Lies and Liars

I've often looked at clients who give me some sort of BS about how they got into the situation that brought them to my door. For instance, the guy who blew a .23 and tells me that he had had 2 beers and a glass of wine that night; the fellow who can't be bothered to look for work 3 times a week to forestall a contempt action for child support; or the guy who really didn't steal that stuff from K-Mart (who should I believe my client or that lying video tape?).

But you know what as I look at those who run this country, who simply look into the camera and say whatever comes to mind at the moment I can consider my clients pikers in the liar department. McCain lies about his divorce, he lies about what he told his captors, he lies about what his positions might be on torture at any given moment and just goes on.

Obama is not quite up to the level of McCain. I hope he never will be. Still his statements on his current position on FISA are simply flat out lies. Probably I pay more attention to Obama because I had more hope for him.

I had thought that Bill Clinton would be the beginning of a wedge to allow more progressive in after him. I knew that Clinton was not particularly progressive, but I had no idea how truly conservative he was and is. I also severely underestimate that sustained attack from the right and how the main stream media would puff that.

So I guess what I am saying here is that I have little hope that Obama (who is revealed to me now as a true conservative -- something I guess I should have been more aware of earlier) will be able to enable much of a wedge for progressives.

Well I've said it before and I'll say it again: We're fucked.

Catholics and Atheists

Well I guess that not eating the wafer of Christ is a pretty big deal. While threatening to do nasty things to it is an even bigger deal.

My wife went to catholic school and tells me that many kids (boys mostly) snuck the wafer out to see if it would bleed when they broke it.

Oh well, its outrage time again by the right. You know this would be funny if it wasn't so effective. A fake outrage over nothing to marginalize yet another progressive. Ask Wes Clark.

Obama and Iraq withdraw

Ok to go back a couple of posts. Now I do think he's going to keep us in Iraq a lot longer then we should be there.

Obama and Clinton and FISA again

Well can we say we are surprised? No we can't at this point (maybe a little about Clinton). Although one might wonder why Obama went out of his way to insist that he would support any filibuster and then come back and vote for cloture. Just how cynical is he, and just how stupid does he think that people who care about this issue are?

Apparently even more than I would have thought any normal politician was capable of (is that even a sentence?). Well I guess I should hope that whoever is president is really devious, right?

The votes were interesting in that Obama and Clinton both voted the correct way on the final votes so that if one is merely adding votes like say NARAL or HRC does then it looks like they were on the right side. Even though the real vote was for cloture and Obama voted for cloture which cut off any floor debate on the bill. Clinton apparently voted for cloture and then voted against it. I would guess that she voted against cloture after she was sure there were enough votes were there to make sure cloture was invoked. At any rate she didn't speak out against the bill, so whatever she did doesn't count for much.

To go back to the question of how stupid Obama thinks we are. There are people on Kos (find the specific one yourself) who are indeed defending his position as either principled or brilliant real politic. Believe me it was neither. If it was brilliant real politic then I wouldn't be able to see through it. Although I knew that Bush was lying back in 2002 when apparently no one in Washington did, so maybe I am brilliant and insightful. I guess it's all who we are compared to.

It is only principled if one thinks that eviscerating the Fourth Amendment is a principled act.

Well I can't really say that I now am in favor of a whole lot of his positions, on the other hand McCain scares the shit out of me.

I really didn't think I would be at this position this early in the election cycle. I'd at least dreamed that I wouldn't be this disappointed until he started to appoint cabinet members.

I need a good laugh.

Just Setting Things Straight

Ok, so the answer to my question is probably not. I guess I really should have less confidence in the MSM.

On the other hand, the news today isn't all bad. I used up all my good taste on Russert. You really can't expect me to say any nice thing about this guy. I can't even be expected to keep my mouth shut about him. He was scum. It is people like Helms who make me wish I believed in an eternity, where he could be roasting for ever.

Obama disappoints again

Can this be true? If it is it is amazing. As Webb refused to go to Iraq for the Dog and Pony Show, so should Obama. I mean let's face it Obama is not going to see anything that the commanding officers do not want him to see and not hear anything they don't want him to hear.

