedicate your time and print to interpret the real meaning.
The real and by far largest issue is that Romney and Obama both give the same range for the middle class.
Why was Romney’s definition questioned?
#51 I don’t see any evidence at this point, Dan, but…
#465 Really, Bob H? So if it was an Obama “hitman,” don’t you think this guy, who can’t stand Obama, would have said that? Instead, he simply said he was under pressure to drop it.
Translation: The Repubs don’t want this nutcase gumming things up. THEY pressured him to drop it.
From the Sun Sentinel in the beautiful battleground state of Florida, an assessment of Willard Romney:
Republicans Are Finished – September 14, 2012
“Fact is: hardly anyone really likes Mitt Romney, even people who say they do — and it showed. He’s everybody’s Cracker Jack box without a prize, the kid to whose birthday party no one wants to be invited to, even though his house has a swimming pool. He’s the would-be head of the richest and most powerful nation on earth, from whom you wouldn’t buy a vacuum cleaner without a money-back guarantee.” http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/fl-sgduel-oped0914-20120914,0,7920623.story
ouch…
old news:
http://tinyurl.com/9loravv
**
New details emerge of anti-Islam film’s mystery producer
By Moni Basu, CNN
updated 10:31 AM EDT, Fri September 14, 2012
SNIP
The actors who’d responded to a July 2011 casting call thought they were making an adventure film set 2,000 years ago called “Desert Warrior.” That’s how Backstage magazine and other acting publications described it.
SNIP
Instead, the movie, backed by hardcore anti-Islam groups in the United States, is a tome on Islam as fraud. In trailers posted on YouTube in July, viewers saw this: scene after scene of the Prophet Mohammed portrayed as a womanizer, buffoon, ruthless killer and child molester.
SNIP
A production staff member who worked on the film in its initial stages told CNN that an entirely different name was filed on the paperwork for the Screen Actors Guild: Abenob Nakoula Bassely. A public records search showed an Abanob B. Nakoula residing at the same address as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula.
He believed the filmmaker was a Coptic Christian and when the two spoke on the phone during production, the filmmaker said he was in Alexandria, Egypt, raising money for the film. There has been a long history of animosity between Muslims and the minority Copts in Egypt.
SNIP
Several other aliases — Mark Basseley Youssef, Yousseff M. Basseley, Nicola Bacily and Malid Ahlawi — were all listed as aliases in the indictment. Other court documents listed Thomas J. Tanas, Ahmad Hamdy and Erwin Salameh also as aliases.
SNIP
**
———-
http://tinyurl.com/9sdwdk6
**
The Muslim Protests: Two Myths Down, Three to Go
By Robert Wright
Sep 13 2012, 10:06 PM ET 71
Here is the narrative that pretty much everyone was buying into 36 hours ago: Crude anti-Islam film made by Israeli-American and funded by Jews leads to Muslim protests that boil over, causing four American deaths in Libya.
Here is what now seems to be the case: the anti-Islam film wasn’t made by an Israeli-American, wasn’t funded by Jews, and probably had nothing to do with the American deaths, which seem to have resulted from a long-planned attack by a specific terrorist group, not spontaneous mob violence.
In retrospect, the original narrative should have aroused immediate suspicion. If, for example, this lethal attack on an American consulate in a Muslim country was really spontaneous, isn’t it quite a coincidence that it happened on 9/11?
SNIP
**
———-
http://tinyurl.com/92q5ydy
**
September 14th, 2012
03:00 AM ET
Jewish groups mad about initial reports on anti-Islam film
By Lateef Mungin
(CNN) – Jewish groups are upset that the initial reporting about the anti-Islam movie known as “Innocence of Muslims” depicted the film as being financed by a group of Jewish donors.
SNIP
Initial reports including one in the Wall Street Journal that the filmmaker was a 52-year-old Israeli-American from California named Sam Bacile and that Jewish donors had financed his film
SNIP
Federal officials now believe the man behind the film is Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, who was convicted in 2009 of bank fraud. Media staked out the man’s home Thursday and a friend said he is in hiding.
A production staff member who worked on the film told CNN that he believed the filmmaker was a Coptic Christian. The production staff member, who did not want to be identified, said when the two spoke on the phone during production, the filmmaker said he was in Alexandria, Egypt, raising money for the film. There has been a long history of animosity between Muslims and the minority Copts in Egypt.
