Last Call

Since America can never be allowed to discuss gun control, your only options when faced with a tragedy like Aurora are A) do nothing, B) GET MOAR GUNS.   Guess which ones residents of Colorado are turning to?

Between Friday and Sunday, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation approved background checks for 2,887 people who wanted to purchase a firearm — a 43 percent increase over the previous Friday through Sunday and a 39 percent jump over those same days on the first weekend of July.

The biggest spike was on Friday, when there were 1,216 checks, a 43 percent increase over the average number for the previous two Fridays.

The checks are required before anyone may legally purchase a gun in Colorado. Because some purchasers may have bought more than one gun or decided against their purchase, the actual number bought may have been different from 2,887.

Such increases aren't unusual in the wake of mass shootings.

Of course not.  The answer to mass shootings is always more guns because we can never even discuss fewer guns, the answer to all economic issues is always more tax cuts because we can never even discuss making anyone pay more in taxes , the answer to teen sex is always abstinence because we can never even discuss sex ed, the answer is always just a measure of how far we're willing to go down the path where anything less than 100% compliance is the sole reason why the path fails.

If only everyone had guns, no teenager ever had sex, and taxes were 0%, we'd solve all of our problems.

A Contemptible Motion For Contemptible Fools

Over at ABLC, Bon talked about the story of Lexington teenager Savannah Dietrich, the 17-year-old sexual assault victim who faced a six month jail sentence for contempt of court for tweeting the names of her attackers after the pair of young men who assaulted her (and circulated pictures of that, by the way) cut a plea deal in juvenile court.

Yet now it’s Dietrich who is in hot water. She was angry at the order stating she couldn’t speak of the juvenile hearing. Her attackers were given protection because they are minors, despite the fact that she is one as well and they attacked her, not the other way around. She unleashed her feelings on Twitter, which led to the defendant’s attorney calling her out on violating the order.

Dietrich admitted freely that she was violating the court order, but faces up to six months of jail time and a fine of up to $500. The remarkable thing is that the defendants in her case admitted guilt and took a plea bargain that got them a sweet deal. Now she may be the only one who does jail time over her own assault.

Well, it turns out the outcry here in Kentucky and across the country was so raucous that the contempt motion has been dropped.

Defense attorneys for two teenagers who pleaded guilty to assaulting 17-year-old Savannah Dietrich have withdrawn their motion that she be held in contempt for tweeting the names of her attackers in defiance of a court order.

David Mejia, an attorney for one of the teens, said given that the story has gone global because of a piece Saturday in The Courier-Journal, there was no reason to continue the contempt motion.


“What could contempt do now?” Mejia said in an interview, adding that the boys’ names have already been circulated far beyond the original tweet. “Seems like a rather useless exercise doesn’t it?”

The boys are no longer media virgins and the damage has been done?  That's the excuse for dropping the contempt charge?  Really?  That's so far into colossal douchebag territory we're going to need to invent new self-healing plastics just to maintain structural integrity of the unit.

Don't get me wrong, Savannah Dietrich went through more than enough as the victim here.  The notion that she spend six months in jail and pay a fine was preposterous, so seeing the charge dropped is a serious win.  But let's not forget the contempt charge was suggested as nothing more than vitriolic retribution by the defense team of the two assholes who got away with a plea bargain for sexual assault and circulating pictures of their conquest.

My sympathies for their tender fee-fees are infinitesimal.  You'd have a better shot of spotting a Higgs boson wearing a tiny Lady Gaga meat dress while performing various arias from La Traviata than being able to quantify how much of a damn I give about the social reputation of these reprobates.  Then these jagoffs decide they're going to send the victim to jail, and then when the solid wall of the sound of the country shouting the word "asshole" knocks all their dudebro beer glasses off their tables, their lawyer says OH WELL, SHE'S ALREADY DAMAGED THEIR REPUTATION ENOUGH, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO.

I don't say this nearly enough.

I'm saying it now.