Normally, politicians wait until they are elected to trash their core beliefs. Well, we are in the twenty-first century now. I guess Obama figures that he has it sewed up. No need to pander to his supporters any more. Time to go after the McCain base. For gods sake does the man stand for nothing? (Don't answer that it was merely rhetorical).

In the meantime McCain is in Colombia when this just happens to happen. No coincidence there I'm sure.

You know I'm going to have to get me a new label: Obama disappoints again. It looks like I'll be using it a lot in the next several months.

The lesser

You know when I voted for Obama in the primary -- I really didn't think that he would morph into a combination of the weakest aspects of Kerry and Clinton once he had locked up the nomination.

Disappointed Again

You know I was waiting until at least after the election to be disappointed in Obama. Since, I hadn't held out a lot of hope for him, I really thought that he would not be able to disappoint before that.

But guess what, I'm wrong again. Faith based funding, FISA, running away from Wes Clark, walking away from his various leftish supporters. The people who got him where he is now have been dumped (must not say "thrown under the bus").

The amazing thing about it, is that he now seems to be jumping on the beltway wisdom, just the opposite of what got him where he is today.

As Greenwald and others have pointed out several times, there is no reason to listen to those people. They seem to have a lot of money and be not too bright. Well ok, they are bright enough to keep their money, but for the most part they were not bright enough to get it in the first place. That was their daddies or grand-daddies.

I was called by an Obama worker to ask if I would help get out the vote on the day Obama announced his support for the FISA deal. She tried to tell me that they had to "compromise." I told her that was bull-shit and at that point I was not about to work for Obama. However, I had to admit that I would vote for him since McCaine and the people who support him are true fascists in my opinion. I suspect that there are many who agree with me. That is people who would have worked for him if he had just stood up a little bit more for those rights and people he is now shunning.

So I guess the real question is: "Was he lying when he led us to believe he was sort of, kind of a little progressive. Or is he lying now when he repudiates all those who supported him."

The real strange thing is, of course, that taking those positions now do not help him get elected. They are in that little bubble where the real world does not intrude. It is kind of sad really.

Married

Got married over the weekend. Some fun. Back later.

Guantanamo recidivists.

Hey guess what? I had wondered if Scalia's assertion that 30 of the detainees released from Guantanamo was true.

You know what, once again it was just as true as the other things Bush and his wingnut supporters have said.

Or in other words it is a bald faced lie.

Nuremberg

Mr. Justice Robert Jackson must be turning in his grave.

I'm a little surprised

Frankly, I'm some what surprised at the number of dems who voted for the abomination that is the FISA bill, not however that it passed.

Let's see: The chief of police comes to me and says that someone in my town is making meth and getting guns together, perhaps to shoot up the town while on their meth high. He asks me to break into every house in town so that he can be sure that is the case. After I break into every house I'm found out, but the state legislature passes a law that says that as long as the chief asks me to do it, it's ok. So I'm off the hook.

Ok, "I'm not here to say that the government is always right, but when the government tells you to do something, I'm sure you would all agree that I think you all recognize that is something you need to do," so says congressman Kit Bond and apparently the leaders of the Democrat (can I now use that nasty slur?) party.

So let's see the president, or prime minister, or primer, or Il Duce, or Fuhrer, or King tells me what to do and then I "need to do" it. Even though the law says otherwise. But in the end it turns out that the law is really only what the president, etc. says it is. Isn't that a text book definition of the totalitarian or fascist state?

Just askin'.

FISA Again

Once again it looks like the Democrats are prepared to cave on FISA and give blanket immunity to the phone companies who broke the law at the request of the administration. I do appreciate Digby's position, but it doesn't make me much happier.

I am beginning to think that we are in the same place the later Roman Republic was just before the Sula and Marius. Don't get me wrong, I don't think we are going to end up in a bloody civil war. On the other hand, I think that is because there is no one who is even close to getting power who believes in anything.

One of the interesting things is that the excuses and reasons given by the Democrats are simply not believable to anyone who cares. We see right through there statements. They are liars and care not for our country, but only for those who they consider are in their ruling class with them.

