Welcome! "What's Happenin'?" is a casual community diary (a daily series, 8:30 AM Eastern on weekdays, 10 AM on weekends and holidays) where we hang out and talk about the goings on here and everywhere.
We welcome links to your writings here on dkos or elsewhere, posts of pictures, music, news, etc.
Just about anything goes, but attacks and pie fights are not welcome here. This is a community diary and a friendly, peaceful, supportive place for people to interact.
Everyone who wants to join in peaceful interaction is very welcome here.
|
Good Morning!
"Mr. Lincoln" red rose. (Photo by joanneleon. October, 2012)
The number one lobby that opposes campaign finance reform in the United States is the National Association of Broadcasters.
-- Robert McChesney
The Politics Of Dancing - Re-Flex |
Drop in
any time
day or night
to say hello.
|
News and Opinion
Cat appears to come in third in Virginia’s U.S. senate race
It’s entirely possible that third-place finisher in Virginia is Hank the Cat, a Maine Coon who ran on a pro-feline, job-creation platform.
[...]
But an examination of the official voting ballot online shows that there apparently wasn’t a candidate from a known third party listed on the ballot below Kaine and Allen, unlike past years. There also isn’t a third-party candidate listed on the election board website among its election results.
Hank the Cat had been running for the U.S. Senate since last winter as a part of a spoof on the modern election process. He received extended coverage in The Washington Post in February.
Hank even wrote a campaign blog for The Huffington Post in October, praising another cat running for office in Canada, Tuxedo Stan. That was after Hank survived an attack ad launched by a faux pro-dog super PAC.
You've seen the Super PAC numbers that we've posted here all week, right? There were huge
Super PACs on the left and the right. I guess Axelrod forgot about all of his Super PACs. Hello? He makes his own reality. An amusing article and a terrible piece of journalism:
Axelrod: Election shows PACs ‘can’t buy the White House’
Speaking to reporters on a conference call two days after Obama won reelection, Axelrod said one key takeaway of the presidential race and other congressional races, is the ineffectiveness of the super-PACs.
“If I were one of these billionaires, I'd be wanting to talk to someone and asking where my refund is, because they didn't get much for their money,” Axelrod said. “Just looking at the heartening news is that you can't buy the White House. You can't overwhelm the Congress with these super-PAC dollars.”
Senate scorecard: Who won, and whom they owe
As with the presidential race, conservative outside groups who dropped the most money on heated Senate contests didn't get a great return on their investments. But that doesn't mean the new or returning senators that emerged victorious weren't also backed by big money. These groups, dominated by labor, will be asking for something in return for their support.
[...]
Tester is a member of the powerful Senate Appropriations and Finance Committees, and contributions to his campaign fund reflect those assignments. The financial sector has given him $1.7 million, and lawyers and lobbyists, $1.6 million. His top donors include JP Morgan & Chase, Visa Inc., and the Blackstone Group. All of these companies lobby heavily on the Dodd-Frank financial law and its implementation.
Here Come the Fiscal Scolds Giving a Discredited Solution to a Problem of Their Own Invention
When we start hearing this – and it’s going to come fast and furious now – consider that this has been thoroughly rejected this week by the American people. The Democracy Corps survey of voters shows that they favor growth over deficit reduction by 67 to 26 percent, and over 60 percent rule out cuts to Medicare and Social Security as part of any deficit reduction package. Almost every candidate personally endorsed by Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson lost on Election Day. Bowles is in the Washington Post this morning demanding a deficit deal, based on his facility with elites, not any kind of groundswell of support. The “Fix the Debt” campaign has $35 million and not much else in the way of credibility. The public doesn’t want this. Elites want to force it upon them.
There’s a Third Way on the deficit, not exemplified by Biden or Orszag. It’s nothing that Third Way would actually endorse. That would be fixing the economy instead of fixing the debt, and it starts with a massive rebuilding program on the Atlantic Coast to protect it from the new reality of 100-year storms every year or two.
So far, that third way has been shut out of the thinking in the White House.
Rep.-elect Grayson: Democrats should concede nothing in budget deal
Florida Rep.-elect Alan Grayson (D) on Wednesday night said that Democrats should not concede anything in a grand bargain with Republicans.
“Why talk about caving at all? The Democrats won the election,” he told Current TV host Eliot Spitzer.
Raw Story (http://s.tt/...)
US Drones Hit Yemen a Day After Obama Won
Less than 24 hours from the re-election of President Obama, news of a new drone strike hit Yemen. The strike was in the al-Sarin village in Sanhan and killed Adnan al-Qadhi, Rabeaa Lahib and Radwan al-Hashdhi and injured others, including a boy. Yet, this strike is different from previous ones because Sanhan is less than 40km from the capital Sanaa and happens to be the former president Ali Abdulla Saleh's hometown.
