@arodriguez.romero: I'm DYING to go to Cuba with my family. My dad is Cuban. I know my grandmother would probably never go back until Castro is officially dead, though.
Another newsworthy story: American journalist Roxana Saberi has been detained in Iran, initially for buying wine and then for working without a permit. Now her charges are espionage and she was tried today behind closed doors. The verdict and her fate will be decided in two to three weeks. She is currently being held in Evin prison where Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi was killed in 2003.
@pablojob: Heard the latest update on BBC News Hour this morning. Sounds like Iran is trying to send a not-so-subtle message to President Obama, though rumor has it that his overtures to Iran are causing some division within the government. Whether it comes to anything remains to be seen.
Clarence Thomas is far and away the worst sitting Supreme Court Justice. He never pipes up during oral arguments, writes "me too" on Scalia's decisions, and thinks we have too many rights?
@kithkin: Oh my god, I just read the NYT article. What an IDIOT. He says we have too many rights, and then says everyone thinks they're entitled to a certain standard of living. I'm sorry, where is this standard of living right you're talking about? This "air-conditioning" amendment, where is it? You don't know what you're babbling about, you stupid old moron.
@vamusical: Yeah, I don't know about being "entitled" to a television.
"That was a curious aside" in the NYT article made me LOL. "Clarence Thomas, you are a wackadoo" is what that said to me. He's acknowledged that he doesn't speak to the media much, and we've established that he falls asleep during oral arguments: perhaps this is why. Because when he opens his mouth, everything he says is either offensive or off-the-wall bananas.
Todd Palin's half-sister broke into someone's house with her 4 year old? I'm calling my mom and shouting "WE NEVER DID ANYTHING FUN!" into the phone until I go hoarse.
New York may have more homeless people shitting on its sidewalks and masturbating in its subway cars, but when it comes to political filth, Chicago wins.
@rosasparks looks like a Fraggle: They are called elections. People vote for the person who tells them enough things they want to hear and lies to them most seductively. Local politics is always a crap shoot, but it's amazing how many of these locals go on to go to the big dance in D.C., to spread their particular brand of filth.
@morninggloria: One of the things I miss most about living in Illinois is the politics. I agree with Rosasparks that political filth is everywhere, but Illinois really has taken it to its own special level.
During the Bush administration, the way we dealt with foreign governments who made us angry was akin to a pissed off 16 year old giving her boyfriend the silent treatment. I'm glad that we're finally acting like grown ass adults.
If that's how you feel Clarence, then we can start stripping Americans of their rights. Starting with you, of course. Meethinks you might change your mind thereafter.
But just a reminder to all those wingnuts who harp on about other people's rights and are constantly infringing on them, try not to forget that those rights are also your rights. You want to try to stamp out my freedom of speech? Fine, then you don't get yours either.
I'm surprised we haven't found out that Rod Blagojevich tried to bribe people at the Mint to get his face put on the penny. Of course, his hair would not have fit...
@onestrawplz: I'm not totally sure what's going on. He's been cross examined about various Palin-related things, and it's the creepiest thing I ever saw. It's like he can barely string a sentence together. And there's something baffling about her wearing a snow suit with sponsorship on it. And he mumbles about how nice she looks in it. You keep thinking he's going to (a) drop dead or (b) start wanking.
@bowleserised: Hehe I think it was actually "letters", if I'm not mistaken, but the general ambience was quite strange and creepy. I am more and more baffled by what we hear coming out of Alaska every day.
By the way, the first court to officially declare Al Franken the winner of the 2008 Minnesota race did so yesterday, so it's only a couple of years before the U.S. Supreme Court decides Norm Coleman really won and Minnesota gets its second Senator.
Coleman also wants to run for Governor in 2010. Jesse Ventura, you are our only hope.
If you will excuse me, I am off to watch the Youtube video of Susan Boyle. It's more uplifting and cheaper than Bourbon.
With Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, N.Korea, pirates, the economy and health care, I don't know how Obama sleeps at night. I'm up all night stressing if I have to ask my boss a question at work in the morning.
@NefariousNewt: Garzon (the judge who issued the warrant) is kind of a human rights badass. He issued the warrant for Pinochet's arrest that got him nabbed in London back in the day. So, essentially, Gonzales can't leave the U.S. because someone is bound to arrest him (or bound to try, someplace... we can hope).
If enough countries do as Spain is about to (and Germany and France have played with the idea of), the Obama Administration will be able to say it "had no choice" but to push for prosecutions here at home, to maintain good relations with our important allies.
I really do believe that many people within the Obama Administration would like to see Gozalez, Yoo, Bybee, Addington, etc in the dock, but lack the political will to make that happen...right now. Enough of a push from the outside, and I think they'd do it.
So, in short, the idea here is not that these guys will be hauled before a Spanish judge, or a French one, or an Italian one, or a German one, etc --it's that they'll one day soon end up on trial HERE, in the good old US of A.
@ALittleBitGothic: We're not going to do it, for one reason and one reason only: that opens up a sitting President of the United States to potential prosecution. Theoretically, not possible, owing to the covenants laid out between nations diplomatically, but then we invaded Iraq and removed its sovereign head because we didn't like him. We don't want to be hoist upon on our own petard.
@NefariousNewt: Milosevic was indicted while he was still a sitting head of state, and now Bashir has been as well.
And Bush is neither a sitting head of state nor being talked about seriously as a potential indictee, unlike his former high-ranking torture-happy underlings.
@ALittleBitGothic: Exactly. What's good to do to others, is not good to do for ourselves. Not that any other nation would attempt to invade Washington, D.C. and spirit the President away to put him on trial, but then he does travel quite a bit and we'd like to avoid the idea that you can attack our President at a whim to charge him with war crimes.