Giving the corporations legal immunity because they did what the president wanted even though that was against the law is the text book definition of fascist. A state run by the corporations and those they place in office to do their bidding.

Hey who needs the Fourth Amendment if you have nothing to hide. I guess those assholes in powdered wigs just couldn't understand how scared a few guys with box cutters can make us.

Coming back from The Atlantic

I just drifted over the the Atlantic Monthly to read a Yglesias piece and stayed to read the comments.

Wow, the number of people who claim to be Clinton supporters who say they are now supporting McCain is quite weird given that McCain is the antithesis of Clinton. If they were ever really Clinton supporters to began with, of course.

It would, I think, be possible to convince oneself to vote for McCain because you think that Obama will do the same kind of job Carter did and ruin the Democratic party for another generation. McCain is then the lesser of two evils, because you expect that he will also screw things up and then Clinton.

But to try to argue that McCain now is your ideal, when it once was Clinton, that takes you into Bizaaro World. The arguments are all the same: Obama supporters use sexism and are really racists themselves. Obama stole the votes from Florida and Michigan. And finally, of course, Obama is unAmerican. Actually, they are all arguments that Obama didn't play fair in the primaries so now they are going to take their vote and go over to McCain. They tend to be a little light on the actual benefits of a McCain presidency.

They are just bitter. Their person was going to be the next president. Everybody knew it last year therefore she couldn't have lost fairly no matter what the facts are.

Inevitability is an ugly thing when it is crushed.

Second Rate Benedict Arnolds

Within the last couple of weeks there have been several stories describing how strong and brave the Democratic leadership was last year. Those stories described the fight over Social Security. Nancy Poelsti and Steny Hoyer were right there in the fore front of those fighting to save Social Security. I thought those stories were unusual at this point. Now I know why they were out there.

Their purpose was to give the leadership cover when they caved on FISA and retroactive immunity to the telephone companies.

Given the firestorm that has exploded now that the rumors are out about the "compromise," apparently those "hero" stories didn't do what they were meant to do for our very own second rate Benedict Arnolds.

Them what pays the piper calls the tune I guess. Apparently just working and voting are no longer enough.

The interesting thing about this whole process is the way the leadership is trying to cover their collective asses: Work out a behind the scenes deal so that the leadership can vote the "right" way when the final bill comes up, but have the result fixed so that they appear to be on the losing side.

Interestingly enough this seems to be precisely what has managed to fool NARAL and HRC all along. You would think that people who make their living lobbying congress would understand what is happening ------- wouldn't you?

Hey why do you think that Obama and Clinton haven't spoken out about this? You don't suppose that they are in on it do you?

Second Thoughts

After I posted yesterday I started to think about it.

In the end it isn't right to jump on a dead guy for no reason, but if you say nice things or nothing (since silence gives consent) about a guy who helped dig the hole our country is in today, that isn't right either.

Let's face it: Russert's show was where Cheney went when he wanted to control the message. Russert banged the drum loudly for the war. Russert never spoke truth to power and allowed the right to lie on his show without correcting them or challenging them. Everyone who spoke to him spoke off record. He was no more a reporter than I am.

He was apparently not the worst of the lot. Brother what an epitaph.

Russert and Death

Well, de mortuis nil nisi bonum, so.........

Welcome to my world

God two of the custody cases have blown up.

The first has occurred because my client has decided that the people we put the kids with are not able to care for them properly since her husband killed himself (probably by accident). The people are his relatives. It now turns out that the one guy hasn't worked in years and it is just a scam (according to my client) to get money. Of course, this wasn't mentioned in court or to me. So I've gotten like five calls this morning.

The gist is: "We've reported all the troubles to children's services, why won't they do anything?" The response is: "Welcome to my world."

The other case is out of town, but if possible even worse. The kid has serious psychological problems (including sexual issues) and is only about seven years old. The father has custody and won't cooperate with any counselor. Children's services won't take the kid. The mother can't take the kid cause her husband has abused the kid.

So essentially what we have here is full permanent employment for courts, state bureaucracies and attorneys.

