Friday, May 31, 2013
Barker's Newsbites: Friday, May 31, 2013
OK, folks, here's something I don't understand... however, first let me preface via recounting just a few of this morning's Drudge headlines:
Record Unemployment... in Europe
19.4 Million Unemployed... in Eurozone
Nearly 1 Out of Four People Unemployed... in Europe
Frankfort "Blockupy" Protesters Surround European Central Bank
I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
So here's what I don't understand: Why is the Euro worth $1.30 instead of... say... .48 cents U.S.?
Seriously... how could it be that the Euro - which debuted at a high of $1.15 on its launch day of January 5, 1999, but by June of 2001 had sunk to .85 cents U.S. - is now... today... worth $1.30?
Portugal... Italy... Ireland... Greece... Spain...
Think of how fucked up Europe is...?!?!
Seriously... wouldn't you think that rough parity would be the goal of the Oligarchs rather than having a Euro worth basically a third more than the Dollar?
Now if the Canadian dollar were worth $1.30 that would make sense! Canada is in pretty damn good shape compared to both America and the EuroZone! (But, no... one U.S. dollar buys CND 1.03)
Obviously the fix is in... but why...?
Anyway... that's my thought of the day!
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* THREE-PARTER... (Part 1 of 3)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/may/31/eric-holder-us-journalists-searches
U.S. attorney general Eric Holder told [those] journalists [willing to attend an "off the record" briefing] on Thursday that he would change the way the Justice Department handles investigations that involve reporters and not repeat searches that have raised concerns about freedom of the press, the editors said.
* CUTE. HE NOW SAYS HE WON'T REPEAT THE TACTICS THAT YESTERDAY... AND FOR ALL WE KNOW STILL TODAY... HE DEFENDED AS "NECESSARY" AND "TOTALLY LEGITIMATE."
* SEE THE DISCONNECT HERE FOLKS...?!
After a meeting that other media outlets boycotted because of its secrecy, the journalists who did attend said they were encouraged by officials' expressions of regret...
(*GUFFAW*)
* WOW... HOW... er... SURPRISING!
* FOLKS... THIS IS AMERIKA 2013 - THE AGE OF HOLDER, OBAMA, AND CLINTON!
...though one said the Justice Department still has a long way to go to understand how journalists work.
* JUST ONE, HUH?
(*SNORT*)
"There was a commitment to change the department's guidelines for handling cases such as these and a renewed commitment to support a federal shield law for journalists," said Gerald Seib, Washington bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal.
* WOULD THAT BE AN "OFF THE RECORD" COMMITMENT?
(*SNICKER*)
* TO BE CONTINUED...
* CONTINUING... (Part 2 of 3)
The [off the record Holder to tame press] "talks" followed a decision by Barack Obama's administration to search the email and phone records of Fox News, and the phone records of the Associated Press, as part of investigations into leaks of secret government information. The seizure of records without advance notice, and an FBI agent's description of Fox News reporter James Rosen as a potential criminal co-conspirator under an espionage law, led to an outcry from journalists and advocates of free speech and prompted new calls for a federal law protecting reporters' work.
* FOLKS... WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS! NO "SECRET INTELLIGENCE" WAS OUTED! WHAT WAS REPORTED WAS THE SAME KIND OF MUSINGS YOU'LL FIND HERE AT USUALLY RIGHT AND IN EVERY MEDIA ANALYSIS PIECE YOU'VE EVER READ! NO "SPIES" WERE BEING OUTED! NO "TRADECRAFT" WAS BEING EXPOSED! THIS IS SIMPLY AN ADMINISTRATION OUT OF CONTROL.
That led to a debate in Washington over how the government is balancing the need for national security with privacy rights.
Along with a separate furor over the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative political groups for extra scrutiny, it has stoked fears of excessive government intrusion under Obama.
* YA THINK...?!?!
At Obama's direction, Holder is taking 45 days to review the Justice Department's investigative rules.
* AT OBAMA'S DIRECTION, HOLDER HAS BEEN INSTRUCTED TO INVESTIGATE... er... HOLDER.
(*SNORT*)
* TO BE CONTINUED...
* CONCLUDING... (Part 3 of 3)
Several news organizations, including Reuters, CNN, the New York Times and the Associated Press, rejected offers to meet Holder on the "off-the-record" terms.
* AND GOOD FOR THEM!
