Voter revolt in South Florida tosses Miami mayor and Dade commissioner
— Purple Avenger

Previously unthinkable revolts seem to be in the air these days...

(corrupt, thuggish, nepotistic, hubristic, and plainly tone deaf) Miami mayor Alvarez goes down harder than the Titanic with 90% voting for his recall.

Voters swept Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez out of office by a stunning margin Tuesday...dramatic collapse...largest recall of a local politician in U.S. history.

Of course, none of this is to say that a new regime in the mayor's office will be any different than the old regime. Miami/Dade politics has been notoriously notorious forever, attracting the corrupt, inept, greedy, and stupid like a squashed possum on Alligator Alley attracts blow flies.

18 year fixture Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natacha Seijas also went down in flames by an 88% margin in the same vote.

...Bankrolled by county employee unions, developers and lobbyists, Seijas raised $213,575 through a political action committee, Abre Los Brazos — nearly 10 times as much as her political opponents could muster. But in the end, voter anger trumped the power of incumbency, sweeping both Seijas and Alvarez from office by the same drastic margins...

The lesson here seems to be that money can only "buy" an election where the populace is at worst ambivalent about you. If there's a major wave of "asshole fatigue" sweeping the electorate, they aren't going to be swayed by slick campaigns, token buyoffs, and more hollow promises of cake and circuses.

The good news is, if a joint with institutionalized incompetence and corruption as entrenched as in Miami/Dade can successfully initiate and execute an overwhelming voter revolt like this, it can pretty much happen anywhere in the USA. The PoliTards in D.C. would do well to pay attention to what just happened here in South FL. The perfect storm is brewing.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 06:12 AM | Comments (225)
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DOOM! It's what's for Dinner Breakfast!
— Monty

Let's just slap the bad news down on the table like a dead carp: mandatory federal spending now outstrips federal revenues.

The key word is here is "mandatory". The nation finds itself in the position of being legally obligated to spend more money than it takes in as revenue.

This means that every single dime we spend on anything else -- roads, national parks, even parts of the national defense apparatus -- have to be paid out of borrowed money, or cut back entirely. Put differently: even if all these "discretionary" programs were free, we'd still have a deficit. As Jeffrey Anderson points out in the linked article, this state of affairs came about nearly 50 years before many in the government thought it would.

Most of the mandatory federal budget goes to just three programs: Social Security, Medicare, and the federal portion of Medicaid.

This is why people who insist on "other cuts first!" are completely missing the scope of the problem. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: our government now is mainly in the business of spending money on senior citizens. Never mind whether or not this is a laudable or moral purpose -- we can't afford it any more. From now on, debt-service is going to contend with social-welfare spending, and something has got to give. That "something" is going to take the form of benefit cuts to entitlement beneficiaries, I guarantee you, because the only thing our government fears more than pissed off old folks is pissed off bondholders.

I keep telling people that it's not a question of if cuts are going to happen to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid -- that's a mathematical certainty at this point. The real questions are "when" and "how".

(My prediction: given the spinelessness of our political class, the "how" is going to take the form of much higher taxes, dollar inflation, and a decaying national infrastructure and military.)
more...

Posted by: Monty at 05:37 AM | Comments (237)
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Top Headline Comments 3-16-11
— Gabriel Malor

Because screw you Einstein, that's why!

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 02:52 AM | Comments (194)
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The Faceless 50
— Slublog

Heroism. (NYTimes link, but it's worth it)

A small crew of technicians, braving radiation and fire, became the only people remaining at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on Tuesday — and perhaps Japan’s last chance of preventing a broader nuclear catastrophe.

They crawl through labyrinths of equipment in utter darkness pierced only by their flashlights, listening for periodic explosions as hydrogen gas escaping from crippled reactors ignites on contact with air.

They breathe through uncomfortable respirators or carry heavy oxygen tanks on their backs. They wear white, full-body jumpsuits with snug-fitting hoods that provide scant protection from the invisible radiation sleeting through their bodies.

They are the faceless 50, the unnamed operators who stayed behind. They have volunteered, or been assigned, to pump seawater on dangerously exposed nuclear fuel, already thought to be partly melting and spewing radioactive material, to prevent full meltdowns that could throw thousands of tons of radioactive dust high into the air and imperil millions of their compatriots.

If you are the praying type, I encourage you to offer up a few words for these brave workers.

(h/t: Andy Levy)

UPDATE [DrewM.]: Not to take away from the heroic actions of those 50 over the last few days, especially the last 24 hours when they were the only ones there but....the Japanese Government just announced they are pulling the 50 out because the radiation levels are too high.

