[We have banned you before and we are doing so again. Regulars, resist engaging this troll. He's outta here as soon as the update takes. --Mod]

JakeD - Did you even read the Rice article? She may have a high IQ, but calling her a genius might best be reserved for her musical talent.

"some of the world's lowest of primitives in poor Mexico."

Well, if he was referring to Smithfield Farms and their horrible unsanitary dumping practices resulting in fetid cesspools of rotting pig feces and flesh, then he was right.

Somehow, I doubt that's what he meant, though.

For what it's worth, when I click through to the Washington Times story, I see it has been changed to "clearly enjoyed talking to a fellow seafarer."

This Red-state hack Erik Erikson, I was hoping it couldn't be real:
"The nation loses the only goat f**king child molester to ever serve on the Supreme Court in David Souter's retirement." - TweetDeck

Incredible, and they complain about morals, character counts, etc.

BTW the Smithfield plant has its issues, but what really burns me up is the treatment of veal calves.

Egads...Condi Rice wasn't just a national hallucination??

My bad.

Obama hopes to have his nominee confirmed in time for the October session. -- Steve Benen
I also hope that Obama's nominee is NOT confirmed in time for the October session. -- Jake D

I'm afraid, Jake, that Obama's hopes have a better chance of fulfillment than yours; Norm can't string out his appeals that long, for all the money in NRC's coffers. Minnesota will have its full complement of Senators long before October.

Deep thought

The Notre Dame commencement speech would be a perfect place for Barack to bury the ghost of American torture once and for all. What better way to welcome young people into the world then by requesting them to honor humanity with their full morality...

He said "seamen". Heh, heh. Fire! Fire!

Steve, you forgot to add that the Obama admin has dropped the case against the AIPAC spies.

The White House (v2.0) has a new Facebook Page!

The British are Leaving!
The British are Leaving!

From the abstract of the MIT report (on "cap and trade"):

Initial period prices for the first group of proposals, in carbon dioxide equivalents, are estimated between $30
and $50 per ton CO2-e depending on where each falls in the 50% to 80% range, with these prices rising by a factor
of four by 2050. Welfare costs are less than 0.5% at the start, rising in the most stringent case to near 2% in 2050. If
allowances were auctioned these proposals could produce revenue between $100 billion and $500 billion per year
depending on the case. Emissions prices for the second group, which result from the specified safety-valve path, rise
from $7 to $40 over the study period, with welfare effects rising from near zero to approximately a 0.5% loss in
2050. Revenue in these proposals depends on how many allowances are freely distributed.

How many families are there in the US? Who in fact will pay the utilities the money ($100B - $500B per year) necessary to cover the auction costs? How many years will the policy be in effect? Does anybody really expect that the money will devolve back to the citizens in the form of tax rebates and services (the point mentioned in "N-U-T")? "Cap and trade" has such support as it has precisely because enough people think that the costs will be borne by someone else.

Sure the Republicans might be idiots, but "cap and trade" is bad policy.

MRM, none of that matters. The only thing that matters is that the external costs will FINALLY be internalized, and the market will do the rest.

When it came to Chrysler's future, a couple of "vulture funds" played chicken with the Obama White House. The funds lost.

You and the guy who posted that on TPM Cafe have an interesting concept of "lost". Did they lose money? Not yet, probably not at all. Likely they will make more money - through whatever they get for their debts plus shorts on Chrysler plus CDSs - as a result of the bankruptcy than they would have as part of the negotiated deal. Which is why they turned it down, one would imagine. Not to defend them in any way, but there is no evidence that they are gnashing their teeth in chagrin to end up in bankruptcy court.

This is spin, to try to make a fail look like a win. I suppose its appearance here is an indication that it's working.

"Cap and trade" has such support as it has precisely because enough people think that the costs will be borne by someone else.

Opposition to "Cap and trade" also has such support as it has precisely because enough people think that the costs will be borne by someone else.

The only thing that matters there is that, until the last possible moment, when the whole thing collapses, the external costs are borne by someone who's not the corporation, its management, or the holders of its debt and equity.

