"A Stain on Lady Justice"..Siegelman in jail, Rove writing for Newsweek.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1658

Now on the left coast

on PBS...the 70th birthday of the Israel Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta, Pinkus Zuckerman and Daniel Barenboim playing Bruch, Brahms and one other I forgot.

This should be spectacular.

Karl Rove is on Charlie Rose and still doesn't get it, He would lose the next election like he did the last, Too bad he left.

shortcut to last thread
http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/23041...

shortcut to last thread
http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/23041...

I wept during the Bruch Violin Concerto.  It was a great and moving concert.

In keeping with Annilow's musical question:

Where was Daniel Barenboim born? 

Happy Thanksgiving all.

Happy Thanksgiving all.

Good morning, everybody

Yes, Happy Thanksgiving.  Don't eat any pistachios unless you know where they were grown.

November 21, 2007

American officials are urging Israel to crack down on Iranian pistachio nut imports which are reaching Israel via Turkey despite a ban on Iranian imports into Israel.

U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Keenum said in a meeting with Israeli officials in Rome on Monday that the pistachio imports must stop, a U.S. official confirmed Wednesday.

"This causes great anger, especially since pistachios succeed in coming in through a third country," Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon told Israel Radio.

Both the U.S. and Israel have been pushing for new UN sanctionsto persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program which Iran insists is only aimed at energy production and not military use. "This has to do with the sanctions but also with the competition between American farmers and Iranian farmers, and we are trying to deal with this," Simhon added.

Simhon said a recent meeting with a senior U.S. agriculture official focused on using technology to detect the origin of pistachios. He said that would involve chemical testing to determine the climate and soil of where the nuts were grown. California is the second largest producer of pistachios in the world, according to the former California Pistachio Coalition. Iran is first.

In the mid 1990s U.S. officials pressured Israel to block the import of Iranian nuts coming through EU member states and winding up in Israel. Tensions have heightened since Iran began pursuing nuclear technology, as the U.S. has pushed the UN to implement new economic sanctions against the country until it gives up the program.

"As a proud native of the golden state (California), I think Israelis should eat American pistachios, not Iranian ones," said Stewart Tuttle, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Good news!

November 21, 2007

BAGHDAD (AFP) — A US general on Wednesday acknowledged Iran's role in helping quell the bloodshed in Iraq, saying Tehran had contributed to stopping the flow of arms across the border into the country.

Lieutenant General James Dubik, who is in charge of training Iraqi security forces, said Tehran was keeping to its pledge of stopping the smuggling of weapons to Iraqi extremists.

"We are all thankfull for the commitment Iran has made to reduce the flow in weapons, explosives and training (of extremists) in Iraq," Dubik told reporters in Baghdad's Green Zone.

"As a result of that, it has made some contribution to the reduction of violence" in Iraq, he said.

US commanders claim violence in Iraq has dropped by 55 percent since the military's surge became fully operational in June.

Dubik said it was still early to assess the exact contribution of Iran but "we hope that the commitment stays in effect."

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates earlier this month said Tehran had assured Baghdad it would help stop the inflow of Iranian weapons into Iraq.

The US military has charged that Iranian-made bombs were being smuggled into Iraq to Shiite extremists and used to kill coalition forces.

Another US commander, Major General Kevin Bergner, expressed optimism that the decision to hold fresh talks between Tehran, Washington and Baghdad over the turmoil in Iraq would further help boost this commitment of Iran.

"It is important here that the commitments that have been made start to see progress that is strategically measurable and sustains over time," he told reporters in the conference with Dubik.

On Tuesday, Tehran announced it was ready for talks with Washington over the Iraq's security and stability.

The talks would be held in Baghdad but the final date is yet to be fixed.

rovian alert:

the turdblossom himself said on Charle Rose that the reason diplomacy failed to stop the war with Iraq was that Democrats in Congress pushed the President into it since he really didn't want a war authorization vote so quickly before he could assemble international concensus

honest

blamed Democrats (and then praised Lieberman)

the guy couldn't keep his story straight, but Scott McClellan, would understand that

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1107/6994.html

But some people are not happy.