Fuck you, the two sexual predator assholes who did this, and fuck you, attorney David Mejia, you rotten excuse for a human being.  You are awful.  You are in fact the greasy, burnt shards of hopelessness and rot at the bottom of the bag of life's kettle chips.  I hope one day that medical science masters the compassion transplant, because you're a couple hogsheads low in that department, guys.

Most of all, I hope you never have a daughter, niece, mother, aunt or sister who finds herself in the same hideous situation that Savannah Dietrich did and that you never feel that particular brand of pain and inchoate, impotent rage at finding yourself and your loved ones at the mercy of the caprice of a couple of teenage dudebro assholes.  I hope you never find yourself so far broken as a man that you are filled with a burning desire to gain denied justice through the application of a metal Easton softball bat and five minutes in a locked room with the jackasses that hurt the people you care about, a desire so strong you become physically ill at the effort needed to contain it, just to continue functioning, and that you have to stop and remind yourself constantly through the incandescent blinding futility of your rage that if your pressure vessel of a self cracks for even a moment, you will forever disgrace the ones you love and defeat the very purpose of justice itself by becoming a beast no more worthy than those who wronged the people you care the most about.

That is something I would never wish upon you or the two men who assaulted this young woman.  Pray you never experience anything close, because you will fail that particular test, gentlemen, and only compound your sins exponentially by hurting the innocent around you even more.

I'm going to get some air now.

Bachmann Makes A Graves Error

Has Michelle Bachmann finally gone so far off the deep end with her one-woman Muslim Brotherhood McCarthyism that she might actually lose in November?  That's up to the folks in Minnesota's 6th, but her Democratic party opponent Jim Graves isn't wasting any time in using Bachmann's apparent meltdown to pitch himself as the Not Completely Insane Candidate.  Evan McMorris-Santoro talks to the Graves camp:

Bachmann’s baffling quest to root out Muslim infiltrators in the federal government could be the final piece in a puzzle Democrats have been trying to solve for years. This time, says hotel executive Jim Graves — the Democratic Party choice to take on Bachmann — momentum is on his side.

“It definitely has, I think, cemented people that may be in the middle that say, ‘Well you know, she’s really out there, but we need somebody to keep Congress in line,’” Graves told TPM Friday. “I think this has gone well over the edge for people.”

Graves said he’s seen an “uptick in financial support” on the ground in the 6th District as Bachmann’s quest to rid the federal government of “Islamist” infiltrators has dominated headlines. Many of Bachmann’s fellow Republicans, including her former presidential campaign manager Ed Rollins, have condemned her recent charges, especially the ones aimed at State Department staffer Huma Abedin.

Graves said he’s seen the same kind of disgust from some Republicans in Bachmann’s district. The state Republican Party did not respond to multiple requests to discuss Bachmann on Friday.

“A lot of Republicans [in the district] say, ‘This is the straw that broke the camel’s back. We just cant afford to have this uncertainty and fear-mongering and McCarthyism,’” Graves said.

Bachmann’s latest foray into the headlines has cast a new spotlight on her reelection campaign. Graves expects the controversy to drive more national money and attention to his campaign. The Democratic candidate has a net worth between $22 million and $111 million and told TPM he’s prepared to put his own money behind his bid against Bachmann, a prolific fundraiser with a national base.

Graves has the money, surely.  But anyone worth that much running on the blue side in Minnesota has got to be either the most moderate of Blue Dogs, or a die hard hippie.  Not sure which, so let's look at his stance on the issues:

Government has a role to play in society, but it should be limited to what citizens cannot do for themselves.   I believe that the free market makes better decisions than politicians. I also believe government must balance its budget and my solution is to end the blame game and start working together. As you can see, I am in the unique position of being both pro-business and pro-government. We need to get jobs back in 6th District by allowing us to compete on a level playing field with China and Mexico.  We need to close the tax loopholes that allow companies like Apple to earn billions of dollars by selling their product to us in America, while avoiding paying taxes in America.  As a successful business owner, I understand accounting. I respect bottom lines, and I am qualified to bring the necessary fiscal accountability to Washington.

