Politics in the Zeros - Latest Comments

Re: Republican Benghazi meme. Ambassador killed for Syria gunrunning

Bob Morris — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:39:24 -0000

Business Insider:

"Weapons from Benghazi to Syria

Also in October we reported the connection between Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who died in the attack, and a reported September shipment of SA-7 surface-to-air anti-craft missiles (i.e. MANPADS) and rocket-propelled grenades from Benghazi to Syria through southern Turkey.

That 400-ton shipment — "the largest consignment of weapons" yet for Syrian rebels — was organized by Abdelhakim Belhadj, who was the newly-appointed head of the Tripoli Military Council."

http://www.businessinsider.com...

Re: Republican Benghazi meme. Ambassador killed for Syria gunrunning

Tom Sea — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:00:43 -0000

Nobody died at watergate, it's stupid to say people being killed is not worse than Watergate.

Re: EU-China solar photovoltaic trade war

DJ — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:54:44 -0000

I have 6 BP solar panels on my roof. They are six years old, and dead as a doornail. As I write this, my installer is taking then down. He says he's had to de-install several other BP installations this year. Sure, they have a 25-year warranty, but meanwhile my system is producing nothing. Thankfully, I'm not completely off-grid, or I'd be in trouble. No wonder US & EU manufacturers need protection!

Re: IRS targeted groups ‘educating on the Constitution’ and “reform’

Bob Morris — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:44:04 -0000

Hmm, yes, quite a list indeed. Audits are a big deal but not getting nonprofit status could also be huge too.

Re: Foraging for edible wild plants in Texas

ratbagradio — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:08:40 -0000

Called 'Prickly Pear' here it is a popular here among Italian migrants as it grows wild is Sicily. Some shops sell the fruit. While still used in landscaping, esp for that Spanish look, it is delegated as a noxious plant having colonised most of Australia.

Prickly Pear spread in Australia

Re: IRS targeted groups ‘educating on the Constitution’ and “reform’

Pat H — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:12:06 -0000

It's never happened before, except in the past.

Greenpeace in 2004 (apparently because Exxon Mobile wanted it)
http://www.democracynow.org/20...

NAACP, same year (someone criticized the Bush administration, if you can imagine that)
http://articles.baltimoresun.c...

All Saints Episcopal Church in 2005 (what would Jesus say?)
http://articles.latimes.com/20...
http://articles.latimes.com/20...
http://articles.latimes.com/20...

Note that these groups were audited, not just targeted like the current crop (none of which appear to have been actually investigated). Perhaps our in-house IRS expert can explain the difference, but to me, an lengthy audit seems like a much bigger deal.

And remember the scandal about those US Attorneys who were fired for not investigating political opponents and/or bothering political supporters? Brought down the Bush Presidency, didn't it?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02...

Sources: Zandar at Balloon Juice; David Waldman tweets

Re: Drug cartels are in thousands of US cities. How can this be? Hmm

Bob Morris — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:57:50 -0000

Brits, I'll wager. Never did trust them. :)

Re: Drug cartels are in thousands of US cities. How can this be? Hmm

DJ — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:18:11 -0000

A number of high-tech pot farms have been busted here in rural southern Utah. They have been operated, according to authorities, by "interests from outside the U.S." I think we can translate that into post-modern English.

Re: “Wholesale, violent revolution” may be what destroys the euro

Bob Morris — Sun, 05 May 2013 18:36:00 -0000

Thx!

Re: “Wholesale, violent revolution” may be what destroys the euro

tiradefaction — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:23:20 -0000

Just a slight correction, Farage is an MEP, not an MP.

Re: Ruger gun production and shipments soar to highest levels ever

DJ — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:40:05 -0000

I bought some cheap Mexican 9mm ammo a few years back for $7 a box. Just sold some of it for $17, and could probably get more, except I think I'll hang on to the rest in case the dollar fails.

People are scared. It's not just that Obama has declared his intention to limit gun ownership (though as with most everything else he says, this is probably just posturing). It's the poor economy, which leaves for example more than half of my county eligible for food stamps. It's frightening fiscal policy, under which the money supply has grown five times faster than the economy and the national debt is now approaching seven times the government's annual tax revenues. And it's the continuing political division in the media that suggests liberals are all communists who want to take our guns, and conservatives are all racist gun nuts who want to overthrow the government.

