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geek tragedy
geek tragedy's Journal
geek tragedy's Journal
December 30, 2015
The Israeli government has richly earned this kind of treatment.
US spied on Netanyahu’s anti Iran deal lobbying — report
http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-spied-on-netanyahu-for-info-on-anti-iran-deal-lobbying-report/According to the report, the White House learned through the spying how “how Mr. Netanyahu and his advisers had leaked details of the US-Iran negotiations—learned through Israeli spying operations—to undermine the talks; coordinated talking points with Jewish-American groups against the deal; and asked undecided lawmakers what it would take to win their votes.”
...
Though Obama promised in 2013 to curb American spying on foreign leaders, following revelations of NSA spying on allies leaked by whisteblower Edward Snowden, an official said the idea of stopping tracking Netanyahu was barely entertained.
“Going dark on Bibi? Of course we wouldn’t do that,” the paper quoted as senior US administration official saying, using a nickname for the prime minister.
...
Though Obama promised in 2013 to curb American spying on foreign leaders, following revelations of NSA spying on allies leaked by whisteblower Edward Snowden, an official said the idea of stopping tracking Netanyahu was barely entertained.
“Going dark on Bibi? Of course we wouldn’t do that,” the paper quoted as senior US administration official saying, using a nickname for the prime minister.
The Israeli government has richly earned this kind of treatment.
December 29, 2015
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-the-nation-transcripts-december-13-2015-kerry-kasich-burr/
Trump supporters are the white nationalist, anti-immigrant, seething, raging, impotent shithead wing of the Republican party. Anyone who thinks they're going to vote for a candidate in the Democratic primary, or for a Democrat in the general election, is painfully out of touch with reality.
Trump supporters HATE President Obama.
While this may be a "dog bites man" to most people paying attention, apparently there's talk that these are just poor, frustrated misunderstood people who have been lead astray by a deceptive demagogue. And that they can be won over by someone willing to take on the corrupt system and addressing the lack of fairness in society.
Roll tape:
DICKERSON: Want to play a little more from the focus groups, because a lot of what motivates them that you discovered is an anger about President Obama. So let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUNTZ: And I want a word or phrase to describe Barack Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pathetic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a great speaker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jellyfish marshmallow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Annoying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Delusional.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Naive.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unbelievable. I just can't believe him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lost.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good talker and tries hard. Out of touch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A politician.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Full of himself. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clueless.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ineffective.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elitist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doesn't respect American values.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Overwhelmingly cocky.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anti-American.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Un-American.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amateur.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zero leadership.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Out of his depth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arrogant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still waiting on this hope and change.
LUNTZ: Anti-American, un-American, Barack Obama. Seriously?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, absolutely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DICKERSON: So, Frank, I would suggest that obviously they don't like the president, but could any other Republican -- why couldn't any other Republican just grab onto that feeling? Why is Donald Trump particularly...
LUNTZ: Because no other Republican is willing to say the things that Donald Trump says. I don't believe there would be a Trump candidacy if there wasn't an Obama presidency.
And Trump's willingness to say things that we all would say go beyond the pale, that we would say is unacceptable in American politics, for these voters, is exactly what they want to hear, and no other candidate is talking that way.
DICKERSON: So, it's not just that they dislike the president, but that Donald Trump is the opposite of the qualities they see in the president.
Let me ask you about any other candidate in the Republican field. Was there any purchase for any other Republican candidate in that room?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUNTZ: And I want a word or phrase to describe Barack Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pathetic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a great speaker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jellyfish marshmallow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Annoying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Delusional.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Naive.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unbelievable. I just can't believe him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lost.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good talker and tries hard. Out of touch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A politician.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Full of himself. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clueless.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ineffective.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elitist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doesn't respect American values.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Overwhelmingly cocky.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anti-American.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Un-American.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amateur.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zero leadership.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Out of his depth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arrogant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still waiting on this hope and change.
LUNTZ: Anti-American, un-American, Barack Obama. Seriously?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, absolutely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DICKERSON: So, Frank, I would suggest that obviously they don't like the president, but could any other Republican -- why couldn't any other Republican just grab onto that feeling? Why is Donald Trump particularly...
