The Free Speech Zone

"Kill him!"

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:45:46 GMT

According to a report by Dana Millbank in the Washington Post, the campaign's gotten uglier than at any time in my memory.

At least, I can't remember any political event where the crowd was advocating the murder of the opposing candidate. Certainly not during a speech by one of the candidates at the top of the ticket.

(Aside: back in August, my uncle here in Greece confidently predicted that Obama would not become President. Not because of the votes, but because the powers that be in America would not allow him to. He cited the example of JFK's fate.

We're in for some dark times, no matter what happens November 4.)

Two from the First Amendment Center blog

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:33:59 GMT

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=20649

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=20646

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:57:54 GMT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/oct/04/sarah.palin.women.election

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:47:52 GMT

Offered without comment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S27yitK32ds

Voting in Maryland

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:37:44 GMT

I'm all hapy because I just voted. Well, technically, I will have voted when I mail the absentee ballot. Elections judges in Maryland are no longer technically required to vote by absentee ballot, but it is 'strongly encouraged'.
The way it works, Montgomery county counts all absentee ballots: but if I'm assigned to some place other than my precinct, I can't get out to my precinct to vote in person, and while I could insist on voting in person in the assigned precinct, that would perforce be a provisional ballot, which carries the risk of not being counted. I have a feeling that this time around, it will be way too freakin' busy to even think about insisting on voting in person in my precinct, assuming that I am assigned to work it. So, absentee ballot is the way to go for me.

Then there's this rumor-quashing effort on the part of the Maryland Board of Elections: http://www.elections.state.md.us/press_room/rumor_control.html

The most important of which, I think, is the note that having one's home foreclosed *does not* disenfranchise one in Maryland: however, if one has moved as a result of a foreclosure (or for any other reason), notify the Board of Elections immediately. Teh referenced site also answers some other questions you may have about voting in Maryland.

About the financial crisis

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:18:19 GMT

So, going around the right-wing neocon blogs right now is the idea that the Clinton administration and/or community organizing groups like ACORN are to blame for the current mortgage-and-failing-financial institutions crisis. The heart of this claim is that the financial institutions involved were "encouraged" by the Community Reinvestiment Act to make risky loans to financially insolvent individuals and corporate entities. See, for example: http://outoftownnews.blogspot.com/2008/09/cnns-lou-dobbs-acorn-report-transcript.html or http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=YjgwYzI4Njg3OWMxOGUzYmY0ZDMwYzYwNzkzYjc1NDI. Yeah, right: this is nothing more than the blame-the-victims bullshit that I've seen as a pillar argument of the reactionary movement for years.

Well, let's see, the Community Reinvestiment act was passed in...1977? Yeah, blame the Clinton Administration for that one. Or, maybe it was the fact that the Clinton Adminsitration changed the CRA in 1995 But wait, those changes led to..."a wave of mergers led to a flurry of CRA activity, but, as noted by the New America Foundation's Ellen Seidman (and by Harvard's Joint Center), that activity largely came to an end by 2001." (quoted from Hale Stewart, here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hale-stewart/memo-to-republicans-cra-h_b_127599.html) But wait, the mergers had little-to-no apparent effect on the availability of credit or the ability to pay the debt. The effect of the rules changes in fact were: "Changes to CRA regulations issued in 1995 focused evaluations on objective performance measures rather than previously used process-oriented factors." (qoted from Michael Barr's testimony, here: http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/barr021308.pdf)

The neocons need to get their facts straight. Quoteing Michael Barr's testimony again, "Even excluding affiliates, banks increased their lending to low- and moderate-income borrowers and areas by 10 percent over this period, compared with no growth at all for these lenders in their other markets. As a result, the share of all mortgage lending by CRA-covered institutions and their affiliates to these borrowers and areas increased from 25 to 28 percent."

Increased to 28%. Meaning that 62% of the risky loans wern't made by the CRA-covered institutions. Further, Rober Gordon notes "Perhaps one in four sub-prime loans were made by the institutions fully governed by CRA." (http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=did_liberals_cause_the_subprime_crisis). Barr further notes: "Moreover, studies have documented abusive practices in the subprime sector. These practices have included “flipping,” repeatedly refinancing a loan in a short period of time. Flipping subjects a borrower to high fees, including prepayment penalties, which diminish the borrower’s home equity without providing significant benefit. Loans have been “packed” with additional products (such as credit life insurance) without the borrower understanding that the products were optional or unsuitable. Loans have included fees unrelated to risk or servicing, and which are structured to disguise the loans’ true costs. Some brokers have made home mortgage loans without regard to the borrower’s ability to repay. These so-called “asset based” loans often were made by brokers who earned high fees and were less concerned about their reputations among lenders.18 In other cases borrowers have testified that “unscrupulous mortgage brokers, lenders, home improvement contractors, appraisers, and combinations thereof” engaged in “outright fraud” as well as “deceptive or high-pressure sales tactics,” and often “prey[ed] on . . . the elderly, minorities, and individuals with lower incomes and less education.”".

THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY that the CRA caused the subprime mortgage crisis: this crisis was caused by the corporate greed and the profit-taking of mortgage lenders or banking affiliates, who were subject to the *lack* of federal oversight & regulation.

Or, maybe we should believe the rascist claims advanced by Michelle Malkin (http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=MDZjOGE1MDZlODMzOTEwMjU0NmNiNTgzOGU4OTAyZDA=) that "illegal immigrants" caused the subprime mortgage crisis?

This idea is so blatantly fucked that I'm not even going to make a resopnse to it; it falls on its own merits.

Oh, and as far as ACORN? http://republicanleader.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=103884 calls ACORN "a scandal-tarished 'community organizing group'". Further, the claim is that the Democratic Party "seeks to shower taxpayer dollars upon groups like ACORN." CBS news (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/27/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4483168.shtml) noted correctly, however, "In the end, how much of the bailout's potential profits are earmarked for ACORN? "None. Absolutely none. All funds would go to state and local governments," said Steven Adamske, spokesman for Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the chairman of the Financial Services Committee and a lead negotiator." What that really is is an attempt to disparage community organizers in general, and by implication, presidential candidate Barak Obama. If you can't win an argument with facts, then resort to name-calilng and guilt-by-association.

DOMESTIC TERRORISM

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:18:59 GMT

Has this been on a news blackout? How is it that no-one has heard of this until now??

On Friday, September 26, the end of a week in which thousands of copies of Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West -- the fear-mongering, anti-Muslim documentary being distributed by the millions in swing states via DVDs inserted in major newspapers and through the U.S. mail -- were distributed by mail in Ohio, a "chemical irritant" was sprayed through a window of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, where 300 people were gathered for a Ramadan prayer service. The room that the chemical was sprayed into was the room where babies and children were being kept while their mothers were engaged in prayers. This, apparently, is what the scare tactic political campaigning of John McCain's supporters has led to -- Americans perpetrating a terrorist attack against innocent children on American soil.

to repeat: Muslim Children Gassed at Dayton Mosque After "Obsession" DVD Hits Ohio

Please, please, go to this link and read the whole thing. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/28/203016/697/536/613742

It was reported in the Dayton Daily News, but not commented on in major media since. The DVDs ---28 million of them--- were inserted in newspapers in many swing states by a pro-McCain group. And so here we are. A country where hatred is distributed with the Sunday paper. Where children are maliciously attacked because of their religion and no one blinks. Thankfully, no-one died. This time.

I urge you to call or write any major media outlet you know of and disseminate this story. Also, I'm sure the people in Dayton Islamic Society and their members would appreciate a kind word.
26 Josie Street, Dayton, OH 45403 Tel: (937) 228-1503
Here is the email:
isgd@hotmail.com

Here also is the email for the people that put this sick piece of trash into circulation.
info@clarionfund.org

crossposted everywhere

Right to legal representation in court?

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:32:34 GMT

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/riaa-decries-at.html

A counter to dominionists in the military

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:49:41 GMT

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=20603

A twofer

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:34:27 GMT

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=20585

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/23/why-the-media-silence-over-john-mccains-involvement-in-the-keating-5/

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:34:35 GMT

After 6 months of work, I've put together a compilation of online comics from my bitstrips.com series "The Straight Talk Express". If you are interested in a comic dedicated to exposing, mocking, satirizing, and informing the world about John McCain (and lately, Sarah Palin), please check it out at http://www.srjdesign.com/straighttalk/

The page gives links to a PDF of the book, the cafepress page where you can order one, and a link to the site where the strips were created. I think there's some good stuff in there, so please take a look. The strips are from an online source, so the image quality isn't awesome, but I have years of experience in desktop publishing so I think the layout, cover and writing are actually pretty good.

Thanks in advance, and keep up the good fight!

The problem with "common sense"

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:50:55 GMT

...is that it's not necessarily either. Especially among small-town legislators, apparently.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1053863/Park-attendants-ordered-interrogate-adults-spotted-children.html

A scandal or two

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:35:16 GMT

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/10/national/main4436263.shtml
http://kagro-x.dailykos.com/

...and I hit the wrong button

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:25:24 GMT

Missed this by actidentally hitting the post button before I could include it in the last post.

Acording to the UN, http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/aug/28/health.socialexclusion?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews

Ethnic cleansing in New Orleans?

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:48:30 GMT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/28/usa.hurricanekatrina?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews

Do we have a deal or don't we?