In that environment, you can bet every (sane) person wants to be armed. The potential for war, civil unrest, and the failure of the food supply seem to be increasing exponentially.

Re: Top 100 list of libertarian blogs and websites

Bob Morris — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:02:10 -0000

Exactly! This also made me realize how the left-right divisions in this country may not be as absolute as they appear to be.

Re: Top 100 list of libertarian blogs and websites

Humble Libertarian — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:49:56 -0000

Thanks, Bob! Was a pleasure working w/ you at IVN. Readers, Bob and I always got a real kick out of coming from different political paradigms yet agreeing so much on an issue by issue basis. I guess when you stand for something consistently, you end up in the same place with other people of consistent principle, even if they understand those principles in a different framework.

Re: What could possibly go wrong with 10% subprime mortgages?

RoManXP47 — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:07:19 -0000

Why not? They made so much money last time around...

Re: Stoopid Tall bike is 14.5 feet tall

Bob Morris — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 20:09:28 -0000

Keeping one's balance would seem to be real important here...

Re: Stoopid Tall bike is 14.5 feet tall

steeleweed — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:49:27 -0000

Reminds me of my when I was young and stupid. Never had a bike that tall but had a 15' unicycle. Was a bitch getting it set up so there was zero slack in the chain.:-D.

Re: Constitution? We don’t have to honor no stinking Constitution

DJ — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:18:29 -0000

In 2002, political activists and Green Party members were routinely delayed or denied at airports. See the articles from 2002 below. In 2005, my 15-year-old nephew's name turned up on a no fly list. He had no political affiliations at all, and no criminal history. He was eventually allowed to board his flight, but with no explanation as to how his name got on the list.

http://www.commondreams.org/he...

http://inthesetimes.com/issue/...

Re: Constitution? We don’t have to honor no stinking Constitution

Bob Morris — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:39:51 -0000

What happened with the GP people?

Re: Constitution? We don’t have to honor no stinking Constitution

DJ — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:04:10 -0000

Even more important is habeus corpus. A person can now be held indefinitely without charges if they are "suspected" of terrorism. THIS is a slippery slope. In Sri Lanka, thousands were detained without charges as a matter of course under emergency regulations. Their only crime was being of the wrong ethnicity. One of my friends, a well-respected worker for an aid organization, was picked up at a road block and held for two weeks before his employer could even learn where he was being held - he just disappeared. The employer intervened and was able to gain the man's freedom. Most folks weren't so lucky. Think that can't happen here? Guess again. Already, people have been denied access to air travel just for being members of the Green Party. We are well on our way to a police state.

Re: Craft International at Boston marathon. Black helicopter alert

Freedum Fyter — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:42:26 -0000

Ironic title!....I saw an unmarked black heli on the live feed from CNN!! lol

Re: Constitution? We don’t have to honor no stinking Constitution

Bob Morris — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:44:26 -0000

I think Miranda always matters. Too many slippery slopes here.

Re: Constitution? We don’t have to honor no stinking Constitution

Phinsd — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:30:11 -0000

Did you read Kerr?He goes into the subject at greater length.
Miranda is about self-incrimination. If there's enough evidence to convict without the accused's testimony, Miranda doesn't matter.
As far as I can tell, the exception has to do with uncovering immanent threats and there's a time limit on it.

Re: Constitution? We don’t have to honor no stinking Constitution

Bob Morris — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 20:49:19 -0000

Except it is unusual in that it is never done and it opens a huge slippery slope to using non-Miranda testimony in other trials, which is the deliberate purpose here.

Re: Drop that pressure cooker and put your hands up

Bob Morris — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 20:47:03 -0000

Ask the drug cartels in Mexico. The mayhem there is so extreme it even makes other organized crime leery.

Re: Syria rebels send their condolences over Boston

Bob Morris — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 20:45:16 -0000

Compared to the bombs in Syria, Boston, horrific as it was, was a firecracker. Bombs there can destroy buildings...