There's simply too much we don't know/understand but honestly, this can't be a good sign.

The Japanese government is now saying they may/probably will* need the help of the US military to fight the fires.

*I've seen both terms used. Not sure if it's a translation issue or what. Either way...not good.

UPDATE 2: Not so fast? NYT Reporter in Japan:

Contrary to some reports, a core group of workers remain at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. It is not abandoned.

CNN just ran the press conference of the Cabinet Secretary and the translator said they were being withdrawn. Could be a translation problem. Again, there's just a lot of contradictory information out there.

Either way...Slu's suggestion of prayers is still applicable.

UPDATE 3: That NY Times Reporter is the only one who is saying that workers are still on site. This AP story quotes Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano as saying, ""So the workers cannot carry out even minimal work at the plant now," Edano said. "Because of the radiation risk, we are on standby."'

UPDATE 4: Okay, there seems to have been some confusion about whether the plant was "abandoned" or work was "suspended". Here's what the situation seems to be.

Fukushima plant was never abandoned. Workers outside were told to take cover indoors, but never left - TEPCO spox Tanaka Ai.

Between the various groups involved (the government, the utility, news organizations), translations and the conditions they are working under, there's a lot of imprecise information.

About the conditions...there are a number of reports of strong quakes today. Which is just, you know, what they need.

Posted by: Slublog at 06:26 PM | Comments (508)
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Overnight Open Thread
— Maetenloch

Yet Another Scandi Prison

Holy crap - this 'prison' is better than any dorm and most of the apartments I've ever lived in. It may be on an island but it sure ain't Alcatraz. It's more like an dude ranch for criminals.

And is giving a chain saw to a chain saw murderer really a good idea?! I mean even with the Ludovico Treatment this just seems like asking for mischief and gasoline-powered horseplay.

So are you unemployed? Bored? Or just cable TV-less? Then head to Norway and go do some crimes.

Important tip for the morons: Unless you really could use a trip to Bastoy Island, never leave your urine behind. more...

Posted by: Maetenloch at 05:53 PM | Comments (626)
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Rebels In Libya Prepare For Slaughter; Look To US For One Thing That Can Save Them-- Another Empty Statement from Obama That Qadaffy Must Go
— Ace

A quite serious slaughter is going on, and it will get a lot worse as Qadaffy crushes the last city offering resistance. Obama will count on his media friends to not publicize too many forty-bodies-in-a-ditch photos, assuming Qadaffy lets any get out in the first place.

In that way they're all united: News blackout. It's best for the liberal cause.

You don't get too many lucky breaks in foreign policy. I thought this was one. A chance to drive out a terrorist who'd killed Americans with only a light touch.

But Obama wanted to have himself a good think, so, on the verge of slaughter, Team Hope and Change is finally ready to debate some language at the UN.

As events moved at high speed on the battlefield, the U.S. and other nations that have called for Col. Gadhafi's ouster continued to debate how to make that happen.

Mohammed Abdallah, a rebel commander outside Ajdabiya, said foreign inaction meant "the hands of the international community are covered in blood. Now Gadhafi will keep on bombing and killing us without fear of anyone stopping him.

Britain, with backing from the U.S., France and Lebanon, submitted a resolution to the United Nations Security Council that, if approved, would authorize the establishment of a no-fly zone in Libya, as well set up protected humanitarian areas, and impose new sanctions on Libyan officials.

The Council was scheduled to resume discussion of the draft at 11 a.m. Wednesday said French ambassador Gerard Araud, but he said he was doubtful the measure could be voted on by Wednesday.

"We will have a debate, paragraph by paragraph, as in a traditional negotiation," he said.

Senior U.S. officials said the measures proposed in the U.N. resolution may no longer be enough to push the resurgent Col. Gadhafi from power.

The White House chafed, however, at suggestions that inaction by the U.S. and its allies have allowed Col. Gadhafi to regain the momentum. "We have taken dramatic action, together with our international partners, to put pressure on Moammar Gadhafi and his regime," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

More at Hot Air, including the possibility that Obama's dramatic unveiling of his March Madness picks might have to be pre-empted to cover a mass slaughter.

As J-Pod puts it: Obama's been reading My Pet Goat for four weeks.

He's managed to get his golf on during this period, I note. Priorities.

Always remember, he's not feckless, unserious, indecisive, dithering, weak, incompetent, unqualified, disengaged, lazy, timid, cynical, posturing, glory-hounding, spotlight-stealing, useless, and focused on golf while crucial foreign policy events unfold in his absence.