Reuters
Published: November 22, 2007, 00:11

Baghdad: More than 300,000 Iraqis including 600 Shiite tribal leaders have signed a petition accusing Iran of sowing "disorder" in southern Iraq, a group of shaikhs involved in the campaign said.

The shaikhs showed Reuters two thick bundles of notes which contained original signatures. The shaikhs said more than 300,000 people had signed the pages.

Such a public and organised display of animosity toward neighbouring Shiite Iran is rare in Iraq.

Iranian influence has grown steadily, especially in the predominantly Shiite south, since the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussain in 2003.

"More than 300,000 people from the southern provinces condemned the interference of the Iranian regime in Iraq and especially in spreading security disorder in the provinces," the shaikhs said in a statement.

11.  Everything is always somebody else's fault.  That goes along with the commitment to obedience.  If you're obedient, then there has to be somebody to obey.  Hey, it could be anybody; even alQaeda in Iraq.  Or Satan.

Never undersetimate man's ability to deny responsibility. 

post questions for Dodd on this thread in case I am able to get him to spend a few minutes blogging

too bad my son won't be home for Thanksgiving as he can type dictation and would speed the process

I'm combining a late calving pen visit with an early feeding of the first group. so I can get in on a little pheasant hunting before we eat.

good thing it isn't Obama coming as the Secret Service would freak at all my hunting relatives showing up early with shotguns and bird dogs.  Steve in Nebraska probably has similar plans for today, don't know if Dodd hunts but I think maybe Monica you posted a schedule that had them volunteering to serve meals somewhere first

tradition has everyone waiting for the hunters if there are a lot of birds, not to worry this year

snow got a little heavy at times yesterday, so it will be cold, but good hunting

most of the country has sportsmen with guns afield in the fall, so the politics of it doesn't hurt. dis the second amendment at your peril in Iowa

If you are able, please consider making a donation to your local food bank: http://www.secondharvest.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Republicans are holding up the Farm Bill which has all of America's federal feeding programs

like childrens health care, that could get serious by Christmas if held up for long

14.  Hey, Phil, I'm good with people eating what they kill.  I don't actually have any questions for Dodd I haven't gotten to ask.  The last time he saw me he greeted me as "my conservative friend" and the other people in the group quickly jumped to my defense and I had to reassure them it was a joke.  There is one question that's been popping up in some of the blogs about his support for a HUD proposal that puts strict limits on "gifts" people can use as part of a down-payment to buy a house.  Some people are saying that Sharpton took out after him for that.  What I, personally, suspect is that so-called "gifts" from non-profits and charitable outfits are an avenue of deception, a way for people to promote and facilitate sales and make under-the-table loans that end up hurting the purported beneficiaries in the long run.

I'm getting very cynical.  Private corporations and establishments of 

religion have something in common--they're a good place to hide 

malfeasance.   

My questions will be about how does the lower tax rates for the hedge funds lead to liquidity being aggregated into reckless ventures like sub-prime paper that effects his committee work on Banking. more likely though we will discuss who has the better quarterback the Patriots or the Packers lol he probably wants the day off

Washington, D.C. – Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, made the following remarks in reaction to Freddie Mac’s announced $2 billion loss in the third quarter.  Freddie Mac is America’s 2nd largest buyer and guarantor of home loans.

“Today’s announcement by Freddie Mac, like the recent announcements of other financial firms over the past several weeks, underscores exactly how abusive home lending has created serious instability in the housing and credit markets as a whole, and thereby in the broader economy.  We must continue to pursue both strong regulatory and legislative responses to the crisis, both to protect homeowners and to create a set of standards so that homebuyers, investors, and lenders can safely re-enter the mortgage markets.”

Statement of Senator Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, on House Passage of Predatory Lending Legislation November 15, 2007

“The House should be commended for passage of a measure to address the problem of predatory lending.  As I have said before, to be effective, legislation must meet two requirements:  first, it must establish strong standards against abusive practices such as prepayment penalties, steering, and other problems.  Second, it must provide for strong enforcement to ensure that those standards are met.  My bill, which I will introduce soon, will meet both requirements and help protect homeowners from predatory lending.”  