"Not that any other nation would attempt to invade Washington, D.C. and spirit the President away to put him on trial[...]"
What I mentioned: Future trials here in the US of a number of poeple, *none of whom* are our current or former president.
"[...] but then he does travel quite a bit and we'd like to avoid the idea that you can attack our President at a whim to charge him with war crimes. "
At a whim? Like, just for LOLz? ::headdesk:: That's. Not. What. We're. Talking. About.
Again, *not the president, or former president,* and not out of spite or European snootiness or partizanship or any other bullshit reason the GOP will cry about, but based on a hell of a lot of hard EVIDENCE, including an awesomely incriminating paper trail. Also, see our laws + international law.
@ALittleBitGothic: I understand everything you're saying; nothing will come of it. Spain tries him. They find him guilty. So what? We're not going to turn him over and if he never leaves the United States, there's nothing Spain can do about it. We won't do it, because it would set a precedent.
So, in the end, it doesn't matter how strong Spain's case is -- they will not get any member of the Bush Administration from us for any reason, no matter what the court says. The United States has spent years flouting International law and is not about to stop, because we do not wish to expose members of our government to the possibility of being seized by a foreign country and charged with crimes, any crimes. We reserve the right to prosecute such crimes in our own courts, subject to our laws. And we're not going to do that either, because we are not going to admit the mistake.
It's not my intention to frustrate you, only point out the futility of the exercise. The United States talks out of both sides of its mouth -- we want everyone to follow the rules, rules which don't apply to us.
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
Lately I have heard some analysis of the embargo. The thesis was that we are not going to have the effect we are hoping for by lifting it.
Nevertheless, it's repugnant that my government tells me where I can and can't travel.
So, I would lift the embargo for two reasons: 1) it doesn't work and 2) it limits the freedoms of americans
04/14/09
[bit.ly]
[freeroxana.net]
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
He basically reiterates Scalia's points and says, I concur. He's an absolute moron.
04/14/09
He's also an originalist, which is an ideologically, practically, and dare I say morally bankrupt method. Barf.
04/14/09
04/14/09
A**hat.
04/14/09
"That was a curious aside" in the NYT article made me LOL. "Clarence Thomas, you are a wackadoo" is what that said to me. He's acknowledged that he doesn't speak to the media much, and we've established that he falls asleep during oral arguments: perhaps this is why. Because when he opens his mouth, everything he says is either offensive or off-the-wall bananas.
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
Illinois, Alaska, Rhode Island, Texas. It never ends.
According to someone who yelled at me yesterday, though, is HOW do these jerks end up in office? As if all of this were a simple equation.
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
Becky told me she saw you texting Iran last week.
Baby, we were just trying to work out some stuff about nuclear weasons. It wasn't personal.
I've seen the way you look at Ahmadinejad. Don't lie to me. This is Kim Jong Il all over again.
04/14/09
But just a reminder to all those wingnuts who harp on about other people's rights and are constantly infringing on them, try not to forget that those rights are also your rights. You want to try to stamp out my freedom of speech? Fine, then you don't get yours either.
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
So very, very weird.
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
RAMRAS: She was wearing Arctic Cat gears and leathers--
ROSS: She was provocative. She looked really good didn't she?
RAMRAS: Yes...[beat]...Well no, not to a lot of Alaska she didn't. To a lot of Alaska she looked like a walking billboard.
[www.huffingtonpost.com]
04/14/09
Coleman also wants to run for Governor in 2010. Jesse Ventura, you are our only hope.
If you will excuse me, I am off to watch the Youtube video of Susan Boyle. It's more uplifting and cheaper than Bourbon.
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
04/14/09
If enough countries do as Spain is about to (and Germany and France have played with the idea of), the Obama Administration will be able to say it "had no choice" but to push for prosecutions here at home, to maintain good relations with our important allies.
I really do believe that many people within the Obama Administration would like to see Gozalez, Yoo, Bybee, Addington, etc in the dock, but lack the political will to make that happen...right now. Enough of a push from the outside, and I think they'd do it.
So, in short, the idea here is not that these guys will be hauled before a Spanish judge, or a French one, or an Italian one, or a German one, etc --it's that they'll one day soon end up on trial HERE, in the good old US of A.
04/14/09
04/14/09
And Bush is neither a sitting head of state nor being talked about seriously as a potential indictee, unlike his former high-ranking torture-happy underlings.
04/14/09
04/14/09
"Not that any other nation would attempt to invade Washington, D.C. and spirit the President away to put him on trial[...]"
What I mentioned: Future trials here in the US of a number of poeple, *none of whom* are our current or former president.
"[...] but then he does travel quite a bit and we'd like to avoid the idea that you can attack our President at a whim to charge him with war crimes. "
At a whim? Like, just for LOLz? ::headdesk:: That's. Not. What. We're. Talking. About.
Again, *not the president, or former president,* and not out of spite or European snootiness or partizanship or any other bullshit reason the GOP will cry about, but based on a hell of a lot of hard EVIDENCE, including an awesomely incriminating paper trail. Also, see our laws + international law.
04/14/09
So, in the end, it doesn't matter how strong Spain's case is -- they will not get any member of the Bush Administration from us for any reason, no matter what the court says. The United States has spent years flouting International law and is not about to stop, because we do not wish to expose members of our government to the possibility of being seized by a foreign country and charged with crimes, any crimes. We reserve the right to prosecute such crimes in our own courts, subject to our laws. And we're not going to do that either, because we are not going to admit the mistake.
It's not my intention to frustrate you, only point out the futility of the exercise. The United States talks out of both sides of its mouth -- we want everyone to follow the rules, rules which don't apply to us.