No -- he's "above the fray" and practicing "a different style of leadership."

Speak Loud and Carry No Stick: Given that Obama is a strict noninterventionist, shouldn't he shut his clamhole about these matters altogether and announce his policy of observation-only so that no one else gets misled into thinking the US will aid them?

Isn't it the height of irresponsibility to make sweeping declarations that "Qadaffy must go" if what you really mean is "Qadaffy must go, or stay, as he pleases?"

Obama lied, people died.

BTW: I continue not understanding what we're paying Obama $400,000 per year for. From what I understand, he seems to like golf and being admired by people, and he doesn't like work and leadership. He doesn't want to actually do anything, and on the rare occasion he rouses himself to do some work to justify his salary, he fucks everything up.

I could do that. So could you. So could anyone.

What the hell is he being paid for?

Posted by: Ace at 05:36 PM | Comments (216)
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NATIONAL SECURITY NEWS
— LauraW

BREAKING NOW!

MUST CREDIT ACE OF SPADES HQ

more...

Posted by: LauraW at 03:54 PM | Comments (203)
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Update: Latest Report Says It's Worse Than Ever
All Endangered Japanese Nukes Now In Cold Shutdown?
— Ace

Update: Looks like that optimistic report was way too optimistic. Kyodo News says the situation has "worsened considerably."

Referring to fresh explosions that occurred earlier in the day at the site and problems in a pool storing spent nuclear fuel rods, the Washington-based think tank said, ''This accident can no longer be viewed as a level 4 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Events scale that ranks events from 1 to 7.''

Noting that a level 4 incident involves ''only local radiological consequences,'' it said the ongoing crisis is ''now closer to a level 6, and it may unfortunately reach a level 7'' -- a worst case scenario with extensive health and environmental consequences.

Meanwhile, the surgeon general advises those on the West Coast (North America) to that buying iodine is a not-bad idea of a precaution.

Pharmacists across California report being flooded with requests.

State and county officials spent much of Tuesday trying to keep people calm by saying that getting the pills wasn't necessary, but then the United States surgeon general supported the idea as a worthy "precaution."

...

Please, nuclear-savvy people, let me know if this report means what I take it to mean -- that the cores are now controlled.

(Is this a good source, by the way? "World Nuclear News")?

I wanted to link this very thorough update by Allah -- which paints a much more dire picture than that last update does, but perhaps they've just turned the corner.

Beware the Moon: The "extreme super moon," coming on March 19th, when it comes as close as it ever comes to the earth. It's on a 20 year cycle; there are claims made of past disasters coinciding with the near moon, but scientists seem to think that's a mix of coincidence and fabrication.

KayInMaine, I'm pretty sure, thinks the nearing moon is due to global warming. Wingnuts.

Posted by: Ace at 02:35 PM | Comments (375)
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Betsy Liley, Who Believes Jews Control the Newspapers, Placed on Administrative Leave By NPR
— Ace

I say she believes Jews control the newspapers because when her colleague offered this assessment she did not disagree.

She was the woman in the O'Keefe sting, now on leave. But you know, these tapes prove nothing because they were deceptively edited. (Despite the entirety of the tape being presented without edits, except for one passage about an overseas correspondent -- mention of which was deleted to protect him.)

We all knew that someone would print that the tapes were "misleadingly edited" and then everyone would parrot that as a reason to dismiss them. When Gennifer Flowers released her smoking-gun telephone calls with Bill Clinton, all Clinton had to do was pay a single detective-to-the-stars (now in jail, I believe) to make the paid-for claim that the tapes were "edited" or "altered" and that's all it took as far as an excuse for the media to do what it wanted to do in the first place -- completely embargo them.

Why look how terribly popular the "NPR tapes misleadingly edited" story has gotten in the media. Who could have guessed.

Reality TV features a lot of assholes. A lot of the time, the assholes will claim that they're not assholes at all; they just got an "asshole edit." They will claim that there were plenty of times they weren't being an asshole, but of course those moments weren't shown.

Well, of course they weren't. Because they're normal. What assholes don't realize is that most people have lives filled chiefly with those moments. Whereas, for an asshole, it's a bit of a highlight reel.

The other thing reality tv assholes do is to ignore the real reasons for people believing them to be assholes and instead focus on a series of asshole moves they didn't make -- like, instead of a reality TV asshole addressing the fact he spent an entire show lying and whining like a bitch, he'll say "I never stole anything."