"We would welcome the opportunity to hear the attorney general's explanation for the Department of Justice's handling of subpoenas to journalists, and his thoughts about improving the protections afforded to media organizations in responding to government investigations, but believe firmly that his comments should be for publication," said Reuters spokeswoman Barb Burg.
Representatives of other media companies have been invited to more meetings with Holder on Friday.
* MORE "PRIVATE - OFF THE RECORD MEETINGS...???"
NPR executive Kinsey Wilson said a senior news executive and in-house lawyer will go instead of an editor "because we did not feel it was appropriate for our journalists to hold off-the-record discussions with the attorney general on a subject in which we have a direct interest."
(*GUFFAW*)
* TOO CUTE!
* SERIOUSLY... DO THESE SCUMBAGS THINK ANYONE IS GONNA BUY SUCH BULLSHIT? THESE ARE THE EQUIVILANT OF "EX PARTE" JUDICIAL IMPROPRIATY!
Bloomberg News said it would attend.
* BLOOMBERG...
(*CHUCKLE*)
A spokesman for ABC News said it would attend but would "press for that conversation to be put on the record."
(*CLAP...CLAP...CLAP*)
Television networks Fox News, CNN, CBS and NBC, as well as the Huffington Post, said they would not attend.
* GOOD FOR THEM!
At least two recent leak investigations involved the seizure of media records: one prompted by a Rosen Fox News story that described the thinking of U.S. intelligence officials about North Korea, and one about Associated Press stories that the government said compromised a covert agent helping U.S. forces against al Qaeda in Yemen.
* FOLKS... THIS IS THE ADMINISTRATION THAT ALLOWS DR. SHAKEEL AFRIDI TO ROT IN A PAKISTAN PRISON! THIS IS THE ADMINISTRATION THAT "RAN" BENGHAZI AND LEFT OUR PEOPLE TO DIE!
Holder personally authorized the searches of Fox News records, while his deputy, Cole, authorized the search of Associated Press records. Justice Department guidelines allow searches under rare circumstances, usually with notice to the news organization affected. [Which in this case wasn't provided!]
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57587003-38/judge-orders-google-to-comply-with-fbis-secret-nsl-demands/
A federal judge has ruled that Google must comply with the FBI's warrantless requests for confidential user data, despite the search company's arguments that the secret demands are illegal.
* "WARRANTLESS" BEING THE KEY WORD HERE.
* CHANT IT WITH ME, FOLKS: O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A!
CNET has learned that U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco rejected Google's request to modify or throw out 19 so-called National Security Letters, a warrantless electronic data-gathering technique used by the FBI that does not need a judge's approval.
* FUCK THE 4TH AMENDMENT! IN FACT... FUCK THE WHOLE GODDAMNED BILL OF RIGHTS! FUCK THE CONSTITUTION!
* SING IT WITH ME, FOLKS... (TO THE TUNE OF AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL): AMERIKA! AMERIKA! THINE LEADERS WE OBEY! WE NEED NO RIGHTS, WE'VE SEEN THE LIGHT, TO OBAMA WE PRAY!"
* BEAUTIFUL, ISN'T IT, FOLKS? THIS NEW AMERIKA! LONG LIVE FASCISM! ALL HAIL OBAMA!
Her ruling came after a pair of top FBI officials, including an assistant director, submitted classified affidavits.
* BUT... er... WHY COULDN'T THESE SAME CLASSIFIED AFFIDAVITS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED IN ORDER TO GET THE CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED JUDICIAL WARRANT...?!?!
The litigation taking place behind closed doors in Illston's courtroom - a closed-to-the-public hearing was held on May 10 - could set new ground rules curbing the FBI's warrantless access to information that Internet and other companies hold on behalf of their users. The FBI issued 192,499 of the demands from 2003 to 2006, and 97 percent of NSLs include a mandatory gag order.
* AND IN CASE ANYONE'S MEMORY IS FAULTY THIS MORNING... YES... I WAS GOING CRAZY WHEN BUSH WAS SHREDDING OUR CONSTITUTION AS WELL! BUT, AGAIN... OBAMA HAD DOUBLED-DOWN ON PRETTY MUCH EVER UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND EXTRACONSTITUTIONAL TRICK BUSH PULLED OR TRIED TO PULL!
http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/middle-class-falls-wall-street-rises-and-washington-dithers-20130531
"Bull Run Gets Solid Footing" read the USA Today headline.
"Home Prices Power Optimism" – Wall Street Journal.
"Country in a Buying Mood" – New York Times.