LUNTZ: Because no other Republican is willing to say the things that Donald Trump says. I don't believe there would be a Trump candidacy if there wasn't an Obama presidency.
And Trump's willingness to say things that we all would say go beyond the pale, that we would say is unacceptable in American politics, for these voters, is exactly what they want to hear, and no other candidate is talking that way.
DICKERSON: So, it's not just that they dislike the president, but that Donald Trump is the opposite of the qualities they see in the president.
Let me ask you about any other candidate in the Republican field. Was there any purchase for any other Republican candidate in that room?
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-the-nation-transcripts-december-13-2015-kerry-kasich-burr/
Trump supporters are the white nationalist, anti-immigrant, seething, raging, impotent shithead wing of the Republican party. Anyone who thinks they're going to vote for a candidate in the Democratic primary, or for a Democrat in the general election, is painfully out of touch with reality.
December 21, 2015
FitzGibbon Media and the problem of sexual harassment in the progressive movement
Nothing that will surprise anyone that reads this group, of course.
http://www.vox.com/2015/12/21/10632508/fitzgibbon-sexual-harassment-progressive
Another former staffer said FitzGibbon didn't react well when he was told about sexual harassment allegations against someone else at the firm. He was angry and dismissive, yelling about how he didn't believe that such a "good guy" could do something like that. FitzGibbon also had issues with some anti-rape campaigns the firm ran, according to the staffer. At one point he confronted an employee about the campaign in front of about 10 other people. He questioned the tactics of holding "alleged" rapists accountable, talked about how false rape accusations had ruined his friend's life, and said that being accused of rape was actually worse than being raped.
...
"In more than a decade in the movement, I've never worked at a progressive organization or campaign where sexual harassment wasn't an issue of some kind," said one female progressive strategist who asked not to be named. "I think it's a lot harder for progressive organizations to create a space that's free from that than people think it is."
...
Another progressive strategist recalled moving to DC and having three different women give her lists of which members of Congress she should avoid being alone in a room with. The lists included members from both parties, and there were enough of them that all three lists had different names.
Enduring inappropriate advances from men in power is "bipartisan and almost like a rite of passage in DC from what female friends have told me," Mary said. And of course, politics isn't the only place where men get away with routinely abusing their power over women who fear not being believed, or fear retaliation because of a man's influence. Just look at Bill Cosby .
But when these problems occur even at organizations where feminism and inclusivity are taken for granted as basic values, it shows how stubborn and persistent sexism can be. It's not necessarily that the movement is hypocritical; it's just made up of human beings who were raised in a deeply patriarchal culture. "We all grew up with these prejudices, and fixing them isn't easy," said one progressive strategist. "Supporting the right causes isn't enough. This is hard work, and people who want a pass on that need to get out of the way."
...
"In more than a decade in the movement, I've never worked at a progressive organization or campaign where sexual harassment wasn't an issue of some kind," said one female progressive strategist who asked not to be named. "I think it's a lot harder for progressive organizations to create a space that's free from that than people think it is."
...
Another progressive strategist recalled moving to DC and having three different women give her lists of which members of Congress she should avoid being alone in a room with. The lists included members from both parties, and there were enough of them that all three lists had different names.
Enduring inappropriate advances from men in power is "bipartisan and almost like a rite of passage in DC from what female friends have told me," Mary said. And of course, politics isn't the only place where men get away with routinely abusing their power over women who fear not being believed, or fear retaliation because of a man's influence. Just look at Bill Cosby .
But when these problems occur even at organizations where feminism and inclusivity are taken for granted as basic values, it shows how stubborn and persistent sexism can be. It's not necessarily that the movement is hypocritical; it's just made up of human beings who were raised in a deeply patriarchal culture. "We all grew up with these prejudices, and fixing them isn't easy," said one progressive strategist. "Supporting the right causes isn't enough. This is hard work, and people who want a pass on that need to get out of the way."
December 21, 2015
No doubt the sociopathic creep in questions referred to women who complain about misogyny as "SJWs" and "sex-negative" and considered himself an 'ally' because he was pro-choice.