Statement of Senator Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, on Senate Action on FHA November 15, 2007

“I’m disappointed that the Senate did not pass the FHA Modernization Act today, but I will continue to work for passage of this important measure.  This is far too important, and has too much bipartisan support, to be held up by a small handful.  The fact is this bill can help generate quality mortgage credit for working families and help prevent them from being swallowed up in a financial sink-hole that threatens homeowners nationwide.   This measure can help provide critically important affordable credit to homeowners struggling to buy a home or help homeowners seeking a way out of abusive loans and foreclosure.”  

Perhaps Dodd would appreciate an opportunity to elaborate on any of these statements.  He has a tendency to be a bit cryptic.  It's one of the reasons he doesn't get as much time in the debates as some of the others.  It's nice that he answers questions, but he's not so good at the necessary repetition to achieve comprehension in the listener. 

Perhaps Dodd would appreciate an opportunity to elaborate on any of these statements.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK that is what I'll ask him to blog about.

might be that he wants his staff to polish it and put it in a youtube like he did the last time he worked with me

I'll bet he'll be surprised when I preface that with "Monica Smith wants to know"

bbl

17.  Why not ask him about taxing the movement of money as you've been suggesting?

I think that's a winner.  It would mean that people who don't use money much and are largely self-sufficient, would pay few taxes.  It's my sense that, to a large extent, the "grow the economy" meme has been sustained by the people who are keen on counting things and people using money in their transactions makes it easier for them to do so.  But, we oughtn't to be making social arrangements to help the bean counters.  

To what extent is the resistance to a centralized payment system for health care fueled by the perception that it will make it harder to count who's getting what care, where and for what?  How much of the admitedly unnecessary administrative cost of health care is connected to the collection of information that doesn't improve the quality of service?

Bureaucrats and social planners can come up with reasons to collect data at the drop of a hat.  But, removing those functions to the private sector doesn't make them cheaper or better.  It only makes them even harder to limit.  There's no question that our private corporations are bloated with functionaries. 

OK I'll ask, since banks would do the collecting instead of employers as do now.

It would pass through that committee at some level.

if it works out it will be during the football game

Happy Thanksgiving all

6. Buenos Aires!!!! I caught that show - it was excellent. I think Barenboim is the most elegant and perfect technician to WATCH play the piano but I find his music -piano and conducting curiously lacking in passion.

Please don't tax the 'movement of money' whatever that means. I know it's prolly a means to hit rich folks but it would also hit retirees who have saved all their lives only to find the rules changing. In fact, I think retirees should not be taxed at all.

Phil, ask Dodd to clarify his stand on civil liberties vs. national security.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

To bastardize Walt Kelly's POGO, I've met the enemy and he is...the Christians!!!!!

6,000 soldiers claim persecution by "Christian" evangelicals
by theyrereal [Subscribe]

Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 10:15:41 PM PST

"They are proselytizing not on behalf of the Constitution of the United States and the national security interests of our country but rather on behalf of some sort of fanatical view of end times. And they are using our army to affect that."
-- Ambassador Joe Wilson

Mikey Weinstein, a former Air Force JAG and White House attorney for Ronald Reagan, has received over 6,000 complains from military personnel about being harassed by Evangelical "Christians". 95% of these complains come from people who are, actually, already Christians.

theyrereal's diary :: ::
For his trouble, Weinstein, founder of The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, has found "dead animals on his porch, feces smeared on his walls, or slashes in his tires. Men have called to threaten his daughter, women to chant rhymes about shooting him in the head, small children to inform him that he will burn in hell."

These are the values of the so-called Christians (more like the American Taliban) who are trying not only to infiltrate our government, but to turn our military into "God's Nuclear-Armed Army". And it looks like they're winning the battle.

continued at...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/22...

If anyone cares, there's a new thread a good one from 'our' Linda sfnm...