REALITYCHEX.COM - Constant Comments - The Commentariat -- Feb. 4, 2014

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Public Service Announcement

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

Washington Post: “Comedy news outlet the Onion — reinvigorated by new ownership over this year — is bringing back its once-popular video parodies of cable news. But this time, there’s someone with real news anchor experience in the chair. When the first episodes appear online Monday, former WAMU and MSNBC host Joshua Johnson will be the face of the resurrected 'Onion News Network.' Playing an ONN anchor character named Dwight Richmond, Johnson says he’s bringing a real anchor’s sense of clarity — and self-importance — to the job. 'If ONN is anything, it’s a news organization that is so unaware of its own ridiculousness that it has the confidence of a serial killer,' says Johnson, 44.” ~~~

~~~ Marie: I'll be darned if I can figured out how to watch ONN. If anybody knows, do tell. Thanks.

Washington Post: “First came the surprising discovery that Earth’s atmosphere is leaking. But for roughly 60 years, the reason remained a mystery. Since the late 1960s, satellites over the poles detected an extremely fast flow of particles escaping into space — at speeds of 20 kilometers per second. Scientists suspected that gravity and the magnetic field alone could not fully explain the stream. There had to be another source creating this leaky faucet. It turns out the mysterious force is a previously undiscovered global electric field, a recent study found. The field is only about the strength of a watch battery — but it’s enough to thrust lighter ions from our atmosphere into space. It’s also generated unlike other electric fields on Earth. This newly discovered aspect of our planet provides clues about the evolution of our atmosphere, perhaps explaining why Earth is habitable. The electric field is 'an agent of chaos,' said Glyn Collinson, a NASA rocket scientist and lead author of the study. 'It undoes gravity.... Without it, Earth would be very different.'”

The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI."

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

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Monday

Feb032014

The Commentariat -- Feb. 4, 2014

Peter Beinert in the National Journal on "The End of American Exceptionalism."

David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "New momentum in Congress for a sweeping overhaul of border control laws has prompted White House allies to demand that President Obama halt deportations of millions of illegal immigrants, many of whom would be allowed to remain in the country under a legislative deal. The advocates, including the AFL-CIO and pro-immigration groups, argue that Obama should use his executive authority to expand a 2012 decision that halted deportations of young people brought to the United States illegally by their parents. The administration's aggressive approach to enforcement -- which has resulted in nearly 2 million deportations during Obama's tenure -- makes little sense at a time when Congress could be on the verge of providing legal relief, advocates say." CW: Gee, these people seem to want the President to become "increasingly lawless" (see yesterday's Commentariat).

Chuck Grassley Is Not Dead. Ben Goad of the Hill: "The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee called Monday for the Obama administration to lay clear its legal case in defense of the president's plan to tackle policy goals through executive actions. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is asking the Justice Department to disclose by Valentine's Day all of its 'opinions, analyses and conclusions' in support of the president's authority to rely so heavily on the power of his office." CW: Holder should skip the paperwork & just send Grassley a nice Valentine's card.

Hostage Takers in Search of a Ransom Demand. Sahil Kapur of TPM: "Republicans want something in return for acting to avert a self-inflicted default on the country's debt, but they can't figure out what. House Republicans discussed the issue last Friday at their annual all-member retreat in Maryland. As of Monday afternoon, they still hadn't come up with a ransom demand in order to free the proverbial hostage ahead of a late February deadline."

John Cassidy of the New Yorker: "... if the Obama Administration is able to bring about transformative change during the remainder of its existence, John Kerry, rather than the President, is likely to be its agent. In seeking diplomatic settlements to the standoffs in Syria, Iran, and Israel-Palestine, Kerry has become, perhaps, the most important Secretary of State since Henry Kissinger."

Steve Benen: "A month ago, proponents of a bipartisan bill on new Iranian sanctions had reason to be optimistic.... This week, supporters effectively shelved the entire bill.... Obama wanted some breathing room for the international negotiations. As of yesterday, that's exactly what he's earned."

** Kerry Sheridan of AFP: "The amount of harmful pollutants released in the process of recovering oil from tar sands in western Canada is likely far higher than corporate interests say, university researchers said Monday. Actual levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions into the air may be two to three times higher than estimated, said the findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal. The study raises new questions about the accuracy of environmental impact assessments on the tar sands, just days after a US State Department report said the controversial Keystone pipeline project to bring oil from Canada to Texas would have little impact on climate change or the environment." ...

... CW: This seems like a pretty big deal to me, yet the only major news organization to report it -- as far as I could tell -- was Agence France Presse.

Alexei Oreskovic of Reuters: "Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo and Google on Monday began publishing details about the number of secret government requests for data they receive, hoping to show limited involvement in controversial surveillance efforts. The tech industry has pushed for greater transparency on government data requests, seeking to shake off concerns about their involvement in vast, surreptitious surveillance programs revealed last summer by former spy contractor Edward Snowden."

American "Justice." Timothy Williams of the New York Times: "The number of exonerations in the United States of those wrongly convicted of a crime increased to a record 87 during 2013, and of that number, nearly one in five had initially pleaded guilty to charges filed against them, according to a report to be released on Tuesday as part of a project led by two university law schools."