Though the truth about the film’s backing seems to be emerging, some say it took too long for reporters to begin investigating the filmmakers claims.
SNIP
**
———-
http://tinyurl.com/9oqyuvx
**
Behind the inflammatory video, a vast right-wing network
September 14 2012
It turns out that the “Israeli American” and Jewish donors do not exist, and the real architects of the film include a right-wing Egyptian American Christian convicted of bank fraud in 2010, and a longtime U.S. religious right activist with ties to Christian militias and Obama-hating clergy.
Justice Department investigators say Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, who lives in southern California, was a key player on the film. He is still under a five-year probation from the 2010 fraud case, which includes barring him from Internet use.
Nakoula is a Coptic Christian, a mainstream Egyptian branch of Christianity whose believers are about 10 percent of Egypt’s population. Nakoula is said to be virulently anti-Muslim. Another right-wing Coptic Egyptian American, Morris Sadek, spread the video to the Middle East via his anti-Islam Arabic-language blog. The film is also linked to Joseph Nasralla Abdelmasih, another far-right Egyptian American Coptic Christian who has been promoted by many of the country’s most vocal anti-Muslim agitators. The Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of North America has issued a statement condemning the film and affirming that “such efforts to insult and offend a neighbor with which the Copts have coexisted for nearly fourteen centuries violate the fundamental teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and contradict the virtues of love and tolerance by which Christians are governed.”
SNIP
**
A bit more current:
http://tinyurl.com/9p5krjg
**
Filmmaker linked to anti-Islam production faces probation review
By Michael Martinez and Miguel Marquez, CNN
updated 6:53 PM EDT, Fri September 14, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
o A review of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula’s probation is ongoing
o He was convicted of bank fraud in 2009
o A court spokeswoman couldn’t provide when and why the probation review began
o Federal officials consider Nakoula the person behind “Innocence of Muslims”
SNIP
**
Re: Comment by Richard J Beason, CPA — September 14, 2012 @ 2:58 pm
Those that follow Ron Paul’s gold standard BS (not even enough gold in the world to back even 1/10th of the world’s or US currency), that simply don’t have a clue.
—————–
Sure they have a clue — to their get rich scheme.
Raise the price of gold ten or a hundred fold and there would be enough — and their the few with gold based IRA, horded gold, etc would be super rich.
It’s just an extreme subset of their old, “what’s in it for me; to hell with you” mantra.
Re: Comment by Dan Casey — September 14, 2012 @ 3:08 pm
“Funny, Rush said almost exactly this, this afternoon.”
—————–
Dan,
Even a blind pig finds an acorn — occasionally.
———
And sometimes folk get used.
http://tinyurl.com/95v4a2s
**
Brother of Al Qaeda Leader Offers Peace Plan
Mohamed al-Zawahiri was behind the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, but what he really wants is to make peace with the West.
BY MOHAMED FADEL FAHMY | SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
CAIRO — One of the main organizers of the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on Tuesday has a modest proposal. Mohamed al-Zawahiri, the younger brother of Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri, stood outside the diplomatic compound as demonstrators ripped down the American flag and replaced it with one that read: “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger.” He, along with other Islamists, had called for “peaceful protests” against the U.S.-made film that has since ignited riots across the Middle East, but as he watched thousands of young demonstrators scale the embassy walls, he was thinking about something else entirely.
SNIP
**
———
And others take an opportunity to make their own point.
http://tinyurl.com/8ejvj7n
**
The Silent Hand of Saleh
Was the security lapse at the U.S. embassy in Sanaa a move by Yemen’s former president to show America who still calls the shots?
BY IONA CRAIG | SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
SNIP
But something was not quite right. How had a few hundred unarmed protesters managed to breach the security of one of the most fortified embassies in the world?
The beginning of the answer to that question lay at the outer perimeters of the security cordon and at roadblocks on the streets approaching the U.S. embassy.
