Irregular Times Diaries: Unfit Discussion

In a time of the spring, old paths are obscured and new growth begins.

April 8, 2008

Hillary Clinton and Watergate

by @ 10:02 am. Filed under election 2008, ethics, general, history, politics

I just saw an article at AfterDowningStreet.org claiming that Hillary Clinton, when employed by the House Judiciary Committee in investigating Watergate, was dishonest and unethical. The writer spoke to, among others, the committee’s chief of staff, Jerry Zeifman. Clinton was working on a memo supporting the position that Nixon had no right to counsel before the committee; Zeifman told her she should read and cite a recent case that gave the opposite precedent; when she finished the memo, he found that she had (a) ignored that case, and (b) removed it from the committee’s files. Apparently, she was taking this position in the first place because her political patron was tied to the Kennedys, who didn’t want Nixon defending himself too well—he could have excused his own abuses of power by digging up JFK’s.

There’s more (including from the chief Republican counsel), but, to me, that’s the worst of it. If this is true, then Clinton probably committed a crime, in order to strengthen her patron’s political standing.

1 Stars2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars

113 Votes | Average: 2.95 out of 5113 Votes | Average: 2.95 out of 5113 Votes | Average: 2.95 out of 5113 Votes | Average: 2.95 out of 5113 Votes | Average: 2.95 out of 5 (113 votes, average: 2.95 out of 5)

August 15, 2007

Attorney General becomes the nation’s hangman

by @ 6:47 am. Filed under general

The LA Times has an article saying that, under the revised Patriot Act, the power to review state death penalty cases has been moved from the federal appeals courts to the Attorney General…who, of course, has greater expertise in judicial review, and certainly no political motivation for being tough on crime.

1 Stars2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars

106 Votes | Average: 2.97 out of 5106 Votes | Average: 2.97 out of 5106 Votes | Average: 2.97 out of 5106 Votes | Average: 2.97 out of 5106 Votes | Average: 2.97 out of 5 (106 votes, average: 2.97 out of 5)

June 11, 2007

Interesting article on Edwards and poverty

by @ 8:27 am. Filed under general

Seen on TruthOut: an article on John Edwards’s antipoverty stance.  Summary: Edwards has chosen to make poverty his main issue, even though it may not be a winning issue, because he cares about it.  It’s not just a puff piece, either; it points out the things Edwards has done that make him look less sincere (he worked for a hedge fund from 2004 to 2006; he has a 28,000-square-foot home), compares him to people who want to do even more, and explains why his plans may not make much difference.

1 Stars2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars

158 Votes | Average: 3.03 out of 5158 Votes | Average: 3.03 out of 5158 Votes | Average: 3.03 out of 5158 Votes | Average: 3.03 out of 5158 Votes | Average: 3.03 out of 5 (158 votes, average: 3.03 out of 5)

January 30, 2007

HR 393: a very bad draft bill

by @ 9:38 am. Filed under general

I just read through the text of HR 393, submitted by Rep. Charles Rangel of New York. The summary says:

To require all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 42 to perform national service, either as a member of the uniformed services or in civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, to authorize the induction of persons in the uniformed services during wartime to meet end-strength requirements of the uniformed services, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make permanent the favorable treatment afforded combat pay under the earned income tax credit, and for other purposes.

Now, supposedly, Rangel submitted the bill because he wants to stir up some trouble over the fact that the children of the people who got us into this war are not at risk to fight in it.  But, even if that’s true, this is a bad bill:

It seems to me that, if a Congressman submits a bill, even if it’s just a strawman that he doesn’t want to be passed, he should hold it to a higher standard than this. As written, this bill would basically authorize the President to order anybody he wants to do anything he wants. “Oh, gee, Senator, looks like your name came up for the post of crash test dummy.”

1 Stars2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars

220 Votes | Average: 2.87 out of 5220 Votes | Average: 2.87 out of 5220 Votes | Average: 2.87 out of 5220 Votes | Average: 2.87 out of 5220 Votes | Average: 2.87 out of 5 (220 votes, average: 2.87 out of 5)

September 22, 2006

Diebold monkeyed with elections in Georgia

by @ 9:31 am. Filed under general

I just read that today’s Rolling Stone will have an article saying that, in Georgia, in 2002, Diebold (a) ran the elections themselves; and (b) patched the software on their machines that were going to be used in Democratic counties.

It’s not on Rolling Stone’s site, yet; guess I’ll have to go buy a copy.

1 Stars2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars

259 Votes | Average: 3.15 out of 5259 Votes | Average: 3.15 out of 5259 Votes | Average: 3.15 out of 5259 Votes | Average: 3.15 out of 5259 Votes | Average: 3.15 out of 5 (259 votes, average: 3.15 out of 5)

June 29, 2006

Supreme Court rules military tribunals illegal

by @ 11:09 am. Filed under general

Just spotted on the BBC: the Supreme Court has ruled that the Administration does not have the power to use military tribunals to try detainees at Guantánamo.