** Jonathan Alter in the New Yorker: Former Defense Secretary Robert "Gates was ... one of the shrewdest public servants of his generation -- which helps to explain why his many failures and missed calls have been all but air-brushed out of accounts of his career." CW: Alter's observations about Obama's relationship with the military brass are instructive.

Natalie Villacorta of Politico: The Obamas & Bidens pay tribute to Joan Mondale, who died Monday.

Melissa Eddy of the New York Times: "The Chaos Computer Club, a leading hacker organization based in Germany, filed a criminal complaint against Chancellor Angela Merkel and members of her government on Monday, accusing them of violating the law by helping intelligence agencies in the United States and Britain to spy on German citizens. The move comes days after Secretary of State John Kerry visited Berlin to try to smooth over relations that have been strained by revelations of the extent of the National Security Agency's surveillance activities in Germany."

Congressional Elections 2014

Rebecca Leber of Think Progress: "The National Republican Congressional Committee has set up a number of websites that look like they could be a Democratic candidate's campaign page, unless you read the fine print. They may even violate a Federal Election Commission regulation.... The NRCC has set up these pages for various congressional opponents, including Amanda Renteria (CA), Martha Roberston (NY), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ), Alex Sink (FL), and John Tierney (MA). Each follow a similar format; they list the candidate's name 'for Congress' to ask for donations."

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Women's rights activist Sandra Fluke appears to be moving forward with a run for Congress. Fluke has filed with the California state Democratic Party to seek its endorsement in the race for retiring Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-Calif.) seat, according to the state party Web site."

Outside the Beltway

Darryl Isherwood of NJ.com: "Gov. Chris Christie confirmed tonight that his office has been subpoenaed by the U.S Attorney in the ongoing investigation into politically motivated lane closures at the George Washington Bridge. Christie revealed the subpoena during the 'Ask the Governor' program on New Jersey 101.5 radio." ...

... Geoff Mulvihill & Angela delli Santi of the AP: "Christie's office initially denied that he knew about the traffic problems until after they were over, pointing to several statements from the governor. But on TownSquare Media's 'Ask the Governor' on Monday, Christie acknowledged for the first time that he may have been aware of the closures at the time. But he said that if he was, they did not get his attention.... Christie said what he learned when is not important. He dismissed the scrutiny over that detail as 'a game of gotcha.'" ...

... Curiouser & Curiouser. Steve Benen: "Christie said during the radio interview last night that he's 'curious' about 'what happened here' and remains 'really anxious to find out.' It's unclear, however, why he didn't ask Bridget Ann Kelly why the scheme was hatched before her dismissal." ... Here's a piece of the interview:

... Jason Grant of Star-Ledger: "Bridget Anne Kelly, considered a crucial figure in unraveling the George Washington Bridge lane closures, is refusing to produce documents and information requested under subpoena by the state legislative committee investigating the controversy, The Star-Ledger has learned. In a letter issued today by the lawyer for Kelly, who last month was fired as Gov. Chris Christie's deputy chief of staff after emails emerged showing she had apparently orchestrated the lane closures, Kelly cited both her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and Fourth Amendment right against wrongful search and seizure."

... Mark Lagerkvist of New Jersey Watchdog: "A state police bodyguard to Chris Christie is facing criminal charges in Pennsylvania -- despite his attempt to use his ties with the New Jersey governor to avoid arrest. Trooper William A. Carvounis, 35, is accused of stealing $267 in gun supplies and other goods from a Cabela's store near Hamburg. His arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 10 in Berks County Court of Common Pleas.... New Jersey pays Carvounis a base salary of $95,198 a year -- plus roughly $16,000 for meals, uniform cleaning and other allowances, according to a state payroll database. That does not include his overtime pay, exempt from public disclosure by state regulation" CW: Are all of Chris Christie's staff scum?

Margaret Sullivan of the New York Times: Times "reporter Kate Zernike broke a story based on a letter from David Wildstein's lawyer saying that the former ally of Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey 'had the evidence to prove' that Mr. Christie knew about the now infamous lane closings at the George Washington Bridge in real time last September.... Later, within the hour, the story was changed to soften the wording from 'had the evidence' to 'evidence exists.'" Sullivan says the Times should have issued a correction or at least an explanatory note. ...

... Brett Logiurato of Business Insider: "For the second time in three days, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) slammed The New York Times for the paper's report Friday on claims made by former Port Authority official David Wildstein. In a memo circulated to allies and friends on Monday..., Christie's office characterized the report as 'sloppy' and 'misleading.' It uses critical tweets from reporters, as well as a critical column from New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan, to hammer home its point." CW: Christie doesn't mention that his own evolving Bridgegate story has been "sloppy" & "misleading."