As protesters stood chanting on low concrete blocks designed to stop vehicles approaching the compound, Yemen’s Central Security Forces, in their camouflage uniforms, blue berets, and distinctive bright blue-and-orange arm patches looked on. Fifty-caliber machine gun “dushkas” mounted on the back of pick-up trucks, stationed under sun-protecting shelters, menacingly faced the crowd.
Then, without so much as a raised hand from the soldiers, protesters walked straight though the gaps between the yellow and black striped blocks. Like a gentleman holding a door open for a lady, the soldiers, with their AK-47s slung over their shoulders, stepped back, letting the chanting mob through. And as the angry mob marched further towards the embassy building itself the soldiers walked with them, some even smiling.
SNIP
Collusion between security forces and the Saleh family over Thursday’s events at the U.S. embassy in Sanaa would not be the first of its type. The supposedly spontaneous protests bore a striking resemblance to an embassy siege in Sanaa last year that many believe was orchestrated to prove a point.
SNIP
**
Re: Comment by old Rants & Raves (w/ lies) — September 14, 2012 @ 3:13 pm
“0bama is getting hurt badly on these uprisings.”
—————–
Could that be the surprise that old Rants & Raves (w/ lies) has been predicting? Could that be why she/he is so sure of his/her predictions, in the face of the polls? Could old Rants & Raves (w/ lies) be part of the “vast right-wing network” of “U.S. religious right activist with ties to Christian militias and Obama-hating clergy” that is now being linked to the film? Funded the film?
Judge makes NDAA injunction permanent. YAY!
http://monachuslex.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/NDAA_Ruling.pdf
Unfortunately, the Obama administration said previously that they would ignore a permanent injunction.
“So does anyone actually believe that some well-heeled anti-Obama forces plotted this thing?
Behind the inflammatory video, a vast right-wing network”
Color me surprised…
Today the State Board of Health aqllowed itself to be bullied by Kenny the Cooch, ignored common sense, and bowed to him and the religious right over the grqndfathering of clinics which provide abortion services.
On another front, The Radford University Board of Visitors shoe
wed common sense by banning concealed carry on the RU campus.
Kudos to the RU board and raspberries to the State Board of Health.
Going anywhere?
http://tinyurl.com/9nuyaks
**
House passes revamped Stolen Valor Act
By Larry Shaughnessy, CNN Pentagon Producer
updated 7:57 PM EDT, Thu September 13, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
o The bill is aimed at people who lie about military honors then try to profit from the lie
o An earlier version was struck down as a violation of the First Amendment
o This version keys on the element of trying to make money from the deception
o A similar bill is moving through the Senate
This will frost some — but hardly a surprise, IMHO.
http://tinyurl.com/96z4mp5
**
Wisconsin judge strikes down law that ended collective bargaining rights
Law that led to push to recall governor Scott Walker is found unconstitutional after two public-workers unions sue
Associated Press in Madison
guardian.co.uk, Friday 14 September 2012 19.46 EDT
SNIP
Dane County circuit judge Juan Colas ruled Friday that the law violates both the state and US constitution and is null and void. The ruling comes after a lawsuit brought by the Madison teachers union and a union for Milwaukee city employees.
Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie said he was confident the decision will be overturned on appeal.
SNIP
**
Today the State Board of Health aqllowed itself to be bullied by Kenny the Cooch, ignored common sense, and bowed to him and the religious right over the grqndfathering of clinics which provide abortion services.
Oh no. So the baby-killing mills have regulations which will hurt business. Awww. Cry me a freaking river. Libs have put legitimate companies out of business for years this way. So tickled the leftwingers get some of their own medicine.
Good on you, Ken!
Raise your hand if you’ve seen the entire ‘movie’ And…..crickets.
So then you thin some third-world toothless ragheads have seen it?
After a week with two gun battles at residences close by of which one resulted in the death of an 8 year old playing in his grandmother’s yard, I have come to the conclusion that when the pro-gun people can guarantee me that their bullets will only kill the people they are aiming at will I be in favor of easy access to guns. Seeing as how even the NY police cannot hit only their target after many hours of training, I really can’t believe that anyone with a handgun can guarantee that their bullet will not hit me as an innocent bystander. Therefore I am against you using your right to have a weapon and endangering me with your foolish and negligent use of such weapon.