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:15:07 GMT

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080825/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_us_pact;_ylt=AqZGfdF8UkiewnyGSsUR2oGs0NUE

says no deal. But the same story from Comcast, http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20071221/NEWS-IRAQ-DC/ says the Iraqis think we have a deal, while the US State Department spokesman Robin Wood was quoted as saying "Until we have a deal, we don't have a deal".

Until we get further details and i's are dotted and t's crossed, and chants chanted, and enough goats properly scarificed, then I personally tend toward RW's point of view.

Transportation "Secuirty" Agency

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:08 GMT

Links from dglenn

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=340a79d6-839a-470d-b662-944325cea23d

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=ae0f320a-39c0-4684-99d4-503a300a5a00&

Bush Administration to gut Endangered Species Act

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:46:57 GMT

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2008/time-08-12-2008.html

In the interest of fairness, I will note that this is filtered through the eyes of an environmental lobbying group, the Center for Biological Diversity: but the original source is Time, so the CBD is *not* putting word in anyone's mouth, merely passing on information that happens to match how they view the world.

A call for the end to the war on drugs

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:32:12 GMT

...in Great Britain:

http://tinyurl.com/5osz7k

or, if for some reason, that doesn't work, the full URL:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/aug/13/drugs.legislation?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Wal-Mart not only hates unions

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:24:26 GMT

...but also, democrats:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080801/bs_nm/walmart_democrats_dc;_ylt=AggCwpvT4Y222sJKpaaZ2FKs0NUE

Not-so-independent judiciary

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:26:41 GMT

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92986301&ft=1&f=1001

Science press releases

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:07:05 GMT

From http://eurekalert.org, scientific press releases.

Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Agronomy Journal
No-tillage plus
Tropical soils often behave differently than temperate soils when being farmed. In tropical regions, soils lose nutrients quickly when cultivated. With food shortages looming and soil quality declining rapidly, new farming techniques are needed to make tropical and sub-tropical farming more productive and sustainable. New research from Agronomy Journal shows that no-till management combined with a winter cover crop is most effective in retaining nutrients in tropical soils.
https://www.agronomy.org/press/releases/2008/0728/175/

Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
New UGA biomass technology dramatically increases ethanol yield from grasses and yard waste
University of Georgia researchers have developed a new technology that promises to dramatically increase the yield of ethanol from readily available nonfood crops, such as Bermudagrass, switchgrass, Napiergrass -- and even yard waste.
http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/080728_biomass.shtml

Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Journal of Insect Behavior
A bee's future as queen or worker may rest with parasitic fly
Strange things are happening in the lowland tropical forests of Panama and Costa Rica. A tiny parasitic fly is affecting the social behavior of a nocturnal bee, helping to determine which individuals become queens and which become workers.
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, National Science Foundation, Secretaria Nacional de Ciencia, Technologia e Innovacion of Panama
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/uow-abf072808.php

Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Journal of American Geriatrics Society
Alleviating the fear of falling
Ritalin could prevent fatal falls, a Tel Aviv University study finds.
http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7485

Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Journal of Lipid Research
Compound that helps rice grow reduces nerve, vascular damage from diabetes
Researchers have found that a compound that helps rice seed grow, springs back into action when brown rice is placed in water overnight before cooking, significantly reducing the nerve and vascular damage that often result from diabetes.
Fancl Hatsuga Genmai Co., Ltd.
https://my.mcg.edu/portal/page/portal/News/archive/2008/53162EF70C212CC7E0440003BAD149FF

Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Geology
Snapshot of past climate reveals no ice in Antarctica millions of years ago
A snapshot of New Zealand's climate 40 million years ago reveals a greenhouse Earth, with warmer seas and little or no ice in Antarctica. A new study led by Cardiff University suggests Antarctica at that time was yet to develop extensive ice sheets.
Natural Environment Research Council, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, GNS Science (New Zealand
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/cu-sop072808.php

Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Biological Psychiatry
A hormone that enhances one's memory of happy faces
A new study scheduled for publication in the Aug. 1 issue of Biological Psychiatry now shows that one way oxytocin promotes social affiliation in humans is by enhancing the encoding of positive social memories.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/e-aht072808.php

The Balkanization of...Belgium?

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:18:14 GMT

This can't be good:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080715/ap_on_re_eu/belgium_government_2

Summary: Yves Leterme, the prime minister of Belgium has offered his resignation over the continued non-resolution of the french-speaking vs dutch-speaking division of Belgium. Many in the country are calling for the breakup of Belgium.

Mod announcement

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:26:21 GMT

When we started discussing me taking over moderation of this community, twistedchick asked me what I might change. I wrestled with this for a couple of months, but I finally came to the conclusion that if I did change things, it would be for personal ego purposes: change for the sake of change, in order to put "my" stamp on the community.

So, finally, the answer is, nothing, really.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

How secure is that retirement & insurance income?

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:59:22 GMT

...not at all:
http://tinyurl.com/5vkmyj