I’m a CEO and I want my employees to make a good living wage. I compromise with my union. Why? The driving principle for many of my core values is the Golden Rule. If I want to earn enough to raise a family, have good health care and pay for my children’s education, the same must be true for my employees.  The other fundamental value in my decisions is pragmatic business logic. As much as two-thirds of our economy is driven by consumer spending; therefore, the more money in the pockets of the middle class, the stronger our economy will be. What our struggling economy needs more than anything is increased aggregate demand for our local goods and services.

I could think of a number of other Democrats I'd rather see in Congress other than a one percenter with nine figures, but I'm pretty sure most of you would agree that this guy is infinitely preferable to Michele Freakin' Bachmann.

We'll see.

My Take On The Penn State News

Zandar has done a fine job of covering the Penn State smackdown that will echo for decades.  I just had a couple of things I wanted to say after watching it live.

First, I am impressed at the repeated references to cultural change.  To make things right and work against it ever happening again, cultural change must occur.  From athletic directors to administration, not only must healthy fear of sanctions influence the rules, but an understanding and commitment to choosing right over wrong.  Competition is important, winning is what the game is about.  However, schools are about more than games, they must protect their students.  Changing from a "winning at all costs"mentality must occur.

Also, in the many recaps I have not heard anyone touch on the statement that individuals could face additional sanctions pending the results of a criminal investigation.  I wonder who, what, and what prompted that statement that we may not know (yet).  That was the sole mention and I've been listening all day.  Anyone want to chip in on this?

There is a lot of debate about the severe punishment.  I say good for them, it had to be so.  Anything less would be permission or seen as backhanded acceptance.  Universities have been sent a very clear message.  There is no way to allow conduct like this and come out ahead.  There's no amount of profit or success that can't be reversed if covering up something so heinous.  The statement had to be made so that there was no possible acceptable outcome except doing it right.

It's not perfect, nothing ever is.  But they did okay, I think, and focused on changing the problem from the roots up.  There will be plenty of people watching to make sure they hold up their end.

Mini-Moose: Parenting 101

A newly-released clip from the Lifetime reality series "Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp" shows Tripp Palin uttering a homophobic slur when mom Bristol and aunt Willow won't let him visit the swimming pool.

The Palin sisters gasp, and then giggle, when three-year-old Tripp's temper tantrum culminates in the tot calling his aunt a "faggot."

Though Bristol does confess that she's "doing a terrible job disciplining Tripp…I know he's going to continue to push the boundaries," her son's behavior doesn't seem too out of step, given his family's history of anti-gay activity. In 2010, Willow sparked controversy when she fired off at a classmate on Facebook, referring to him "so gay" and "such a faggot."

This  is sort of like my Westboro post, or so I pray.  Please say that this is at least showing people how not to be, and expose how stupidity can infect children.  Don't let our exposure be in vain.  Protect us from the evil that is Brisol Palin, who decided to tell Obama how to address homosexuality with his daughters.

Amen.

Greek Fire, Part 64

Looking back, I've been tracking the Greek Fire story now for two plus years, ever since February 2010.  Pretty much all the macro-level stuff has been spot on.  The time frame has been extended time and time again by the so called "Troika" of the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank, and the European Commission, but the structural changes necessary to fix the problem never appeared, and were only made worse by austerity measures.  Greece has gotten bailout after bailout, but it looks like this time the Troika may be about to cut Greece off.

Some 30 months later, we appear to have finally entered the endgame.

..

So what happens now?  Greece's next big payment is due August 20.  If they don't have the money on hand, then default is the name of the game and we begin the Greek endgame in earnest.  Increasingly this default scenario is now looking like not just a distinct possibility, but the expected outcome.  Indeed, Germany is now openly talking about life after a Greek exit from the Euro.

Greece should start paying half of its pensions and state salaries in drachmas as part of a gradual exit from the euro zone, a leading German conservative was quoted on Monday as saying.

Alexander Dobrindt, general secretary of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavaria-based sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), has long argued that Greece would be better off outside the euro zone.

"With Greece we have reached the end of the road. There must not be any further aid. A country which does not have the will to fulfil the conditions, or is not able to do so, must get a chance outside the euro," Dobrindt told the daily Die Welt.