The VA Gov and Cuch made it one Rachel Madow tonight for their abuse of women’s rights. How special for VA to be known for their abuse of women’s rights and their work to shut down legal businesses in the State of VA.
dave:
“On another front, The Radford University Board of Visitors shoe
wed common sense by banning concealed carry on the RU campus.”
dave, I saw a quote a while back that I think you would identify with: “How many gun control advocates does it take to change a light bulb? None. They just pass a law against burned-out bulbs, then curse the darkness wondering why the law doesn’t work.”
Radford University’s display of a solution in search of a problem does not show common sense.
BM, the concept of classes in society is a conceptual one, of you so some reading. Median income, otoh, is strictly a function of numbers. The CONCEPT of what being middle class entails. DOES NOT CHANGE. What has changed is that American wages haven’t kept up. The fact is, the median income us hard pressed to make a family “middle class” these days….far less “upper middle class”.
I don’t know what your little Tourettes fit of screaming and insults was about, BM, but it appears that youre conflating Rmoney’s “middle income” with Obama’s “middle class”, and you’d be completely incorrect. No one’s lying, and no one’s “struggling”. Except Rmoney.
Well, Well, Beason…cry me a damned river ! We own guns…we have always owned guns and will continue to own guns..an old saying comes to mind..“When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns“. Now, won`t that be nice and safe ? Use your head for something other than a hat-rack.
@Richard J Beason, CPA: “…after many hours of training.”
Okay, that’s where you lost me. They couldn’t even remember the couple of basic safety rules that my seven-year-old knows. They completely disregarded what was beyond their target.
Toasters don’t toast toast. People toast toast.
#70 Nice ethnic slur, suzie, you sad SOS.
Dan, is “raghead” really any different than troll girl using the “N” word? Is this what you want on this blog? Pretty soon she’ll back to using monkey boy.
#756 Dolto with a gun. Now that’s a frightening thought.
Right…pass the butter with those 115 grain.
#562 Whoa, BM, dude, calm down.
The Economy is DISMAL….Your children and grandchildren will be punished with tremendous debt in thier future….Start practicing your explanation to them now…They`ll have questions like..“Why did you allow this to happen to us“ ? Why didn`t you get involved and stop people like Obama ?
#30…Its the good people like you , Dan, who continue to listen and make Rush a continued success !
#76….There`s this thing called personal responsibilty, but we`ll probably have to take this very slowly and I don`t have time to babysit right now.
O Doto…you don’t have enough material for one name.
“Dan Casey says:
Toasters don’t toast toast. People toast toast.
Posted on September 15th, 2012″
I’m going to have to disagree, Dan. People toast bread.
(I suppose people could raise their glasses and celebrate the toasted bread, though….)
Gdad,
Obviously you failed reading. I said “More likely” an Obama hitman got to the Kansas guy.
Insecurity about losing elections can cause a stuff like that.
No Dan. Al Quaeda didn’t produce the video. Nor is what is happening their reaction to it either.
And YES this is a direct statement by the Islamists loud and clear that “WE DON’T FEAR APOLOGIST AMERICA OR SPINELESS AND GUTLESS BARACK OBAMA.”
Other than “denounce” the killing (and not the treatment of the corpses, curiously) Obama ain’t done squat.
He’s waiting for the teleprompter to be loaded with the “words” he is supposed to say.
13 Suns, people who have toasters toast.
“Gdad,
Obviously you failed reading. I said “More likely” an Obama hitman got to the Kansas guy.”
BobH, first, Joe Montgomery (the flaming idiot in Kansas who filed the election) is still alive. That he seems shellshocked by the negative attention he’s received only serves to prove anew his idiocy.
Second, Obama PROFITED from his action, because the conservatives in that state were too dumb to shoot down Montgomery’s objection before it became national news.
You have to realize that anybody in America who agrees with these dweebs already was going to proudly vote for anybody-but-Obama. So Romney didn’t gain a single vote from this silliness. Instead, what it inevitably did was to help make up some independents’ minds to vote differently than the champion jerks who were bothering to consider this.
Why did Montgomery withdraw his objection? Probably his wife came home from work and slapped him around a few times, yelling at him that all her co-workers were laughing at her because her husband’s such a dimwit. Or his kid came home from school crying because of all the abuse heaped upon him or her by classmates. The guy made himself into a laughingstock.