FitzGibbon Media and the problem of sexual harassment in the progressive movement
http://www.vox.com/2015/12/21/10632508/fitzgibbon-sexual-harassment-progressive Another former staffer said FitzGibbon didn't react well when he was told about sexual harassment allegations against someone else at the firm. He was angry and dismissive, yelling about how he didn't believe that such a "good guy" could do something like that. FitzGibbon also had issues with some anti-rape campaigns the firm ran, according to the staffer. At one point he confronted an employee about the campaign in front of about 10 other people. He questioned the tactics of holding "alleged" rapists accountable, talked about how false rape accusations had ruined his friend's life, and said that being accused of rape was actually worse than being raped.
"A lot of people heard that. How do you report when you know that's the feeling? Who wants to put themselves through that?" the staffer said.
Tardiff said FitzGibbon's personality and the firm's structure also made it difficult for anyone to come forward. "There was no real HR. Everything flowed through or from Trevor," she said. "His tendency to respond extremely personally to any criticism also fostered an environment where speaking up — in basically any situation — came with the risk of him lashing out in a way that would make things even more difficult."
The company did have someone with an HR director title, another staffer said, but that employee came on board in a different position, and a lot of people didn't know she had the HR role. The company also never held a training on sexual harassment, despite repeated requests from staff.
"A lot of people heard that. How do you report when you know that's the feeling? Who wants to put themselves through that?" the staffer said.
Tardiff said FitzGibbon's personality and the firm's structure also made it difficult for anyone to come forward. "There was no real HR. Everything flowed through or from Trevor," she said. "His tendency to respond extremely personally to any criticism also fostered an environment where speaking up — in basically any situation — came with the risk of him lashing out in a way that would make things even more difficult."
The company did have someone with an HR director title, another staffer said, but that employee came on board in a different position, and a lot of people didn't know she had the HR role. The company also never held a training on sexual harassment, despite repeated requests from staff.
No doubt the sociopathic creep in questions referred to women who complain about misogyny as "SJWs" and "sex-negative" and considered himself an 'ally' because he was pro-choice.
December 20, 2015
Am I the only person who thinks the new Star Wars movie is
an underwhelming rehash?
November 21, 2015
Question submitted by geek tragedy
The text of this question will be publicly available after it has been reviewed and answered by a DU Administrator. Please be aware that sometimes messages are not answered immediately. Thank you for your patience. --The DU Administrators
November 20, 2015
The last decent Republican in America?
(and I'm sure there are lots of horrid things in this guy's voting record, but credit where credit is due)
GOP Rep. Bashes 'Xenophobic And Knee-Jerk' Rhetoric On Syrian Refugees
Source: Talking Points Memo
Rep. Steve Russell (R-OK) delivered a speech on the House floor Wednesday tearing into his colleagues' push to restrict Syrian refugees' ability to come to the U.S., arguing that such policies will make the U.S. like the Islamic State.
"While I have focused my comments on actions we should take to eliminate ISIS, one action we should not take is to become like them. America is a lamp that lights the horizon of civilized and free mankind. The Statue of Liberty cannot have a stiff arm. Her arm must continue to keep the torch burning brightly," he said in his floor speech.
"But if we use our passions and our anger, fear, and we use that to snuff our her flame by xenophobic and knee-jerk policy, the enemy wins. We have played into their hands. Period," he continued.
...
"America protects her liberty and defends her shores not by punishing those who would be free. She does it by guarding liberty with her life. Americans need to sacrifice and wake up. We must not become them. They win if we give up who we are and even more-so without a fight," Russell said.
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/steve-russell-syrian-refugee-xenophobic
The last decent Republican in America?
(and I'm sure there are lots of horrid things in this guy's voting record, but credit where credit is due)
November 18, 2015
http://www.timesofisrael.com/eu-envoy-comparing-labeling-to-holocaust-cheapens-memory/
This is the second time in the past month wherein the Prime Minister of Israel has needed a lesson on the Holocaust from Europeans. Very bizarre situation.