German conservatives have said enough.  The Troika has all but pulled the plug.  All eyes are now on August 20th.  We'll see what transpires.

Taxing America's Patience, Part 7

Here's a nice little article to reference next time one of those mouth-breathing teabaggers screams TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY and WE CAN'T AFFORD IT.  The reason is because the world's one percenters are holding some $32 trillion in tax havens to avoid paying anything in taxes.

The Tax Justice Network’s report estimates that unreported offshore wealth held in tax havens has reached at least $21 trillion, and possibly as much as $32 trillion. That wealth means that the problem of inequality in wealth and income is actually worse than suspected, the group says.

It also means that many countries are losing out on tax revenue that could go a long way toward alleviating their national fiscal problems, the report’s authors suggest. The largest previous estimate of the problem – also by Tax Justice Network, in 2005 – was about $11.5 trillion, the report says.

The report considers the impacts of a range of offshore abuses, including unreported capital flows and under-taxed corporate profits. It places considerable blame on big multinational banks and other financial institutions that are integral to the process of shifting money to offshore tax havens.

The “huge, secretive offshore industry has truly become the dark side of globalization,” the report concludes. It urges renewed efforts by developed countries to gain a handle on the problem.

And remember, it's unreported wealth.  Nobody pays a dime in taxes on it because it doesn't exist.  Naturally, conservatives are howling.

But some tax experts – particularly conservatives – expressed skepticism at the size of the new estimate. Dan Mitchell, a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute, compared the report’s findings to some estimates of climate change.

And Andrew Quinlan, president of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a group that promotes international tax competition and financial privacy, said, “Tax Justice Network and other opponents of tax competition assume that all earnings belong first to governments, which is why they seek to prevent even legal wealth management techniques if they result in less money for spend-happy politicians.”

Yes, because it's so awful paying zero taxes on $32 trillion.  The job creator class will get around to creating those jobs at any second now.   If that pile of money, twice as much money as it would take to pay off our entire national debt by the way, was taxed at even 3%. we'd have no deficit problem in the US.

Instead, the numbers have to be a lie just like climate change because SHUT UP THAT'S WHY GET BACK TO WORK.  Meanwhile, let's cut more teachers, police, and firefighters so we can give the one percenters even more money.  You know, so they can go hide it offshore like Mitt Romney, pay zero taxes on it, and then complain about how parasites like us are draining them dry.

Until they have everything, and we have nothing.

StupidiNews!

• With Syria openly warning that it has and will use chemical and biological weapons should the al-Assad regime be attacked, the United States is warning that Syria should keep those contained.
• Georgia's highest state court has stayed the execution of a mentally disabled man, but only on temporary grounds involving the method of lethal injection.
• Social activists are pushing Democrats to try to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour, but Republicans insist that minimum wages need to be abolished to make America more competitive.
• US 10-year bonds fell to a record low yield of 1.40% as investors continue to flock to safe US treasuries.
• Scientists have come up with a construct made of protein from rat hearts and synthetic plastic that manages to swim like a jellyfish.

Last Call

OBAMA IS DOOOOOOOOOOOMED!

Despite concerted Democratic attacks on his business record, Republican challenger Mitt Romney scores a significant advantage over President Obama when it comes to managing the economy, reducing the federal budget deficit and creating jobs, a national USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds.

By more than 2-1, 63%-29%, those surveyed say Romney's background in business, including his tenure at the private equity firm Bain Capital, would cause him to make good decisions, not bad ones, in dealing with the nation's economic problems over the next four years.

The findings raise questions about Obama's strategy of targeting Bain's record in outsourcing jobs and hammering Romney for refusing to commit to releasing more than two years of his tax returns. Instead, Americans seem focused on the economy, where disappointment with the fragile recovery and the 8.2% unemployment rate are costing the president.

He's done, it's over, measure the drapes for President Romney, it's hopeless, we're all...wait, what?

In the separate Gallup tracking poll, the race stands at 46% Obama, 45% Romney.