Nullification. Ian Millhiser of Think Progress: "The Missouri Senate's General Laws Committee voted 5-1 last week in favor of a bill that purports to make it a crime for federal law enforcement agents to enforce the nation's gun laws. Under the bill's terms, these agents could be imprisoned for up to a year and be fined up to $1,000. Much of this unconstitutional legislation mirrors a bill Gov. Jay Nixon (D) vetoed last year.... Few principles are more clearly established in American constitutional law than the prohibition on states nullifying federal laws. "

Superbowl Detritus

Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post: "The pre-Super Bowl interview with President Obama conducted by Bill O'Reilly [Sunday] was not only notable for the Fox News anchor's constant interruptions, but also for his harping on old news.... But the president successfully avoided the rhetorical traps ... and he respectfully stood up to the disrespect ... by giving as good as he got.... Neither the station nor its anchor has shown Obama or his office the respect both deserve. And that 10-minute interview was a perfect illustration of it." ...

... The Washington Post's media blogger Erik Wemple thought O'Reilly did a great job. Which is a good example of why media bloggers should STFU about politics. They don't know what they're writing about.

Matt Flegenheimer of the New York Times: "Billed by organizers as the first 'mass-transit Super Bowl,' Sunday's game drew many visitors to the area's labyrinthine transportation network for the first time. Reviews were decidedly mixed,and there were occasional scenes of large-scale confusion at some of the region's transit hubs."

David Porter of the Bergen Record: "The head of New Jersey's transit agency on Monday defended the response to delays for thousands of fans leaving the Super Bowl by train, as officials sought to understand how ridership estimates could have been so far off base. About 33,000 people took the 7-mile ride between MetLife Stadium and the Secaucus rail transfer station, more than double the highest estimates made by organizers and transportation experts before the game."

News Ledes

Reuters: "Joan Mondale, the wife of former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale and a champion of the arts, died on Monday, her family said in a statement. She was 83." ...

... Update. The Washington Post's obituary is here. The New York Times' obituary is here.

New York Times: "President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has been engaged in secret contacts with the Taliban about reaching a peace agreement without the involvement of his American and Western allies, further corroding already strained relations with the United States."

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Reader Comments (9)

There's been lots of talk about the Democrats winning senate seats in Georgia and Kentucky, but nobody's talking about Maine. Susan Collins should look out -- Shenna Bellows is young, smart, progressive, and starting to raise some money.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/03/susan-collins-shenna-bellows_n_4717480.html

February 3, 2014 |

Gail Leiser

Re:"Are all Christie's staff scum?"

Christie already answered that with the screed against Wildstein. Reading between the lines "I knew Wildstein was scum way back. Ergo he wss qualified."

February 4, 2014 |

Barbarossa

@Barbarossa. Thanks for explaining. Actually, I think you have a point. There are some people who won't hire anyone who seems smarter or cooler than they. Christie may be that type of boss.

Marie

February 4, 2014 |

Marie Burns

Re: revenge is served best cold. I haven't heard this from any source but could be young nerd Wildstein promised himself, "one day, you bully" after the fifth day of wedgies from B.M.O.C. Christie during P.E. lo those long years ago. That's a attempt at humor; but I do get the feeling that Christie was "one of those guys" we all knew in high school and Wildstein was "one of those guys that got pushed around by "those guys.""
I wasn't cool at school but I wasn't any body's fool at school either.

February 4, 2014 |

JJG

If you think you are Tony Soprano, aides-de-scum are the obvious choice. Ba Da Bing!

February 4, 2014 |

Diane

Via Benen, this Politico piece is a desperate stab at trying to rehabilitate Ted Cruz. Its just plain laugh out loud Monty Python revisited. The GOP are sweating like stevedores and desperately wringing their hands as they cast about for a 2016 candidate. Its a tall order to find a GOP candidate who has learned to tie their shoes, can be taken into public without fear of flatulence, doesn't wear diapers as part of foreplay or hasn't gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Its a cluster out there right now. Tee Hee.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/ted-cruz-republicans-103052.html#ixzz2sLn5K9sN

February 4, 2014 |

Diane

What with illegal bridge closures for political payback that resulted in at least one death, cover ups, lies, corruption, political blackmail, cronyism, "whacking" of liabilities, thieving bodyguards and who knows what all else, it sounds like the Christie administration operates as more of a criminal enterprise than a public service.

RICO anyone?

February 4, 2014 |

Akhilleus

Good news for wingnuts tired of pretending that Henry Waxman may not have been the Son of Satan (he is), now get to unleash their inner whackadoodle (like they haven't already?) and go full-on insane.

It seems Sandra Fluke has filed to run for the seat being vacated by Waxman.

Can't you hear the panicky slurs already? Mike Fuckabee and Anal Cyst Limbaugh will be in extra high dudgeon.

Unchecked Libido Plans Attack on Defenseless GOP Macho Men.

February 4, 2014 |

Akhilleus

" CW: Alter's observations about Obama's relationship with the military brass are instructive." Roger that. I just can't believe these intelligent men simply think more warm bodies/warm red meat will solve Afghanistan. People have been fighting over this barren, arid, divided region and our leaders think we'll waltz right in for the first time since recorded history began and solve everything in a timely manner? What the hell are they teaching at the military universities in this country; is this grade inflation writ large?

I can't help but think about my old, Mr. Emerson, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."

February 4, 2014 |

citizen625

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