EU envoy: Comparing labeling to Holocaust cheapens memory
This is obviously true.Comparing the labeling of settlement goods with anti-Jewish measures of the Nazis falsifies history and cheapens the memory of the Holocaust, the European Union’s envoy to Israel said Wednesday.
“I have been shocked to hear claims of anti-Semitism and historic comparisons or analogies to the persecution of Jews in Germany in the 1930s and 40s,” Ambassador Lars Faaborg-Andersen said in Jerusalem. “In my view, this is a distortion of history and a belittlement of the crimes of the Nazis and of the memory of their victims.”
...
The EU is opposed to boycotts of Israel products, even if they originate in settlements, the ambassador said. But marking such goods as “Made in Israel” is incorrect even in the United States, he added. “It should also be incorrect from Israel’s point of view: After all, no Israeli government has ever claimed that the West Bank is part of Israel.”
“I have been shocked to hear claims of anti-Semitism and historic comparisons or analogies to the persecution of Jews in Germany in the 1930s and 40s,” Ambassador Lars Faaborg-Andersen said in Jerusalem. “In my view, this is a distortion of history and a belittlement of the crimes of the Nazis and of the memory of their victims.”
...
The EU is opposed to boycotts of Israel products, even if they originate in settlements, the ambassador said. But marking such goods as “Made in Israel” is incorrect even in the United States, he added. “It should also be incorrect from Israel’s point of view: After all, no Israeli government has ever claimed that the West Bank is part of Israel.”
http://www.timesofisrael.com/eu-envoy-comparing-labeling-to-holocaust-cheapens-memory/
This is the second time in the past month wherein the Prime Minister of Israel has needed a lesson on the Holocaust from Europeans. Very bizarre situation.
November 18, 2015
The measures against the countries are expected to include reprimanding ambassadors of all 16 countries and limiting their contact with Israeli officials to meetings with low-level staffers, according to a Wednesday report in Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth
Jerusalem may also minimize the amount of expertise it shares with Europe on issues like fighting terror and dealing with migrants.
The countries are Britain, France, Denmark, Spain, Ireland, Croatia, Malta, Holland, Sweden, Portugal, Slovenia, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium and Finland.
The EU last week published guidelines on labeling Israeli products from the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights, drawing harsh condemnation from politicians, including some who said the measure was akin to anti-Semitism.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again lashed out at the decision, calling it “heinous” — a term usually reserved in diplomatic speech for violent crimes or terror attacks.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-said-mulling-downgrading-ties-with-europeans-over-labeling/
Israel is governed by crazy people.
Israel said to mull downgrading ties with Europeans over labels
The measures against the countries are expected to include reprimanding ambassadors of all 16 countries and limiting their contact with Israeli officials to meetings with low-level staffers, according to a Wednesday report in Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth
Jerusalem may also minimize the amount of expertise it shares with Europe on issues like fighting terror and dealing with migrants.
The countries are Britain, France, Denmark, Spain, Ireland, Croatia, Malta, Holland, Sweden, Portugal, Slovenia, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium and Finland.
The EU last week published guidelines on labeling Israeli products from the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights, drawing harsh condemnation from politicians, including some who said the measure was akin to anti-Semitism.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again lashed out at the decision, calling it “heinous” — a term usually reserved in diplomatic speech for violent crimes or terror attacks.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-said-mulling-downgrading-ties-with-europeans-over-labeling/
Israel is governed by crazy people.
November 17, 2015
never has a fall from grace been more deserved.
Chris Christie: U.S. shouldn't let in Syrian orphans
Source: Politico
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie doesn’t want any Syrian refugees let into the United States — not even if they're orphaned toddlers.
“I don’t think orphans under 5 are being, you know, should be admitted into the United States at this point. But you know, they have no family here. How are we going to care for these folks?” Christie said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Monday.
“The fact is, you can come up with a number of different scenarios, Hugh. But in the end, I don’t trust this administration to effectively vet the people that they’re asking us to take in. We need to put the safety and security of the American people first,” Christie continued.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/chris-christie-syria-orphans-215952
never has a fall from grace been more deserved.
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