Really.   So....despite all the CEO preisdent stuff...people are still preferring the President.   Gosh, it's like Gallup and USA Today are in the business of trying to sell a really close race or something.

Westboro Fail Is Really A Win

The Westboro picketers had chosen a Missouri soldier's funeral to use for publicity, when people came together to make sure they weren't successful.

A planned protest by the Westboro Baptist Church was overshadowed Saturday when thousands of supporters gathered at the funeral of a fallen soldier to block the radical church's effort.

Thousands of people in red shirts formed a "human wall" around the Columbia, Mo. church where 21-year-old Army Specialist Sterling Wyatt's funeral was held. Wyatt was killed in Afghanistan earlier this month.

Westboro Baptist Church, an independent Kansas-based church known for its extreme ideology and widely condemned demonstrations, had indicated plans to picket the funeral. When Tori Smith, an acquaintance of Wyatt's, got wind of the protest plans, she decided to organize a small group of supporters to counteract the church's negative actions. Word of Smith's plans spread quickly, drawing thousands to the church on Saturday morning.

See, that's how you do it.  Show respect for the fallen, for the families you live with grew up with, and enforce decency in a way that promotes goodness.  Westboro members have no class, no integrity and no clue.  However, the people who stood up to them were able to demonstrate grace, kindness and strength.  

Well done, guys.

From A Child's View

Years ago, kids from an orphanage in Sudan were given cameras.  Volunteers taught them how to take pictures, and turned the kids loose to photograph what was significant to them.  The results were so moving and powerful that 100cameras.org was born.

Photographs from these trips have brought thousands of dollars to the children's organizations. Bullock says they have a lot of freedom as a small group to address each community's needs individually. "That's the great part of our model. We get to have the conversation with the organization and ask, 'What do you need?'"

In Sudan it was lifelines, like food and medicine. In New York it was educational needs, after-school learning and computers. Cuba's greatest need was humanitarian aid like food and medicine, but the community also needed a center where the children's parents could be taught business classes.

100cameras raised $17,000 for the Sudanese orphanage. It was used for critical maintenance to get a truck running that brings in food and medicine. The money was also used to build a fence that keeps them protected from violence of rebel forces in the region.

The staff says they are overjoyed by the fact that these kids are creating their own success. Bullock says, "It's really exciting for kids there to see these changes and to feel an ownership in that."

The goal is to have their cameras stretch around the globe, and for the impact to continue to be both economic and personal. "We want as many kids as possible empowered with the idea and concept that their perspective matters. To know it's their work that can create change in their own communities."

The kids don't just get a handout, but the chance to truly bring change to their communities.  The photographs are pretty cool, and each project gets better and turns out better results.  I'm impressed.

Aw, Nuts

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a study based on 62,000 Danish mothers, the children of those who atepeanuts and tree nuts while pregnant were less likely to develop asthma or allergies than the kids whose mothers shunned nuts.

The results support the recent withdrawal of recommendations that pregnant women should avoid nuts because they might raise a child's risk for allergies to the nuts themselves and for other hypersensitivities like asthma, according to the U.S. and Danish researchers.

"There's some mixed data out there and this current study is showing that maybe there might be a benefit to your child in having less asthma later on if you continue to just eat the way you're still eating and not avoid (nuts)," said Dr. Todd Mahr, a pediatric allergist at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin, who was not involved in the study.

In 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics rescinded its recommendation that women should avoid eating peanuts while pregnant to prevent a possible food allergy, and the UK's health agency did the same in 2010.

There is little research implicating even peanuts, specifically, eaten by a pregnant mother and her child's risk for peanut allergy - much less a wider range of sensitivities. Yet the fear continues to lead many expectant mothers to steer clear of nuts.

The article has many other findings listed, as well as information about what these numbers mean.  For example, the focus was on nuts so there may be other foods that aren't turning up in the results.

Being a mother is a difficult job, no question.  Trying to filter medical information in this overload would be daunting.  It's upsetting to know that tribal knowledge is steering women in the wrong direction.  More research should give more facts to use to make sure mothers can make good decisions and eat well during pregnancy.