At the least, he scored a few more votes for Obama in Kansas (which will make no difference to the race whatsoever) and among some undecideds in other states, where it might.
Bob H:
I’m pretty sure those same radical Islamists let us know loud and clear eleven years ago (longer than that, really) that they have no fear of us. What spineless, gutless coward was at the helm of our ship then? Do you honestly think that they give a dive-bombing copulation who the president of our country is?
Did they fear us in Beirut in ’83?
Did they fear us at WTC in ’93?
The list is much longer than that, too. This really has nothing to do with politics. Politics is supposed to be the mechanism which resolves issues like these, not the cause.
In the interest of fairness, what would you do if you were in charge in this instance, Bob H? How would you handle the press releases and what would be your plan of action? Keep in mind that you’re in the middle of an election battle, so every decision you make will be criticized by your opponent, no matter what you choose.
Yes, way to go, Ken! With the first botched back-alley abortion the Republicans won’t see power for a generation. This administration has made Virginia the laughing-stock of the nation.
Mitt Romney had the chance to 1) deplore violence against U.S. embassies abroad; 2) to (verbally) attack those responsible for the killings of Americans, and 3) to urge the federal government to do everything in its power to safeguard Americans in the foreign service and others abroad. A statement like that would have been presidential and classy and #3 would have gently hinted that the administration wasn’t doing enough. Then, when that question inevitably was asked, he could have responded that “the president has his hands full with this crises and now is not the time to distract him from his efforts to protect Americans” and left criticism of the administration to other back-benchers — there’s no shortage of those.
Instead, he attacked the administration and made inaccurate claims about what it was and was not doing and more or less said it was up to America to give orders to every other country.
That kind of blunder by a candidate is one thing, and as president it’s quite another. Coupled with his seeming inability NOT to offend with every foreign trip he makes, it really leaves one wondering whether he has what it takes to be president.
hey sandi, those silly muslims are at it again, showing love and tolerance for all faiths…what if it had been your husband they sodomized, still have sympathy then?
“Toasters don’t toast toast.”
danny you are so stupid. of course toasters toast. we do not stand there in front of bread and watch it turn brown. we have to put it in the toaster which TOASTS THE BREAD.
God, please help this poor stupid person
#87 I failed nothing, Bob H. You’re wrong.
75. and 76. First off, I said the NY Police had the training and even they cannot hit only their target. Remember they shot several innocent bystanders the other day.
Secondly, the shooters of the little boy were neighbors of the boy who got into an argument and since they had guns decided to settle it. Had it been harder for them to get guns then perhaps they would have settled it with knives, fists, a two by four. But they instead used guns and shot the little boy instead of each other. Yes, I know that criminals can get guns, but when there is a family feud, it is not criminals fighting, but just stupid people with guns. Guarantee me you can keep stupid people from having guns and train the others so they can’t miss and then I will be in favor of easy access to guns. Until then, nope.
“we do not stand there in front of bread and watch it turn brown. we have to put it in the toaster which TOASTS THE BREAD.”
I feel quite outclassed.
Thank you, Polythene Pam, for post #94. I never could figure out what I was doing wrong. While I have your attention, can I ask some questions? Do I have to plug it in first? Does a toaster take batteries? Can I use the same AA size that I use in my sarcasm detector?
@74,
Kristen,
Obama and Romney both stated the same levels of income for what each consider middle class.
Sorry your original Huffington Post link left out the “or less”. I can only imagine your excitement to think Romney listed a $50k range of the middle class, only to realize your disappointment as Dan pointed out the real quote that even Huffinton was forced to publish.
@ 81Gdad,
You’re a spineless puppet. Nothing has changed with you.
Toast sucks, I like biscuits
#99 Wow, BM, I’m so hurt.
Sorry to see that nothing’s changed with you, either. Must suck.
It won’t be long before Moochele 0bama goes after other shops that serve bread.. White bread is no good for you, you know.
Wrong, BM. Rmoney stated what he thought MIDDLE INCOME was, not middle class. Shall I explain again how they do not mean the same things?
