Has Henry Waxman COMPLETELY lost his fucking mind?

[Stinky The Clown]

Now I hear the FBI is investigating that meatheaded fucking BASEBALL PLAYER

When the Repubics persecuted (<--intentional word use) Martha, it was a Repubic congress going after a largely meaningless rich Democrat.

Now the Democrats are going after a largely meaningless Repubic and Friend Of George.

Henry, do you ***really*** think this is important????

I was thrilled when we won Congress in 2006. Control of the committee chairs. Yippee! I was thrilled when my 'hometown girl' Nancy Pelosi ascended to Speaker.

Look what we get for all that. Nothing but squandered riches.

Did a meatheaded, intellectually challenged basefuckingball star lie about using steroids ......... ?

Some days I just want to put my head in my hands and cry.

[libnnc]

1. We're living in a far side cartoon

I swear to god.

Bizarro fucking world.

Can anyone explain WHY WAXMAN FEELS SO FUCKING PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS IDIOTIC ISSUE?

PLEASE?

[DefenseLawyer]

3. Because it is safe

He can look like he is doing something and of course "protecting the children" without actually taking on any entrenched moneyed interests. Never forget, most politicians are the same jerkoffs that ran for student council in high school.

[acmavm]

22. Thank you for a straight answer to this question. That's exactly

why this fool is doing this. He thinks he's playing to an audience that really cares. He's an idiot.

[hootinholler]

48. Because it's one thing the press will cover and the WH can't stonewall.

Other than that, it's worthless, belay that, it's costly and thus worse than worthless.

-Hoot

[bkcc]

2. I agree. Total waste of our tax dollars.

Unfortunately, I really think that Congress is doing this because it really makes it seem (at least to the general public) as if they're doing something. It's just a dog and pony show.

[Divernan]

10. Cue the smoke; bring in the mirrors; Myron, turn on the bubble machine.

[Bluebear]

4. Agreed, absolutely disgraceful.

[displacedtexan]

5. Calm down, there's an explanation.

As I understand it, Baseball Guy's lawyer insisted on his client's
right to clear his name, and the lawyer demanded the hearing.

During the hearing, we learned that That Other Guy (the one accusing Baseball Guy) had the needles
and the gauze with Baseball Guy's DNA and traces of the drug on them.

Baseball Guy lied to the panel; therefore, there must be an investigation of Baseball
Guy's lies to congress.

Edited to add: I could be wrong; I only half-followed the hearing.

[peacetalksforall]

40. That doesn't explain to me why it's in Congress - I am so repulsed by

this that I haven't followed one second, but I have spent a few seconds wondering how it got into a Congressional Hearing.

No one would put this little venture into a movie script or soap - would they?

[SidDithers]

41. That's pretty much it in a nutshell...

he asked for the hearing, and then lied to Congress.

Whatever the topic of the hearing is, lying during the hearing is a big no-no.

Sid

[Solly Mack]

6. I'm betting Clemens wishes he had tortured someone

Then he'd be sitting pretty. Congress could then ban torture (yet again) and feel good about it all.. and Clemens could walk off into the sunset because Mukasey wouldn't feel right investigating an action someone else might have held as legal.

Course, maybe he should have just ignored Congress....seems to be the vogue these days

[Stinky The Clown]

9. "Course, maybe he should have just ignored Congress....seems to be the vogue these days"

Doesn't that just frost your ass?

Congress is as useful as nipples on a bull and as effective as a fart in a gale.

[Solly Mack]

18. I'm sure they are just thinking of the kids

Kids will never be impacted by a government that tortures, spies on its own citizens, and regularly breaks and abuses a wide range of laws... but a baseball player that juices? Oh, the humanity!

[bdamomma]

7. maybe a call or e-mail to Waxman's office is warranted.

[DefenseLawyer]

16. As long as the e-mail wasn't from Dick Cheney's office, those seem to get lost.

Oh well, we have bigger fish to fry. Like steroids in baseball or daylight savings time or declaring March to be National Pork Month.

[lonestarnot]

8. How did you get into my soul? Get the fuck out!

:evilgrin:

[Fredda Weinberg]

11. Did you study at the GOP school of politics? Baseball enjoys

special protection and needs oversight. Sorry if your source of news is MSM and that's all you think is going on.

[MrCoffee]

14. Baseball needs Congressional oversight? Baseball??

[Fredda Weinberg]

15. They were exempted from anti-trust for the public good. Yeah

that's the way it is.