The Fall Of The House Of Jackson

Katherine Jackson was reported missing by at least one concerned family member.  As TMZ has reported, authorities believe Jackson is safe and well in Arizona.  Why do they think this?  Why hasn't the mother of Michael Jackson released a simple statement putting minds at ease?  We don't know yet.  Something feels weird, but when has this family ever been normal?

Michael's daughter Paris has been outspoken and honest.  After living a life of hiding, the girl has found her voice and isn't afraid to speak.  It's refreshing, and may peel layers of stupidity back so this dysfunctional group can move on.

Some sources say the 82-year-old woman is resting on doctor's orders, some say with one of her daughters.  She has been  under a lot of stress with Michael's estate, though the good news is it is nearly out of debt after an amazing financial comeback.  Michael Jackson may have had a complicated relationship with his father, but there was never a doubt that he loved his mother and would have wanted her to be well cared for.

Update
This morning, TMZ ran an update that Katherine reached out to let concerned family members know she is okay.  No explanation as to why she was reported missing or why she isn't at home.

The Pain In Spain Continues, Part 3

Several more Spanish regional governments are now asking for bailout billions as Spain's problems continue to grow worse.

The Balearic Islands and Catalonia are among six Spanish regions that may ask for aid from the central government after Valencia sought a bailout, El Pais reported.

Castilla-La-Mancha, Murcia, the Canary Islands and possibly Andalusia are also having difficulty funding themselves and some of these regions are studying plans to tap the recently created emergency-loan fund that Valencia said it would use yesterday, the newspaper said, without citing anyone.

Spain created the 18 billion-euro ($23 billion) bailout mechanism last week to help cash-strapped regions even as its own access to financial markets narrows. 

And with Spanish 10-year bonds now well into the danger zone at 7.25% and climbing, the cost of that bailout is only going to get significantly worse.  Spain and California have about the same number of people (46 million) and close to the same GDP (California is about $2 trillion, Spain about $1.5 trillion.)  Imagine if 6 California counties, not cities but entire counties, declared bankruptcy and demanded bailout money?  That's where Spain is right now.

And yes, that should scare you.  If Spain goes down, Europe follows.

Getting Serious On Syria, Part 8

The NY Times dropped this piece in our laps on Sunday, claiming that the Obama administration is just going to dropkick al-Assad out of Syria and be done with it.

The Obama administration has for now abandoned efforts for a diplomatic settlement to the conflict in Syria, and instead it is increasing aid to the rebels and redoubling efforts to rally a coalition of like-minded countries to forcibly bring down the government of President Bashar al-Assad, American officials say.

Administration officials have been in talks with officials in Turkey and Israel over how to manage a Syrian government collapse. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is headed to Israel in the next several days to meet with Israeli defense counterparts, following up on a visit last week by President Obama’s national security adviser Thomas E. Donilon, in part to discuss the Syrian crisis. 

The White House is now holding daily high-level meetings to discuss a broad range of contingency plans — including safeguarding Syria’s vast chemical weapons arsenal and sending explicit warnings to both warring sides to avert mass atrocities — in a sign of the escalating seriousness of the Syrian crisis following a week of intensified fighting in Damascus, the capital, and the killing of Mr. Assad’s key security aides in a bombing attack. 

The administration has had regular talks with the Israelis about how Israel might move to destroy Syrian weapons facilities, administration officials said. The administration is not advocating such an attack, the officials said, because of the risk that it would give Mr. Assad an opportunity to rally support against Israeli interference. 

The plan appears to be as with Libya, to greatly increase assistance to rebel groups and give them the means to force al-Assad out by violent means.  In other words, regime change, Obama style (hopefully without the ten year war afterwards with US troops.)

It's pretty clear that the massacres in Syria will not stop unless al-Assad goes, but I'm not sure the cure will be better than the disease or not here.  It's at least worth debating.  Sadly, there's no such thing as political debate in Washington these days, so whatever the Obama administration decides to do, it's already a done deal.

We'll see.