In a flood, the tall guys do eventually drown -- but they drown last and drown rich, with their pockets full of all the stuff the short guys used to own. And after they're dead, it all doesn't matter anyways.

Byron York's weak defense.

Fuck Byron York. A racist article from a racist dick. A disgrace that anyone takes him seriously.

If the Swine Flu virus was going to be renamed, why not call it the Smithfield Virus?

"The swine flu virus that has frightened the world is beginning to look a little less ominous.... One flu expert says there's no reason to believe the new virus is a more serious strain than seasonal flu."

Oh yeah? Well check out the curve for the 1918 "Spanish" flu. When it first broke out in the spring, it didn't look too bad. When it came back in the Fall, it killed more people than World War I.

[...] check out the curve for the 1918 "Spanish" flu. -- Cassandra, @21:36

There was an interesting article in the past couple of days, on the op-ed page of the NYT about the flu "waves". Apparently, all of them -- before and after and including the "Spanish" one of 1918 -- went through the same cycle of 3: mild and limited, deadly and wide-spread and mild (but wide-spread) again. But, ever since the 1918 flu, each middle (deadly) wave had been less and less deadly, because we're better prepared to cope with it.

Today, a front page article tries to tackle the conundrum of why it had been more deadly in Mexico than here (because people in Mexico don't rush to the doctor the way we do and try to deal with the "cold" symptoms by themselves),

And tomorrow, the trio of Sebelius (health secretary), Napolitano (homeland security) and someone named Bessar (IIRC) -- an acting head of the contagious diseases -- are hitting *every* Sunday talk show.

shareholder rights/revolt!!!!

Shareholders need to take back the right of setting salaries for CEO's and CFO's The bonuses hurt them the most...And they are the ones obligated to hold the feet to the fire, so to speak--and they have been negligent...letting boards packed with FOCEO's set the rates.

Tax rates overly favoring "capitol gains"--i.e. increase in stock prices instead of dividends...also foster short term thinking, i,e. price must be high when stock options can be cashed in...

If CEO's and other stockholder employee's can rake in buku bucks, leaving the stockholders holding worthless paper--something in drastically wrong...

Pension plans and mutual funds need to step up...

I wanted to be the first one to say fuck Byron York.

But...

Seconded.

How does someone as stupid as Condi Rice get a PhD?

I know what you're thinking, but that explanation is too horrible to contemplate.

Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson has stated he will vote against a national healthcare plan. Here is his email contact page. I just emailed him that I hope his face rots off. Please let him know how you feel about his planned healthcare vote and his help sabotaging the mortgage cramdown bill. Share the link, too.

http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

Oh yeah? Well check out the curve for the 1918 "Spanish" flu. When it first broke out in the spring, it didn't look too bad. When it came back in the Fall, it killed more people than World War I.

In 1918 they didn't even have penicillin to treat the secondary bacterial pneumonia infections which killed the majority of the people, whereas in 2009 we'll have a vaccine against the virus itself by the time a "middle wave" hits.

In other words, chillax, Cassandra.

Reading Daily Kos this morning, I am really upset about the senator from Nebraska - Nelson, who is determined to stop healthcare from being implemented. The reason - it would be too popular and would hurt the insurance companies, and he works for the insurance companies, and they are a good little earner for him. Please - everyone call and write his office and let our voices be heard.

I'm surprised the usual Washington Times spellchecker let the "a" slip into that word.

One of the problems with the 1918 flu was not just the deaths, but, the mental and physical disorders left with the seemingly recovered victims.

Say, what they want, but, many of those anti-bankruptcy protection Senators are from small states. Money for their coffers comes from banks, Big Ag, Big Oil or Big Business firms such as Wal*Mart backing both Pryor and Lincoln. Oil for Landrieu, Banking and Big Ag for Nelson, Tester and Max B in Montana - The North and South Dakota guys are the same - But, of course, our newly so-called Democratic Senator from PA is still listed as Specter (D-Arlen).