It’s not everyday a powerful liar is stone cold busted and held up to public ridicule in DC. But that’s what just happened to Darryl Issa (R-dejected), head witch hunter in the IRS scandal machine. Issa has spent the last few months claiming to any reporter who would transcribe his accusations that the IRS was focused on checking the tax status of conservative groups because Obama was secretly directing them from the Oval Office in classic Nixonian fashion. Issa went so far as to leak partial transcripts of closed door hearings that appeared consistent with his claim. Another member on the same House committee, ranking democrat Elijah Cummings, grew tired of Issa’s dishonesty. After warning the conservative teabagger he better fess up, Cummings finally released the full transcript: [Read more…]
Back in the go-go 90s there was a claim made far and wide afloat the various divisions of Wall Street biggies were separated from the rest of the firm by a firewall. So, for example, the firm would never ever think about putting buy recs on dotcoms rocketing up the NASDAQ simply to pad enrich senior execs, or use info gleaned from ongoing deals to advise newer, prospective clients who happened to be in competition with existing ones, for such tacky purposes like getting lucrative M & A or underwriting business. It was a questionable claim at best, we didn’t learn just learned how questionable until the dotcoms turned into dotbombs.
With that conflict of interest in mind, here’s our for profit private national security overlords, bellying up for some sweet, cloak and dagger petro-dollars courtesy of the UAE: [Read more…]
There’s no doubt the earth has undergone periods of relatively abrupt warming and cooling in the distant past. We know it defines the onset of the Pleistocene for example, marking the beginning of classic ice ages. I doubt you can find a biologist who thinks either one could happen without affecting ecosystems far and wide. But how long before the usual suspects strip out the paleo-climate and atmospheric context of this and enlist it to confuse the laypublic on climate change? [Read more…]
I saw this a few days ago but got sidetracked. A teacher at Holy Trinity Catholic School in San Diego was fired because her abusive ex made a scene at her workplace: [Read more…]
I keep seeing articles like the one below. They may be the words of a Republican, but they’re often posted by progressive leaning sites for a reason: if not wishful thinking it’s certainly the hopeful variety. The gist of it is everyone is predicting the end of the GOP if they don’t get it together on Latinos. They key word there is if, by which I mean it’s a near certainty they will, sooner or later. [Read more…]
If only these clowns were as slick as 007. But they’re beginning to look a lot more like agent 86 and there’s reportedly much more to come. In that vein the Guardian hosted an online Q & A with NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden this morning, it’s a fascinating read. Here’s a few excerpts: [Read more…]