Unless you're among the wealthiest Americans, chances are this week's headlines don't square with your reality.
* AND UNLESS YOU'RE SELLING YOUR OLD HOME FOR A PROFIT AND PAYING LESS FOR A NEW HOME THAT'S AS GOOD AS YOUR OLD HOME... WHAT GOOD DO HIGHER HOME PRICES DO YOU?
* ON THE OTHER HAND... IF YOU'RE IN THE MARKET FOR YOUR FIRST HOME... OR IF YOU'RE SUDDENLY FORCED TO MOVE FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER... CHANCES ARE YOU'RE SCREWED!
Wall Street is faring far better than Main Street, where the middle class is losing ground and hope.
* AND MORE AND MORE "WALL STREET" IS DEMOCRAT - OR RINO - WHILE MAIN STREET IS LIBERTARIAN-LEANING REPUBLICAN CONSERVATIVE OR BLUE COLLAR DEMOCRAT.
Despite signs of a durable economic recovery, a recent Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll shows that middle-class Americans fear they're falling behind.
* THEY ARE! THAT'S WHY THEY FEEL THAT WAY!
Obama said Friday that the recovery can't be measured in stock prices alone, "it's about how much progress ordinary families are making. Are we creating ladders of economic opportunity for everybody who works hard?"
The answer is no.
* AND, YET... OBAMA IS QUICK TO CLAIM CREDIT FOR STOCK MARKET RISES!
Nearly two-thirds of jobs lost during the recession paid middle-class wages, according to the National Employment Law Project. Yet only 22% of jobs created under Obama are mid-wage occupations.
(*SIGH*)
The gap between middle-class and wealthy Americans has grown steadily since the 1970s. The Brookings Institution recently said that income inequality is reducing the ability of Americans to climb from one class to another, and documented evidence of "permanent inequality" — wealthier Americans becoming permanently better-off at the same time that the disadvantaged are becoming permanently worse-off.
(*PURSED LIPS*)
A 2011 CBO study found that between 1979 and 2007 the top 1% of American wage-earners saw their after-tax income grow by a whopping 275%. The next 19% experienced 65% growth.
* FOLKS... THE GAME IS RIGGED! IT'S RIGGED FROM THE TOP DOWN!
The rest were left with table scraps: No more than 40% growth for anybody else — and only 18% growth for the bottom fifth.
While no GOP leader has broken through with a populist message appealing to Americans whose voting behaviors are motivated by these economic trends, Democrats are likely to follow Obama's rhetorical path.
* AND THAT'S THE POINT - IT'S RHETORICAL! THINK JON CORZINE. THINK CHARLIE RANGEL. THINK WARREN BUFFETT. THINK "WINNERS" CHOSEN BY GOVERNMENT BASED UPON THEIR ALLEGIANCE TO POLITICAL CORRECTNESS! THINK "THE GREEN ECONOMY." THINK OBAMA ONLY PAYING 18% OF HIS INCOME IN FEDERAL INCOME TAXES THIS YEAR!
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, a likely Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, told liberal activists Thursday that "America's middle class hasn't had a raise in 13 years."
* YEAH... BUT HAS SHE ASKED WHY INSTEAD OF BEING IN JAIL, JON CORZINE WAS A MAJOR BUNDLER FOR OBAMA'S 2018 ELECTION CAMPAIGN? HAS SHE EVER ADDRESSED THE PARDON OF MARC RICH... THE CLINTON "DEAD OF NIGHT" PARDON... THE PARDON ENGINEERED BY RICHARD HOLDER...???
* FOLKS... FOLKS LIKE MY FRIEND "HE WHOSE NAME DARE NOT BE MENTIONED"... HOW FUCKING OBTUSE ARE YOU...?!?!
Now, that's a headline that might resonate.
* HOW FUCKING OBTUSE ARE YOU...???
(*GUFFAW*)
* TWO-PARTER... (Part 1 of 2)
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/22462597/dc-ambulance-breaks-down-while-transporting-shooting-victim-to-hospital#axzz2UpTOswiX
The Washington D.C. fire department is trying to determine why one of its newer diesel ambulances broke down as crews were transporting a patient in cardiac arrest.
The driver of Ambulance 19 is telling investigators the indicator lights on the emission control system suddenly and unexpectedly jumped from a warning to shut down in a matter of seconds, and as the engine died, she was able to pull the rig to the side of the road.
