02/09/2014 archive

This is a call to violence.  Not in the ordinary sense. Instead in the sense that I want you to go out and tell people that they should support a violent policy.  What is that policy specifically?  I want the police to start pulling over and if necessary arresting people who are speeding.  You might think this isn’t a call to violence, you might think that this is simply a call for more police enforcement, but that obscures the real issue of what violence is.

18-month-old Marius, a perfectly healthy Giraffe, was put down by a stick gun by the manager(s) of the Copenhagen Zoo, ostensibly to prevent inbreeding,  despite campaigns and protests by various Animal Rights activist groups, and other people who wanted the giraffe saved, and there were other zoos in other countries who’d offered to take Marius.  

The Copenhagen Zoo, however, stuck by their decision and put Marius the 18 month old giraffe down, anyhow.  They then cut the giraffe open and then fed his meat to the lions nearby.  There was a big audience, with many young, small children there, too.  

Imho, that was a total disgrace.  The Copenhagen Zoo could’ve sterilized the giraffe in some way or other, or, at least accepted an offer from one of the zoos elsewhere who’d offered to take him.  

Has the world really gone mad, or is it my imagination?  What do you all think?

Heres the link to the awful story:  Read it and weep…or gnash your teeth.

http://www.theguardian.com/wor…

A ban on a lethal injection drug has state officials thinking outside of the box for new ways to put people in a box

This is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.

Find the past “On This Day in History” here.

February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 325 days remaining until the end of the year (326 in leap years).

On this day in 1950, Joseph Raymond McCarthy, a relatively obscure Republican senator from Wisconsin, accuses State Department of being infiltrated by communists. McCarthy announces during a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, that he has in his hand a list of 205 communists who have infiltrated the U.S. State Department. The unsubstantiated declaration, which was little more than a publicity stunt, suddenly thrust Senator McCarthy into the national spotlight.

Asked to reveal the names on the list, the reckless and opportunistic senator named officials he determined guilty by association, such as Owen Lattimore, an expert on Chinese culture and affairs who had advised the State Department. McCarthy described Lattimore as the “top Russian spy” in America.

These and other equally shocking accusations prompted the Senate to form a special committee, headed by Senator Millard Tydings of Maryland, to investigate the matter. The committee found little to substantiate McCarthy’s charges, but McCarthy nevertheless touched a nerve in the American public, and during the next two years he made increasingly sensational charges, even attacking President Harry S. Truman’s respected former secretary of state, George C. Marshall.

Wheeling speech

McCarthy experienced a meteoric rise in national profile on February 9, 1950, when he gave a Lincoln Day speech to the Republican Women’s Club of Wheeling, West Virginia. His words in the speech are a matter of some debate, as no audio recording was saved. However, it is generally agreed that he produced a piece of paper that he claimed contained a list of known Communists working for the State Department. McCarthy is usually quoted to have said: “The State Department is infested with communists. I have here in my hand a list of 205-a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department.”

There is some dispute about whether or not McCarthy actually gave the number of people on the list as being “205” or “57”. In a later telegram to President Truman, and when entering the speech into the Congressional Record, he used the number 57. The origin of the number 205 can be traced: In later debates on the Senate floor, McCarthy referred to a 1946 letter that then-Secretary of State James Byrnes sent to Congressman Adolph J. Sabath. In that letter, Byrnes said State Department security investigations had resulted in “recommendation against permanent employment” for 284 persons, and that 79 of these had been removed from their jobs; this left 205 still on the State Department’s payroll. In fact, by the time of McCarthy’s speech only about 65 of the employees mentioned in the Byrnes letter were still with the State Department, and all of these had undergone further security checks.

At the time of McCarthy’s speech, communism was a growing concern in the United States. This concern was exacerbated by the actions of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe, the fall of China to the communists, the Soviets’ development of the atomic bomb the year before, and by the contemporary controversy surrounding Alger Hiss and the confession of Soviet spy Klaus Fuchs. With this background and due to the sensational nature of McCarthy’s charge against the State Department, the Wheeling speech soon attracted a flood of press interest in McCarthy.

“Punting the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.

Thanks to ek hornbeck, click on the link and you can access all the past “Punting the Pundits”.

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The Sunday Talking Heads:

Up with Steve Kornacki: Preempted for Winter Olympic coverage.

This Week with George Stephanopolis: The guest on Sunday’s “This Week” is House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), discussing security at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

The roundtable guests are Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK); Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MI); CNN “Crossfire” co-host S.E. Cupp; former Obama White House senior adviser and ABC News contributor David Plouffe; and ABC News senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny.

Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer: Mr. Schieffer’s guests are CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips from Sochi; Rep. Peter King (R-NY); Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL); and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH).