The fact is, $50K – while being the median income – makes a genuine middle class lifestyle difficult these days. The fact is, this reality is reflected by every expert who testifies that the middle class is shrinking. Why, you ask? Because incomes haven’t kept up with expenses. Hence, a “median” (nb, this does not mean the same as middle) income is not sufficient to a middle class lifestyle.
Jethro the Dodo,
Just a reminder; its going to be raining for the next couple of days. Please do NOT go out in the yard and stare up into the sky with your mouth agape. We all remember what happened last time…
Re: Comment by Suzie — September 14, 2012 @ 9:37 pm
Raise your hand if you’ve seen the entire ‘movie’ And…..crickets.
So then you thin some third-world toothless ragheads have seen it?
—————-
1) It has been widely reported that the trailer or preview (advertisement for the film) on YouTube was used by the organizers to stir up the reaction.
2) The full film was available on YouTube, also. Your lack of knowledge as to the availability and role of the internet in the world is pathetic.
3) Most authorities have long since agreed these attacks were planed — not spontaneous. However, the organized terrorist used the (RW christian tool’s?) movie and its trailer to advance their plans.
4) Your ethnic slur is disgusting. I am surprised that Dan allowed it to be posted.
5) Your comments in general are of the sort that your Secretary of State has declared “deplored”. “The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation.”
Your denigrate the religious beliefs of others and religious intolerance is despicable.
6) Good read here:
http://tinyurl.com/8ge8pzw
**
Arab Spring nations don’t yet grasp freedom of dissent
By Ed Husain, Special to CNN
updated 11:01 AM EDT, Fri September 14, 2012
(CNN) — The fall of dictatorships does not guarantee the creation of free societies. There is often a period in which we witness the legacy of tyranny. The Arab uprisings have overthrown tyrants in Egypt and Libya, but the populations and lawmakers have yet to grasp that democracy is not only about free elections but creating free societies.
SNIP
Arab societies are on a journey. They can easily take the wrong turn. The attacks on the American embassies in Libya, Egypt and Yemen are examples of the ongoing presence of intolerant, tyrannical actors in Arab societies.
SNIP
It is hard for younger Arabs not born into freedom to understand how individual liberty works in real life.
The freedom to proselytize also guarantees the right to apostatize. Heresy and blasphemy are essential parts of free and democratic societies. Arab activists cannot seek to emulate the West’s political and social achievements by looking at the United States and Europe today, but must observe and learn from the religious battles of 17th-century Europe, the smashing of the tyranny of the Roman Catholic Church, the ending of burning witches and the forbidding of hanging heretics.
SNIP
**
Why have you not advanced past the 17th-century?
Re: Comment by 13 Suns — September 15, 2012 @ 10:43 am
Rather like folk talking about “hot water heaters.” Now why would you need to heat water that is already hot?
Dan,
Does your toaster actually:
1) independently decide when to toast bread?
2) load itself?
3) independently activate itself to provide the heat/force needed to do the job, once loaded?
4) direct the placement of its output?
5) be responsible, under law, for the results of its actions?
If so, what brand is it?
Dave Hicks, is that like “unsweetened tea”? As though tea is naturally sweet.
Dave Hicks,
I would answer “yes” to item number 4. The rest are a resounding “no,” though.
Re: Dave Hicks Sunday @ 6:43pm
I’m with you on the “hot water heater.” One of my biggest pet peeve phrases. Another one is “At this point in time.” It’s redundant. “At this point,” or, “At this time,” will do. “At this point in time” sounds like you’re explaining a reading on an oscilloscope.
Re: Comment by dobbs — September 17, 2012 @ 11:15 am
Bingo! I hate that one, also.
However, I’m not sure if it is redundancy, or the deflation of superlatives, or language inflation in general, etc that are my most disliked.
Take the word “unique” — i.e., the the one and only. Then explain “very unique”, “most unique”, “somewhat unique”, “one of the most unique”, etc.
The distinction between a “college” and a “university” is long lost.
The list goes on….
“Dan Casey says:
13 Suns, people who have toasters toast.”
I don’t have a problem with people who toast bread to be eaten, but there ought to be a law against people owning the kinds of toasters that cause the damage these toasters cause:
http://www.burntimpressions.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=17&product_id=275
http://www.burntimpressions.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=17&product_id=293