Threats

I've finally started to read Lapdogs by Eric Boehart. I've had it around for awhile. I was a gift and I have just not had the energy to pick it up because I thought that it would probably put me in a permanent pissed off state as long as it took to read it.

Well, at any rate I've finally started to read it and I'm only past the Introduction, but already I'm shocked and appalled. He points out the incredible willingness and ability of the far right to threaten and pull off boycotts if they don't like what a specific part of the MSM is reporting -- no matter how correct it is. Further, how this along with other things, tends to assist in forcing the MSM to report as the closet fascists want.

While reading that I all of a sudden thought about the recent Michelle Malkin threat to boycott Duncan Donuts over one of their shills wearing a black and white scarf (once again no link to her, cause I don't feel like it). The allegation being that it was a Palestinian scarf, even though the scarf was a paisley design, if one bothered to look closely obviously not Palestinian.

Did Malkin look stupid if one bothered to investigate. Sort of, but of course that wasn't the point. The point was to prove once again the kind of power these fascists have and how they can control what we are allowed to see, in even the least important part of our media, if they put their minds to it. In fact, it might even be better if what they were trying to do was stupid in a rational world. The point isn't the intelligence, the point is the raw power.

So by forcing Duncan Donuts to take off the offending ad, they simply showed anybody who might question it their real power. This is really good at a time with progressives (Obama/Clinton[?]) all over the news.

Me and the black power people

Well, I've been reading about these allegations about Michelle Obama speaking against "whitey" (sorry no links, if you haven't read about it you simply haven't been alive for the last couple of days). You know there are a couple of thoughts here:

First, nobody who goes by the name of Michelle can possibly be any sort of a black power type.

Second, (and I want to be perfectly clear here this has nothing to do with [First]) my connection with the black power movement is deep and significant. That is true even though it is difficult to believe that there is anyone whiter then me in the universe. I mean lets face it, I sun burn under florescent lights.

Once (keep this to yourselves) I used a urinal right next to Jesse Jackson when he was running for president. I was at an NLG convention where he spoke and I really had to go, so as soon as he was finished speaking I ran into the restroom (Why do you think they call it that? Oh well a question for another day).

Who should come into the restroom immediately after me but Jessie Jackson. He was of course accompanied by two white guys and one black guy who had sun glasses on and ear phones in one ear (that is not one ear together, but one ear each). He came up to the urinal right next to me.

Yes I did look, but I was much younger then. At any rate I had to sign certain documents and I am not at liberty to divulge more.

I'mmmmmmmmmmmm back (not that you care)

Well I've been preparing for this jury trial that I was positive was going to go (unlike most where you really don't expect them to happen, and they don't).

Well anyway my crazy client would not take the really good deal and we were going to go down to almost certain defeat, with him spending the next 18 months in prison. Of course, for him that would not have been a completely bad thing as he has spent 14 of the last 16 years in prison or jail and he is only 34.

At any rate the day before the trial I get a call from the prosecutor who tells me that his assistant is violently ill and can't do the trial. Further, it was clear that the prosecutor did not want to try it himself. (There are some benefits to living in a small town.)

So anyway my guy got credit for time served and was out yesterday evening. Possibly his first day free in three or four years. I am not sure that he was completely happy about that.

Now I can get on to more important things then some guys life.

Let's talk about Chaney and his insult to West Virginians. Well, I live very close to WV and I've got to say that if I were Chaney I wouldn't worry about that because most of them wouldn't be able to read about it any way.

Thank you, thank you. I'll be here insulting red necks for the next week.

Vile assholes again

Been reading the kerfuffle about Obama mistaking Auschwitz for Buchenwald and his great uncle for his uncle in a speech.

Several thoughts:

First, I had several aunts and uncles who were really my great aunts and uncles. That's what I called them and that's what they answered to. That sort of language was normal in the middle of America that I grew up in. Those folks were my grandparents brothers and sisters, but often they were as close as or closer than some of my real uncles and aunts.

Second, calling Buchenwald Auschwitz seems to be not a very big deal. Anyone who has had to speak publicly has made minor mistakes like that, It happens to trial attorneys frequently, you correct and move on. The jurors or judge will simply correct in their head realizing that you truly "miss-spoke." I mean lets face it the [great]uncle was really there.