'Adnan al-Qadhi and the Day After
This is important. The US has carried out, by my best estimate, between 37 - 50 strikes this year in an attempt to kill 10 - 15 people. Many of those 10 - 15 people are still alive (see: Nasir al-Wihayshi, Said al-Shihri, Qasim al-Raymi, Ibrahim Asiri and so on) but people are dying in Yemen.
And while we in the US may not feel or realize this, it is very real in Yemen. And this is causing problems and - I continue to say - is one of the key reasons behind the rapid growth of al-Qaeda in Yemen.
It is not that al-Qaeda's theology has suddenly become palatable to larger numbers of Yemenis than ever before, it is that people are looking for revenge against the US for the killings of their relatives and tribesmen and in Yemen today al-Qaeda is the only group fighting back, which leads to a dangerous marriage of convenience.
So, were al-Hashidi and Lahib al-Qaeda members? And even if so, will they be seen that way by their friends and relatives?
Given al-Qadhi's position and prominent relatives in Yemen it will be important to watch for fallout in the days ahead.
Bahrain revokes 31 opposition activists' citizenship
Bahrain's government has revoked the citizenship of 31 opposition activists for "undermining state security".
[...]
Last week, the government banned all public gatherings and rallies.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Al Khalifah said "repeated abuse" of the rights to freedom of speech and expression could no longer be accepted.
[...]
Matar Matar, a former MP and leading member of al-Wifaq, told the AFP news agency that many of the activists whose citizenship was revoked on Wednesday had been acquitted by a military court last year after being charged with harming state security.
[...]
"It is apparent that the action taken by the Bahraini authorities to revoke the citizenships of 31 individuals is intended to punish them for expressing peaceful dissent and thereby intimidate others from exercising their right to freedom of expression," the statement added.
[Emphasis added]
Obama victory infuriates Pakistani drone victims
Pakistanis were largely indifferent in the run-up to Tuesday's election, expecting little change to the drone attacks regardless of whether Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney won.
"Any American, whether Obama or Mitt Romney, is cruel," Warshameen Jaan Haji, whose neighborhood was struck by a drone last week, told Reuters on the eve of the election. "I lost my wife in the drone attack and my children are injured. Whatever happens, it will be bad for Muslims."
Pakistani politician Imran Khan, a vocal critic of U.S. drone strikes, said he believed Obama stepped up the attacks in his first term so he wouldn't look weak on national security.
"I think Obama essentially has an anti-war instinct," he told Reuters. "Without the worry of being re-elected, he will de-escalate the war, including the use of drones. This is positive."
But for Mohammad Khan, who is not related to the former cricketer, the damage is already done.
The February 2009 drone attack that destroyed his home left him as the main provider for 13 family members, forcing him to move to Islamabad and work with a real estate company.
"When the Sandy hurricane came, I thought that Allah would wipe away America," he said. "America just wants to take over the world."
Tenants at Red Hook housing projects still without power, heat and water
On the seventh floor there, tenants have set up candles in the hallway so they can get around. Most seniors rely on assistance from youngsters who bring them food, water and supplies after standing on long ration lines outside set up by the feds.
Seventh-floor resident Yvonne Swepson-Williams, 66, said she and her other elderly neighbors are trapped because they can’t get up and down the stairs.
“I see what’s going on in Staten Island, so I count my blessings,” she said. “However, I would hope [NYCHA] starts moving a little faster and gets the water out of the basement, so we can get power.”
Many on fixed incomes complained that they’ve had to dump hundreds of dollars worth of food.
[...]
Lu Hahn, 24, of 80 Dwight Street, ripped NYCHA for using a tiny pump to pump the flooded basements.
“They’ve been on this for a week and made no progress because the pump is too small- it’s a like a fish pump,” he said, staring at a tiny pump.
4 More Drones! Robot Attacks Are on Deck for Obama’s Next Term
When Barack Obama took office, drone strikes were a once-in-a-while thing, with an attack every week or two. Now, they’re the centerpiece of a global U.S. counterterrorism campaign. Obama institutionalized the strikes to the point where he could hand off to the next president an efficient bureaucratic process for delivering death-by-robot practically on autopilot. Only now he’s the next president. Welcome to Obama’s second-term agenda for dealing with the world. As the Ramones sang: second verse, same as the first.
[...]
The Obama administration is doing something similar with cyber weaponry. It’s trying to make them a normal part of everyday conflict. Gone are the days when senior officers equivocated in public about their ability to disrupt enemy data networks. Now the Air Force talks openly about spending $10 million on new tools “to destroy, deny, degrade, disrupt, deceive, corrupt, or usurp the adversaries [sic] ability to use the cyberspace domain for his advantage.” The Pentagon’s futurists at Darpa have launched a new “Plan X” to routinize the corruption of enemy networks and the exfiltration of data within normal military operations. Routinization may actually be the wrong word: Darpa wants military malware that works like “the auto-pilot function in modern aircraft.” The Stuxnet worm that messed with Iran’s centrifuges was only the beginning.