His panel guests are: Michele Norris of NPR; Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic; and Mark Mazzetti of The New York Times; as well as CBS News State Department correspondent Margaret Brennan and CBS News political director John Dickerson.

Meet the Press with David Gregory: The guests on MTP are  U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul; Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH).

The roundtable guests are NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell; New York Times Columnist David Brooks; Washington Post Columnist E.J. Dionne; Chief Executive Officer for Heritage Action for America Mike Needham; and Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Mona Sutphen.

Also. authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes in their first interview about their new book “HRC” and the political rebirth of Hillary Clinton.

State of the Union with Candy Crowley: Ms. Crowley’s guests are Janet Napolitano, head of the U.S. delegation to Russia and former Secretary of Homeland Security;  former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte; diplomat Nicholas Burns; and Russian expert Dimitri Simes.

Her panel guests are  CNN Contributors Cornell Belcher; Ana Navarro; and A.B. Stoddard, Associate Editor for The Hill.

WYFP? is our community’s Saturday evening gathering to talk about our problems, empathize with one another, and share advice, pootie pictures, favorite adult beverages, and anything else that we think might help. Everyone and all sorts of troubles are welcome. May we find peace and healing here. Won’t you please share the joy of WYFP by recommending?

My number one problem?  I never beg for recommends.

The older I get the less I care what people think of me therefore the older I get the more I enjoy life.

My number 2 beef?

Since I got out of the show running business this place has gone to crap.

How much for the little girl?

Mostly I habit here out of sentiment and it gets my dander up when I see sockpuppet trolls take over long standing franchises because of the ennui engendered by the failure of what passes for Administration on this site.

Since the solution is always more free speech here is some more free speech by someone who is not a sockpuppet troll.

Recommend or not I’ll keep this up until people come to their senses.  Your opinion of me matters… not at all.

The patient shows a response to the traumatizing event involved fear, horror or a sense of helplessness). In both scenarios, Holden was unable to step in and help both of the young victims. Holden had no control over his brother’s disease and could not have done anything to stop James Castle’s suicide. His inability to interfere has evoked feelings of helplessness. His desire to assist people similar to the victims is expressed through his desire to be the “catcher int he rye”. Holden confesses to his sister, Phoebe, “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around -nobody big, I mean - except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do,I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them…”. Holden feels that if he is “the catcher” he can save people from the victimization diseases and bullies put on weaker individuals. It frustrates Holden to know that he cannot defend others. Specifically, he wants to protect the young and innocent, which is who he was before the traumatic events occurred in his life.

…

The patient’s thought content revealed evidence of delusions, paranoia, and suicidal/homicidal ideation. There was no evidence of perceptual disorder. His level of personal insight appeared unreliable. Social judgment appeared harsh, as evidenced by polite yet bitter interactions with staff and a struggle to form a relationship with other patients and by uncooperative efforts to achieve treatment goals required for discharge.The patient was admitted due to symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD).The purpose of the current evaluation is to screen for signs of PSTD and clarify the nature of underlying stress disorder. After speaking with the patient and observing his verbal, behavioral,and symbolic actions, several symptoms have made this diagnosis possible. Caulfield is experiencing flashbacks, poor relationships,self-destructive behavior, hopelessness about the future, trouble sleeping, memory problems, trouble concentrating, and efforts to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event. He appears emotionally numb, irritable, angry, shameful,guilty, easily startled or frightened, and dissatisfied with activities he once enjoyed. A thorough analysis has taken place that has proven that Holden Caulfield meets the criteria to be diagnosed with this condition.

…

Holden confesses to his sister, Phoebe, “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do,I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them…”. Holden feels that if he is “the catcher” he can save people from the victimization diseases and bullies put on weaker individuals. It frustrates Holden to know that he cannot defend others. Specifically, he wants to protect the young and innocent, which is who he was before the traumatic events occurred in his life. Holden tells the readers, “I hate fist fights. I don’t mind getting hit so much- although I’m not crazy about it, naturally-but what scares me the most in a fist fight is the guy’s face. I can’t stand looking at the other guy’s face, is my trouble”. The “yellowness” Holden refers to is his fear to fight back against the people he feels are responsible for harming weaker individuals. He wants to stand up against the bullies and defend others, and it  upsets him that he is afraid to.