Third though, is the bazaar insistence of various Republicans and right wingers who continue to attack the entire speach. Going so far as to try to prove that the guy wasn't even in the war in Europe, then when they get slapped down (by a WWII vet who was there) they keep gong on to try to justify their bullshit.

I guess it worked in 2004 and 2000, but those were not the kind of campaigns that this one seems able to be. The fact that in both those elections they were able to attack people who really did serve in Vietnam as well cowards and get away with it with enough people to get real cowards elected continues to amaze me. However, this time the response was immediate by Obama and effective. In fact, that has been what has been happening right through the election up to this point. They should have figured out that things have changed and their vile lies are not being accepted quite as easily.

As a trial attorney I know that sometimes one does not get the answer one wants from a question. Sometimes it's an important question. What you do at that point is (unless you have some way of proving the witness was lying) simply go on to the next question and pretend that the answer you got wasn't all that important after all. You don't keep digging.

That is just what these guys have continued to do in this case and in so doing they look a little sillier and anything else that they throw out there is going to be a little less likely to stick (hopefully).

Trolls and the GI Bill

Well I was reduced to spluttering after repeated responses to a troll on Hullabaloo concerning Webb's GI Bill.


The incredibly bland response by the troll continued to be that really people in the military got paid for their time, so they really don't need all that largess from the poor government. He also went off (or maybe it was someone else) on whether volunteers should get the money as opposed to draftees, and whether or not you should get benefits if you were not in combat.


He was called a libertarian by several of the posters. I'm not sure that he isn't just a jerk.


Now that I've calmed down somewhat I wonder what kind of game he was really playing. It was clear that he was never going to serve in the military so everything he argued was simply thought games. He clearly didn't have enough of a felling of empathy for anyone outside his close circle.


All though I am not particularly found of Kipling one is reminded of his "Tommy."


As far as the current bill? McCain and Bush are amazing (as are apparently 41 other senators). In the middle of two wars (let us not forget Afghanistan) they are against giving benefits to the people who are actually fighting those wars. What is even more shocking is that they have been getting away with it. Their reasoning is that people won't be forced to stay in the military if they are provided benefits that more or less equal those given to soldiers during the Vietnam era. The phrase indentured servitude comes to mind.


From what I can see the bill doesn't provide all the original bill provided for WWII vets. That is amazing when you think about it. The original GI Bill benefited the entire country in ways that went way beyond the benefits given to the service men directly. Teachers, builders, people who worked in factories and the people who owned the factories were all benefited by the money spent by the returning vets. How little we want to give now. How short sighted we are now.


Of course the other possibility is that McCain/Bush know exactly what they are doing and they are simply lying to the rubes who follow them. In order to maintain an aggressive empire we have to maintain a large military it is better to pay them less and to force them to stay in. It appears cheaper to those who now rule us. The rulers of today do not have the foresight that those of yesteryear did.


If the bill falls just one or two votes short of the super majority in the senate, do you think that Reid will force a real filibuster? Oh come on let's get real shall we. Say when did the definition of liberal include "give up?"

Lieberman

There have been two posts now in moderately well connected blogs about how it will be necessary to keep Lieberman as part of the rulers of the Senate even if the Democrats win the Senate come November.

The attitude of those two posts just blows me away. Here is a guy who is supporting the other party's nominee for president. Here is a guy who manages to make his votes look good, but who in reality, in the procedural votes that set up the final votes will vote against the interest of progressives. Then when the final vote comes around will vote in a way that makes him look progressive.

Well, we need Lieberman we're told because he gives us a majority now. Hell, what has the Democratic party in the Senate done with that majority? Absolutely nothin'. We need his vote in the next Senate because it might give us a 60 vote majority and then we can force closure. Crap. Make the Republicans really filibuster, not just vote once and then cave as we've been doing for the last two years.

Now once I've said that I have to realize who the Democrats are in the Senate and realize two things: First, they probably don't really want to make any real changes; Second, Lieberman gives them cover so they can whine that they really can't accomplish anything because they don't have 100% of the votes.