Well no. No one accused you of that. That's not the reason people think you're an asshole, which is the lying, whining like a bitch thing. Talk some about that.

No? Don't want to? Yeah, figured. Asshole.

NPR has a couple of people who turned out to be reality TV assholes, and they're going with both of the go-to reality TV asshole spins. Telling you about all the times they weren't being assholes, but that wasn't aired; and about all the sins they didn't commit while ignoring the ones they were actually caught on tape committing.

Broadcast journalist Al Tompkins said he was initially outraged by what he heard in that first, shorter video by O'Keefe. Tompkins now teaches ethics at the Poynter Institute, a journalism school in St. Petersburg, Fla.

"What I saw was an executive at NPR expressing overtly political opinions that I was really uncomfortable with," Tompkins said. "Particularly the way the video was edited, it just seemed he was spouting off about practically everything."

But Tompkins said his mind was changed by watching that two-hour version.

"I tell my children there are two ways to lie," Tompkins said. "One is to tell me something that didn't happen, and the other is not to tell me something that did happen. I think they employed both techniques in this."

Sacramento, Calif.-based digital forensic consultant Mark Menz also reviewed both tapes at my request. He has done extensive video analyses for federal agencies and corporations.

"From my personal opinion, the short one is definitely edited in a form and fashion to lead you to a certain conclusion — you might say it's looking only at the dirty laundry," Menz said. He drew a distinction between that and a compressed news story.

Right, O'Keefe should have featured a story highlighting all the unobjectionable, non-asshole things Schiller said. That would have been really, really interesting, huh?

This is what Reality TV assholes always say. "I got the asshole edit." Um, if you didn't say those asshole things, no one could have made an asshole edit.

I like how NPR just blithely says that their "expert" drew a "distinction" between this tape and the typical "compressed news story."

Let me ask NPR this: If Sarah Palin gives a speech and says 50 things that aren't wrong and 1 thing that's wrong (or debatable, or polarizing), which statement do they lead with?

Gimme a break.

On the shorter tape, for instance, one of the fake donors is heard assailing a "Zionist" influence on the media — and Liley, NPR's senior director of institutional giving, is heard responding affirmingly.

The O'Keefe associate posing as potential donor Ibrahim Kassam says NPR is "one of the few places that has the courage to present it [fairly]. There's kind of a joke that we used to call it National Palestinian Radio."

Some laughter follows. But the shorter tape does not include Ron Schiller immediately telling the two men that donors cannot expect to influence news coverage.

"There is such a big firewall between funding and reporting: Reporters will not be swayed in any way, shape or form," Schiller says on that longer tape, in one of several such remarks.

Tompkins found that meaningful, noting that Ron Schiller was a fundraiser, not an official affecting the newsroom.

"The message that he said most often — I counted six times: He told these two people that he had never met before that you cannot buy coverage," Tompkins said. "He says it over and over and over again."

How is that misleading? It wasn't O'Keefe's charge (nor my charge) that NPR is taking money in exchange for its liberal spin -- quite the opposite. The whole point is that you don't need to pay them to be liberal -- they are dyed-in-the-wool liberal and will be such even if you pay them to be evenhanded (which is what I assume federal subsidies are supposed to encourage, but in fact do not).

No one's accusing NPR of being liberal because George Soros is bribing them to. We're accusing them of being so liberal they would rather lose all funding than pursue a fair and balanced line.

So what the hell does this context of NPR saying it can't be bought matter? That is no one's frickin' charge. O'Keefe did not make that charge. No one does.

So here's Reality TV Asshole spin number two: Let me ignore all those egregious things I was shown doing in order to note that I did not actually murder anyone while being followed around by cameras.

Okay, fine, you didn't look for bribes. Congratulations. Now can you address the actual charges against you?

No? Nothing? Okay. That's what I figured.

There you go -- "misleadingly edited," the story the Make Believe Media was waiting for, so it could refer back to this as disposing of the tapes entirely.

I have to ask-- what the heck is Glenn Beck's The Blaze doing pushing the misleadingly-edited meme?

Thanks to Ogre Gunner.

Posted by: Ace at 02:28 PM | Comments (80)
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13-year-old invents bacon-scented candles
— CAC

Morons everywhere rejoice! Unlike the stimulus, Rule 33 (if it exists, bacon can make it better) has yet to fail.

Appropriately this is part of his line of "Man Cans" with scents like Fresh Mitt, Pipe, and Cut Grass:

By the way, consider this an open thread.

Posted by: CAC at 01:32 PM | Comments (119)
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