The question now is why? And can these newer rigs be trusted to be there in an emergency?
* NOW, FOLKS... READ ON - AND PERHAPS WEEP! WEEP AT THE INSANITY!
When the D.C. fire department began buying these diesel engine ambulances a few years ago, officials knew they would have to manage them with a new emission control system that would automatically shut the engine down if it wasn't allowed to what's called "regenerate.”
It was a mandate from the Environmental Protection Agency.
* NOTHING TO DO WITH SAFETY!
And until recently, the fire department said it had been able to handle the requirements without any significant incidents.
* "SIGNIFICANT..." (*ROLLING MY EYES*)
"On May 22nd or 23rd, it was here in the shop,” said Deputy Chief John Donnelly of D.C. Fire and EMS. “It had a problem with the regeneration system. That problem was a lot different. The end result is the same - the engine gave a warning light. But it was different in some ways and we sent it to the dealer and got it back. It was repaired and it was running fine when we put it back in service.”
Although Donnelly says he is only aware of one recent problem with Ambulance 19's emissions system, the union says they have a record of at least three. "To my understanding, this particular problem has been reported three times prior since last August and not addressed properly with that particular unit,” said Union President Ed Smith. Smith says minutes count with patient care, and engine shutdowns due to emission control are unacceptable.
* ER... YEAH... SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT... (*STILL JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)
When Ambulance 19 broke down, it was transporting 34-year-old Nathaniel McRae, who had just been in a shootout with D.C. police. A medic continued to administer CPR while the crew waited for a second ambulance but McRae was pronounced dead at Howard University Hospital.
(*PURSED LIPS*)
What is unclear is how long the crew waited for the second ambulance. But a spokesman for the fire department, Lon Walls, said "the delay did not affect care in any way.”
* BULLSHIT! BULLSHIT ON THE FACE OF IT! GEEZUS... WHAT A FUCKING STUPID THING TO SAY!
Donnelly says the drivers of the rigs and the people who manage them have to stay on top of the warning lights to make sure they don't ever approach the shut down level. "We don't want to have any incidents like this, but we’ve shown we can manage it,” he said. “It’s tough. It takes a lot of coordination and effort and there are a number of people that work on it. The drivers have a role, the dispatchers have a role, the battalion chiefs and EMS supervisors have a role and everybody has been doing their job in managing this. I'm confident we can.”
* A... PATIENT... DIED...!!!
* TO BE CONTINUED...
* CONCLUDING... (Part 2 of 2)
"It's going back to the manufacturer,” said Smith. “It should still be under warranty and let them get to the bottom of it.”
* A... PATIENT... DIED...!!!
(*MASSIVE MIGRAINE HEADACHE*)
But in the future, the fire department may not have to deal with the issue.
* PREY TELL WHY...???
In May of last year, after many complaints from other fire departments, the EPA issued a directive waiving the diesel emissions rules for fire engines and ambulances.
* "...AFTER MANY COMPLAINTS..."
* FOLKS... WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ABSOLUTE INCOMPETENCE!
Donnelly was unaware of the directive and said he would look into it.
* AGAIN... SOUNDS LIKE ABSOLUTE INCOMPETENCE TO ME...
(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)
What is unclear is if the emissions controls can be disconnected or the fire department would have to buy new units without them.
(*MIGRAINE SUDDENLY MUCH WORSE*)
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/31/Exclusive-IRS-Ignores-Senate-Deadline-to-Answer-Questions-About-Scandal
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) declined Friday afternoon to meet a Senate Finance Committee deadline for answering detailed questions about the origins of the IRS scandal. The questions had been submitted jointly nearly two weeks ago by Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT).
In a joint statement to Breitbart News, Baucus and Hatch said: “It’s disappointing that the IRS failed to produce any of the documents requested by the Committee.
* "DISAPPOINTING...?!?!" ARE THESE TWO CLOWNS FUCKING KIDDING ME...?!?! WHY AREN'T IRS MANAGERS BEING HAULED TO JAIL WEARING CHAINS AND ORANGE JUMPSUITS...?!?!
“The IRS needs to do much better.”
(*SILENCE*) (*TOTAL...SPEECHLESS...NOISELESS... SILENCE*)
* FOLKS... THIS IS BASICALLY IT; THIS IS THE WHOLE ARTICLE. NO EXPLANATION OF HOW THE IRS CAN GET AWAY WITH THIS. HOPEFULLY THEY'LL BE MORE TO FOLLOW!
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