1 Stars2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars

254 Votes | Average: 2.88 out of 5254 Votes | Average: 2.88 out of 5254 Votes | Average: 2.88 out of 5254 Votes | Average: 2.88 out of 5254 Votes | Average: 2.88 out of 5 (254 votes, average: 2.88 out of 5)

June 14, 2006

Flaws with American Apparel

by @ 7:25 am. Filed under general

This morning I happened to see an article at The Consumerist about American Apparel.  It’s a resignation letter from an employee sick of abusive treatment.  Apparently, AA treats its employees well only when convenient.  Allegedly, retail staff work 60-80 hours per week without overtime; the only people who are exempt from this sort of abuse are the ones sleeping with upper management.  (Not surprisingly, the CEO has been sued for sexual harassment.)  When asked for overtime, the company says maybe they can afford it as back pay in a few years, when they’re making more money.

BusinessWeek writes:

“It was a company built on lechery,” says a former stock person. “I thought it was a male contemporary perspective on feminism, but it turns out to be just a gimmick,” says another ex-employee. And another: “I made sure to stay away from the store when I knew [Charney] was coming into town. It’s not one person — he’s aiming for all women.”

Of course, I don’t know enough to be sure of the truth; but I thought Irregular Goods might want to check it out.

1 Stars2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars

288 Votes | Average: 3.07 out of 5288 Votes | Average: 3.07 out of 5288 Votes | Average: 3.07 out of 5288 Votes | Average: 3.07 out of 5288 Votes | Average: 3.07 out of 5 (288 votes, average: 3.07 out of 5)

Register or Log In

  • Register

  • Login

    newsletter:

    Enter your e-mail address here to receive our monthly e-mail newsletter:

    yellow star diary storiesTop Article Last Week


    Will They Call Him Joseph Robinette Biden?: 3.09

    Writers Last Week


    flippant
    Curious Sam
    jclifford
    Barley

    Highest Rated Articles


  • Where Are You, O Compliant and Fecund Conservative Christian Women? (4.3 Stars)

  • Mycology ID Help Me (3.41 Stars)

  • Christian Hindu friendship for universal spirituality (3.4 Stars)

  • A Personal Question (3.32 Stars)

  • 50 Kilometer Wide UFO Enters the Solar System (3.3 Stars)

  • Is Violence Inherently Dishonest? (3.3 Stars)

  • Avoid WordPress.com completely, bloggers (3.29 Stars)

  • IRAQ BODY COUNT – ONGOING – 7/17/07 (3.28 Stars)

  • IRAQ BODY COUNT – ONGOING – 8/26/07 (3.28 Stars)

  • Why Should We Ever Trust You Again? (3.26 Stars)

  • Clintons Drip With Snake Oil After Visiting Joel Osteen's Church (3.26 Stars)

  • Bush Admits Approving Torture. He Is A War Criminal. (3.26 Stars)


  • partners:

    stamping clockIrregular Times
    Irregular Books
    Irregular News
    Progressive Patriots
    That's My Congress
    Irregular Links
    Irregular Goods

    bumper stickers:

    New Sticker Designs
    Bulk Discount Stickers
    Anti-Bush
    Anti-War
    Peace
    Liberal
    Supreme Court
    State Politics
    Local Politics
    Environmental
    Pro-Science
    President 2008

    buttons and magnets:

    jungaloo grit goblin New Button Designs
    Anti-Bush
    State Politics
    Local Politics
    Environment
    Heretical
    Gay and Lesbian
    Anti-War
    Liberal
    President 2008
    Anti-McCain
    Pro-Choice

    ethical organic t-shirts:

    Anti-War
    Godless
    Liberal
    Miscellaneous
    Sexuality

    sweatshop-free shirts:

    Progressive Moral Values
    Presidential Campaign
    Anti-War Shirts
    Local Liberal Shirts
    State Politics Shirts
    Environmentalist Shirts
    Artistic Activists
    Babies for Obama
    Liberal Kids Clothes

    other goods:

    Tote Bags made in the USA
    Posters
    Postcards
    Greeting Cards
    Text Catalog

    archives:

    October 2008
    S M T W T F S
    « Sep    
     1234
    567891011
    12131415161718
    19202122232425
    262728293031  

    other:

    RSS 2.0
    Comments RSS 2.0
  • Register

  • Login
  • About
  • Ask for Help
  • FAQ
  • Posting a Diary
  • Report Abusive Behavior
  • Rules of the Road
  • Irregular Times Main Page


    The Irregular Times Diaries are brought to you by Irregular Times, the place for news unfit to print.

    search the diaries:

    Latest Diary Comments


    Aspiring Ayatollah Paul Broun Proclaims God Sovereign  (1 entries)
    Darebrit

    Mocking God  (64 entries)
    passerby, Scott, Damen, Ralph [...]