Crap my head hurts.

Death and Sex

Well. I came into the office today and was told that one of my former clients' had killed himself. Probably by accident. An overdose. He'd done that several times before (overdosed I mean), so it shouldn't have been a real surprise.

I'm currently representing the widow in a custody matter maid even more difficult because of the special needs of one of the kids. So I know or rather knew this guy fairly well. I got the news and then called the widow. Said all the right things, felt nothing at all. Brother this is a strange job. If you are even remotely inclined to be cynical this job will bring out the worst in you. Too bad. So sad.

The second thing that happened was a little weirder. No death involved. This adult was charged with providing obscene pictures to a juvenile. A seventeen year old girl. If he really did it, it's a crime punishable with up to six months in jail.

What makes it so weird is that if he had screwed her instead ---- wait for it ---- that's not a crime. Of course, I would guess that he couldn't have any mirrors up.

Happy Mother's Day

Hey happy Mother's Day all you Mothers. We took my fiancees Mom out to lunch and it was very good and pleasant.

My Mom is in Florida and we had already sent her some stuff, but I wanted to call her today. Well, that is a little difficult sometimes because she is nearly completely deaf. Hearing aids don't help and she won't get implants. Well any way I phoned her and she said hello and that she was looking forward to picking me up at the airport tonight. (That would be my brother and his wife,) Oh well, I guess I'll just phone tomorrow and talk to him and let him know who called this morning.

I'm Back

Ok, I realize that no one really cares that I was gone, but this is good practice.

At any rate I was busy writing the fifth chapter of a novel my writing group is writing. Unfortunately, I neglected to read the fourth chapter carefully enough, so I'm going to have to go back and fix the beginning. Don't worry you will all (both of you) be given a copy of the chapter both before and after the corrections.

I've been reading the various blogs concerning the battles between Clinton and Obama. The battles are more vicious than those between the democrats and republicans. But then you know the most vicious fights seem to take place between those who are really not very far apart ideologically.

Kind of like the later Roman republic. Moving towards our Caesars. Leaving the generally population behind. The great mass of people more than willing to lay themselves down for the glorious leader, whoever that may be.

Damn I'm kind of glad I'm old.

Four Dead in Ohio

Ok, I had forgotten that this was the 38th anniversary of Kent State until I saw this.

My God, what happened to us then?

That was it for me. I had been in Thailand and seen the poverty and class system we were over there to protect. All the GIs I spoke with in Thailand who had been in Vietnam told me it was much worse in Vietnam. It had started me thinking for myself. Something one should never do if one wants to continue to support our perpetual neo-colonial wars.

What is it about so many who think that if our leaders want to take us into any war any where then we've just got to support it no matter what? What does the average person think they or their friends, family or children get from it?

We clearly aren't there to spread democracy. We aren't there to spread our religion[s]. We don't even get any economic benefits from it. Oh, those who rule get the economic benefits, but the rest of us get $4.00 gas.

Bush is at the lowest popular level ever, but McCain who policies are simply more Bush, is close to becoming the next president.

What we don't hear

Well I guess it really was a great day after all. At least for people connected with Harry Bridges old union.

You know, I wonder why no one any where is writing about this? Why do you think folks?

What A Greeeeeeeeaaaaaaat Day This Is

Well guess what today is? It is not only the National Day of Prayer (Xions only) of course with Ollie North leading. But wait, there's more: It is also national cod piece day

But we all know what all of us dirty hippies will be celebrating here today don't we. That's right: Workers of the World unite and throw off your chains (or at least goof off for a while). Yes, you've got it right it is May Day comrades. International Workers Day. And that is what we will be celebrating here with all the other dirty hippies (ok both of them).

Let's not forget that Chicago gave us this day. Of course at first it seemed just another police riot in that toddling town (they seem to do those quite well). But after only a little over a hundred years the workers in this country are being forced back to just about where they were then, so let's celebrate as if its the 19th century. (Forty hour work week? Who needs it?)

Oh Yeah. Vanity Fair. I am shocked! Shocked and appalled I tell you. Do you suppose that means that they can't sell Vanity Fair at the PXs any more?