All this might seem aggressive for a president who liked to say on the campaign trail that “the tide of war is receding.” But the tide of war never actually goes out. And the wicked-hard problems facing Obama’s national security team may only be getting under way.
First, Obama’s got to help Congress avert 9.4 percent annual, automatic cuts to practically every Defense Department program for the next 10 years, as both he and his defense secretary, Leon Panetta, are on record opposing them.
Next comes Iran. [...]
Second verse, same as the first!
Map: US bases encircle Iran
Dozens of US and allied forces' military installations dot the region, from Oman, UAE and Kuwait to Turkey and Israel.
Doha, Qatar - US military bases continue to form a strategic envelope around Iran, although the American withdrawal from Iraq at the end of 2011 may have changed the regional balance somewhat towards Iran's favour. While US forces are scaling back in many parts of the globe due to budget cuts - and have begun a gradual depature from Afghanistan to be completed by 2014 - their international presence remains vast.
From an active-duty force of 1.4 million soldiers, the US has deployed some 350,000 troops to at least 130 foreign countries around the world. Some are at Cold War-era installations, but many are in or near combat zones in the Middle East. At more than 750 bases internationally, private contractors and third-country nationals also form a large percentage of the staff, in addition to military reservists and civilian employees of the Pentagon.
US military installations in the Middle East serve to keep an eye on Iran, but their regional footprint was significantly expanded well before Iran became the most publicly cited foreign "threat".
CNN claims Iran shot at a US drone, revealing the news network's mindset
Its Pentagon reporter parrots significant, inflammatory government claims without an iota of skepticism or balance
Barbara Starr, CNN's Pentagon reporter (more accurately known as: the Pentagon's reporter at CNN), has an exciting exclusive today. Exclusively relying upon "three senior officials" in the Obama administration (all anonymous, needless to say), she claims that "two Iranian Su-25 fighter jets fired on an unarmed US Air Force Predator drone in the Persian Gulf last week," while "the drone was in international airspace east of Kuwait . . . engaged in routine maritime surveillance." The drone was not hit, but, says CNN, "the incident raises fresh concerns within the Obama administration about Iranian military aggression in crucial Gulf oil shipping lanes."
First things first: let us pause for a moment to extend our thoughts and prayers to this US drone. Although it was not physically injured, being shot at by the Iranians - while it was doing nothing other than peacefully minding its own business - must have been a very traumatic experience. I think I speak on behalf of everyone, regardless of political views, when I say that we all wish this brave hero a speedy recovery and hope it is back in full health soon, protecting our freedom.
A Christmas hat is place on a MQ-9 reaper at the 62nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, Dec. 16, 2011. The MQ-1 and MQ-9 were both dressed for a group photo embracing the holiday spirit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Corey Hook)
www.dvidshub.net/image/500900/holiday-spirit#.UGxwZk3A9mM
First a Leak (or Rumor) about Secret Bilateral Peace Talks, Then a Leak about a Drone-Plane Standoff
After a month straight of unauthorized leaks pertaining the Benghazi without a peep in response from anyone in the Administration, DOD’s Press Secretary has already labeled this story an unauthorized leak.
This comes less than 10 days after a report–which both sides dispute–of planned (or potentially started) bilateral discussions between Iran and the US. (Not to mention the stories that Bibi tried to provoke an Iranian attack at some censored time in 2010.)
The warning shots over disputed territory is, of course, a non-story that CNN’s unauthorized leakers are trying to turn into one.
And that, it seems, is the desperation with which some people are trying to prevent peace from breaking out.
Casual Observer on November 8, 2012 at 4:54 pm said:
Next leaked story will be of the shaken little drone, weary from its ordeal but smiling bravely, receiving a medal.
JTMinIA on November 8, 2012 at 5:50 pm said:
But please note that the drone will not be wearing his two Hellfire missiles when he receives said medal. And any photos released by Iran that show Hellfires on the drone are evil photochops and must be ignored.
(Apologies in advance for assuming that drones are all male.)
noble_serf on November 8, 2012 at 7:29 pm said:
Leaks like this hurt on the home front.
Think of that drone’s family! Sheesh media, always giving info to those who would do us harm.
/snark (in case my friendly neighborhood Farm boy is reading along.)
Blog Posts and Tweets of Interest
The Evening Blues - 11-8-12
Environmentalists' Responses to the Reelection of President Obama
Obama 'surrogate' Orsag "Pimping Social Security cuts again"
Arcadia - Election Day
Remember when progressive debate was about our values and not about a "progressive" candidate? Remember when progressive websites championed progressive values and didn't tell progressives to shut up about values so that "progressive" candidates can get elected?
Come to where the debate is not constrained by oaths of fealty to persons or parties.
Come to where the pie is served in a variety of flavors.
"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum." ~ Noam Chomsky
|