Motley Moose – Archive

Yes, an uncontroversial topic to stimulate your resting neurons this winter weekend. Let me be first to say I have no idea about the politics of this in the US, and actually no firm opinion either way (yet – go on persuade me!). But I have noticed, as Roger Cohen points out, that since the midterms, the Obama Peace Process has stalled. I also notice one of the largest and fastest growing countries, Brazil, has recently unilaterally recognised Palestine as a sovereign state within its 1967 borders.

Have at it Meese. And prove what ruminative, though not rebarbative, animals you are.  

He’s been talking since 10:25am EST and apparently has back-up in Sens. Sherrod Brown and Mary Landrieu.

By: Inoljt, http://mypolitikal.com/

Iceland is a small country in big trouble.

During the heady times of economic growth, its banks expanded operations far beyond what the country could possibly support. When the global financial crisis came, all three collapsed. Millions of depositors in Britain and the Netherlands would have lost their savings.

When banks collapse nowadays, fortunately, governments intervene. The governments of both Britain and the Netherlands guaranteed the accounts of their citizens. In total, this cost said countries approximately 3.9 euros (or 5.3 billion dollars).

Understandably, said countries were also angered at picking up the tab of Iceland’s failed banks. The root of Iceland’s current troubles lies in their demands that Iceland repay the €3.9 billion. To force Iceland’s hand, Britain – in a rather mean gesture – used anti-terrorism laws to freeze Iceland’s financial assets. This helped crush the country’s economy.

Now, there are two problems with the demands of Britain and the Netherlands.

More below.

One thing I keep on trying to explain to those who want Obama to fail in order for progressive politics to commence, or who claim the administration is basically a right wing republican one, is the REAL experience of having a non stimulus, expenditure cutting government in power in the UK.

Well today, within a mile of where I live, students – protesting at an 80 per cent cut in the university teaching budget and a 200 percent increase in college fees, have occupied the centre of British democracy: Parliament Square. There have been mounted police horses charging groups of students (a shocking scene I haven’t seen since the Poll Tax Riots of the Thatcher years).  Graffiti has been daubed on government buildings. Windows in the Treasury and Supreme Court smashed. Ten police have been seriously injured: twenty demonstrators.

And now the dispersed protestors – many of them schoolchildren – are looting shops and smashing windows on Oxford Street (our main shopping artery) and have surrounded the car containing Prince Charles and Camilla on the way to the theatre, smashing a window, kicking the doors, and covering the car with paint

Got a speeding ticket today for doing a 75 in a 50, pretty sure I was going anywhere near 75 because I had seen a parked cop car less than 30 seconds before another one pulled me over and lowered my speed from 60-50.

I don’t really want my insurance to go up, or 6 points added to my license, or to pay the stupid $100 a year fee New York charges you for getting 6 points on your license, so I don’t know whether or fight it or just deal.

First ticket, got a moving violation ticket ten years ago for not signaling when pulling out of a parking spot (a.k.a driving while a college student)

Hows your week been?  

Yesterday I was watching the news (not my favorite activity lately), and astonishingly enough, I saw something interesting. I will call him…Boxing Obama! I think he ate his spinach on Tuesday, and while I am not an aficionado of the pugilistic arts, my perception is for the first time in his presidency; my main man gave the left a right hook, grazed the right with a left uppercut, and smashed the nose of the media full on. It might have made the middle cheer. We can only hope that will be the beginning of some actual forward motion.

Honestly? I liked it and he’s ‘still got me babe’.

DADT FAILS TO PASS 57 -40

Voting against

Brown, Murkowski and newly minted Democrat Senator from West Virginia Joe Manchin .

It is not going to happen this legislative session which means it is going to happen legislatively.

Now this is where I do make a strong suggestion to President Obama. Drop the appeal in the 9th Circuit and just be done with it.

Apologies for the brevity. But what else is there to say except FUCK!

A few months ago, Paul Krugman noted that allowing taxes to rise on the middle class during these tough economic times would be bad.

Now, he seems to have a change of heart…sort of.  

No, really, he needs to stop this crap.

While I can respect, partially, the goal of WikiLeaks, and the power of whistleblowing, at this point, Julian Assange is hurting his cause more than he helps.

“President Barack Obama should resign if it can be shown that he approved spying by US diplomatic figures on UN officials, the founder of WikiLeaks said in an interview published Sunday.

“The whole chain of command who was aware of this order, and approved it, must resign if the US is to be seen to be a credible nation that obeys the rule of law. The order is so serious it may well have been put to the president for approval,” Julian Assange told Spanish daily El Pais.”

WTF does this man think that embassies DO?  That there are intelligence personnel at every embassy across the world is just coincidence?

As many of you know, if you peruse the diaries over at DKos, there has been a bit of sturm und drang over the Obama administration and State Department intervening to get the War Crimes trial in Spain of Bush, Cheney et al derailed. Well it finally jumped the shark when more than a few suggested that maybe Obama should be impeached over this.

So here is my diary on the subject. I thought it might be of some interest to Moosers.