    God Says Sarah Palin is Wrong About The Alaska Pipeline  (5 entries)
    Randy, BornInTheUSA, Bob, darebrit [...]

    Sarah Palin Couldn't Keep Her Business Running  (5 entries)
    srethng, Jackie, Gag me, Jay Camp [...]

    Alternative Apparel Not Very Alternative, Really  (7 entries)
    bad news, don't bother, jclifford, ... [...]

    Democratic Underground Bans Cindy Sheehan Video  (1 entries)
    Linda

    It's Hillary's Turn  (11 entries)
    speed, Olegreat Drunkone, Iroquois, Proud Partisan [...]

    Will They Call Him Joseph Robinette Biden?  (1 entries)
    con

    categories:

    Politics


    The Real G.O.P.
    The Ribald Reign of King George II U.S. House Ratings
    U.S. Senate Ratings
    Irregular States

    Recent Articles:

    Interview with Kat Swift - Green Party candidate for President in 2008

    Is America Ready to Elect a President With a Brain?

    Burt's Bees Are Now Swimming In Clorox

    John Edwards Gives Good Information On Big Pharma Bad Behavior

    The National Pork Board Gets Weird About Muskrats

    Benjamin Franklin on Liberty and Small Safety

    Fathers Marry Daughters in Weird Right Wing Rituals

    The Virgin Mary Challenge

    Clinton Obama Campaign Gear

    Right Wing Values, Sexual Insecurity and Quick Impalement - strange insights from NewsMax advertisements

    Republican Senators kill an independent commission to investigate secret torture prisons set up by George W. Bush

    The latest Code Orange Alert from the Department of Homeland Insecurity: America may be targeted by kitchen table terrorists

    Are you an American liberal?

    The invisible activist

    A New President: Bumper Stickers for candidates in 2008

    Peace, Security and Fear


    Magniloquence Against War

    Recent Articles:

    Russell Feingold Speaks: The President Broke the Law

    War is not moderate

    Corpse pornography reflects the values of America's gruesome crusade

    Are Democrats too lazy to investigate the war in Iraq?

    A failure of Defense: The Bush Duds

    Faith and Skepticism


    False Witness
    Further Than Atheism
    Credulity Studies

    Recent Articles:

    Archive of Holocaust Comics from the Iranian Newspaper Hamshahri

    Archive of Mohammed Comics from the Danish Newspaper Jyllands Posten

    Jesus is Coming, but is he in the yellow pages?

    The Giant Scorpions of Science versus the Reruns of Religion

    Save Our Marriages! Mass chaos as Connecticuters flee westward

    Irregular Times resources on evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design

    Vote With Christ: an empirical guide

    Counter right wing fundamentalists' strident attacks with light hearted satire

    Pro-science Bumper Stickers, to defend science from faith-based zealotry.

    Covet Your Neighbor's Slave: The Ten Commandments and Slavery in politics today

    Online Resources: Secular Americans Against Bush

    The Environment


    Irregular Growth

    Recent Articles:

    Irregular Oceans - our articles following the crisis in Earth's marine ecosystems

    Celebrate World Ocean Day

    Considering Blown beds and gardens bereft of weeds

    Of Deer Fences and Deference

    In the glare of garden lights

    In Montana, Pesticide Burns

    Media


    Splintered Speech

    Recent Articles:

    Bush sets up secret torture prisons, so I try to say wake up and smell the coffee in a movie

    Ice Cream Promotes Male Virility, and other wisdom from medical advertising

    Explore the iconic insanity of Republican imagery

    Economy


    Funny Money

    Recent Articles:

    Irregular marketing - are you willing to buy it?

    Looking down on a Chicago bridge

    The brutal Republican concept of Social Security reform is revealed on a crusading t-shirt

    Finding the Fussy Elites - leaving a trail of gold foil, heirloom cigar boxes, and custom-etched pocket watches behind them

    An Overnight Blight: Why Progressives Pack Parcel Post

    Irregular Bin


    Our Remainders
    Wandering Aimlessly

    Recent Articles:

    Loonies for Mike Huckabee

    Senator Russ Feingold Stands for Freedom against Fear of the Patriot Act

    Handbook, My Ass: a review of James Carville's latest book

    Huygens probe finds evidence of intelligent life on Titan!

    An Irregular Reading (audio): The Hat in the Cat. What is Dr. Seuss backwards?

    A Dream of Dragons - Red fire battles blue water to own a bleak land

    70 queries. 1.954 seconds