…

People with similar profiles tend to “try to avoid situations or things that remind them of the traumatic event or feel a sense of emotional numbness”. In fact, when Mr. Spencer questions Holden’s reasons for leaving Elkton Hills, Holden responds by saying, “‘Why? Oh, well it’s a long story, dire. I mean its pretty complicated.’ I didn’t feel like going in to the whole thing with him. He wouldn’t have understood it anyway. It wasn’t up his alley at all”. After speculating the patient itis evident that the reason he is avoiding the conversation is because he does not want to speak about James Castle’s death. He admits to trying to clear his mind from death during a time that he is exhibiting depression too. Holden says, “Then what I did, I went down near the lagoon and I sort of skipped the quarters and nickel across it, where it wasn’t frozen. I don’t know why I did it, but I did it. I guess I thought it’d take my mind off getting pneumonia and dying. It didn’t though”. The patient it currently low on money and at a very high stress level. Therefore, the illness is returning and he is thinking of the tragic deaths. In order to relieve his mind of the painful memories, he copes unhealthily by furthering his money problem, drinking alcohol, and remaining at a cold desolate pond. Holden’s struggle to sleep and concentrate are more signals of a mental disease. After a long day, and feelings of restlessness all night, Holden says, “I stayed in the bathroom for about an hour taking a bath and all. Then I got back in bed. It took me quite a while to get to sleep- I wasn’t even tired-but I finally I did… I didn’t sleep too long”. In addition, when lying in bed, Holden states,”Anyway, when I was in bed, I couldn’t pray worth a damn. Every time I got started, I kept picturing old Sunny calling me a crumb-bum”. During the period of life Holden has spoken about during his analyzable sessions, his stories have missing peaces and change pace a lot due to his lack of focus.

…

For over a month, the symptoms are causing significant amounts of distress in the patient’s life and are interfering with his ability to go about his normal daily tasks. Thus, treatment is necessary. The patients actions confirm that he is currently dealing with a mental illness called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I will prescribe the patient an antidepressant to relieve symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety. The medication will also improve sleep problems and concentration. In addition I am recommending exposure therapy to assist the patient in gaining control of his emotions when reminded of the damaging situation. In addition, individual therapy will help the patient understand his feelings and learn how to think more positively. The medication and psychotherapy will allow the patient to learn proper ways to cope and regain control of his life.

You may suppose I don’t care about your problems, but I really do.  I have achieved all my goals and am above mojo whoring.

What’s your beef?

UN vows to press on with Homs aid delivery

 World body’s humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos, said aid workers were deliberately targeted by gun and mortar fire.

 Last updated: 09 Feb 2014 07:24

The UN’s humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has vowed to push on with relief deliveries to civilians trapped in Homs, after a Red Crescent aid convoy was attacked.

Amos’ comments come after the convoy came under mortar and gun attack on Saturday in the Syrian city, despite an agreed three-day ceasefire which began on Friday.

“I am deeply disappointed that the three-day humanitarian pause agreed between the parties to the conflict was broken today and aid workers deliberately targeted,” Amos said in a statement released late on Saturday.

“Today’s events serve as a stark reminder of the dangers that civilians and aid workers face every day across Syria,” she added.

New York City’s rookie Mayor Bill de Blasio sat down with Jon Stewart to get a lesson on how real New Yorkers eat pizza and discuss his plans for the future of NYC. But not before Jon and the gang take the mayor to school over snow removal.

The Best F#@king News Team Ever surveys the snowy domain of a mayor hell-bent on making New York City unlivable for the rich.

In this exclusive, unedited interview, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio discusses stepping into Mayor Bloomberg’s tiny shoes and his controversial pizza-eating tendencies.

In this exclusive, unedited interview, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio weighs in on horse carriages, stop-and-frisk policies and fears of liberal chaos.

In this exclusive, unedited interview, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio defends his plan raise money for universal pre-K access.

The mayor quipped at one point that he is getting a lot of experience with snow removal but he wished it would stop so he could learn something else. We wish it would stop, too. NYC is expecting another 2 – 3 inches of the cold white stuff Sunday.

I suppose I should mention at this point that my listings come from Zap2It which has the great virtue of listing 3 hours at a time, though for this particular purpose I’m taking advantage of their days long by network presentation since there are only 4 channels I have to monitor- NBC, CNBC, MSNBC and Vs. (NBC Sports).

While Women’s Hockey and Curling are my sports of the Games, the ones I’m interested in over the next 24 hours are Slopestyle (aka Phineas and Ferb edge-of-insanity, kiss-your-butt-goodbye, gravity’s-a-stone-cold-sucker nightmare rail skate track obstacle course of doom), luge (let’s lie down on a Flexible Flyer and careen down an ice track at 80 miles an hour), and ski jumping (what can I say, my Dad did it and when he showed me the tree in the middle of the landing hill I asked if that was there when he was jumping and he said, “Oh yeah.  You just have to aim someplace else.”  Yoopers.)

Perhaps you’re looking for an alternative.  AMC has The Walking Dead, Bravo has Ocean’s Thirteen, tomorrow History has Ax Men.

Oh and tonight at 10 pm on CNBC we have Day 1 of the 138th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show which we will be live blogging.

No rest for the wicked.

(Update: Phew, Monday.  I thought so.  Did I mention Zap2It is not always accurate?)