[DefenseLawyer]

38. What the heck does anti-trust have to do with anything?

Anti-trust just means that they can operate without allowing unapproved competition from others. The only thing the anti trust exemption really does now is it keeps a MLB team from moving without the approval of the league. I don't see how their drug testing policy really falls under the purview of anti-trust oversight.

[Fredda Weinberg]

45. It's what gives Congress responsibility. We can argue, but the fact

remains - the hearing is not frivolous and the accusation is straight out of the GOP playbook. Decide ... what side are you on?

[DefenseLawyer]

49. So I'm with you or with the terrorists, is that it?

You can defend this all you wish. More power to you. But declaring those who disagree with you to be disloyal? "What side are you on?" Come on now. This isn't a partisan issue. This is grandstanding. It is a waste of time, especially when our country is currently being run by criminals. I'd rather Waxman have a hearing on the defacto anti-trust exemption enjoyed by big 4 oil companies, with its accompanying collusion and price fixing. But hey, that's just me, a disloyal SOB.

[MrCoffee]

50. That's a home run

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[Fredda Weinberg]

58. Did you see the hearing or are you just parroting MSM? It wasn't

a waste of my time to watch. Go watch some before you insult Waxman; he's been terrific since we took back congress.

[nashville_brook]

57. generally i'm happy if i'm on the side Fredda's not

:evilgrin:

[wtmusic]

69. Pure unadulterated grandstanding.

The mismanagement, waste, cronyism, and constitutional erosion happening daily in this country relegate the issue of baseball players taking steroids to something short of a bad joke.

[LisaM]

19. I agree with you; not only that, steroid use is rampant, unsafe

and affects a lot of high school kids. (It also causes aggressive behavior, and there have been support groups formed for spouses and girlfriends who have been abused by steroid use).

I think we have an over-drugged society (aided and abetted by the collusion of Big Pharma) and that steroids are part of this. It's got to end. I had minor dental surgery last week. They gave me a prescription for these big painkillers that I haven't taken. So I now have 20 pills sitting there that I was prescribed for no good reason. I asked for low dose, small pills, which I couldn't get (they wanted me to cut up the ones I got).

I do think we have a prescription crisis - they also ought to be looking at the doctors who prescribe this crap.

[MrCoffee]

24. So why not target those most directly responsible

i.e., Bud Selig and the MLB Players Association, rather than going after individual player scapegoats?


This whole thing is a farce.

[LisaM]

35. Because no one looks up to Bud Selig. You have to go after the names

or else it won't have an effect.

I also think that as far as closing the door on use by high-school athletes, it's essential to target users.

As far as the doctors, I find it crazy that they aren't being hauled up on the stand - and do you want to bet Big Pharma has a hand in that? They're the last people to want to limit prescriptions.

[MrCoffee]

52. Picking off individual players is not going to end steriod use in baseball

Not when baseball itself encourages it.

If anyone really wanted to remove steroids from baseball, they'd go after those who benefited from its prevalence in the first place. Going after players is petty grandstanding.

[Fredda Weinberg]

33. In this case, the entire system looked away. Congress is doing what

it should and has been busy on other things ... heck, I watch hearings all the time.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. Tell ya what, Fredda, I know all that .........

....... in depth ...... antitrust by Congressional fiat ..... blah, blah, blah.

Are you trying to make the case that this somehow MATTERS?

Lemme tall ya ......... IT.DOESN'T.FUCKING.MATTER.

Your country has been STOLEN. You're living under the result of a fascist coup d'etat.

THAT ...... matters.

[Fredda Weinberg]

32. My father survived Hitler and lived to tell his kids. I'd laugh at you

but seriously, I'm prepared and you're not. So, if you took yourself seriously, your tone would change.

[Stinky The Clown]

37. What the hell are you talking about and why the chip?

Get some epaulettes .... you'll feel better.

[Fredda Weinberg]

43. I'm not militaristic ... the relevant principle is in my tagline n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

46. y'okay whatever

Kryptic.

Kewl.

[femrap]

36. I agree with you, Husb2Sparkly...

our Constitution has been shit upon by W and his regime and we are concerned about steroids??? Where the fuck are the priorities???

Our Democracy hangs by a thread and baseball is investigated? It's all just a show for the masses....more circuses...more diversions.

It makes me sick. And to be frank, I don't see anyone in the upcoming future who is going to offer much help in getting our country back.

[DefenseLawyer]

60. Actually it isn't even Congressional fiat

The antitrust exemption came from a Supreme Court decision in 1922, not legislation. There is nothing in the US Code or administrative law which specifically grants MLB an exemption to the Sherman Act or mandates "Congressional oversight" that I know of, other than the Curt Flood Act, which has to do with player movement and compensation relative to anti-trust rules (and is probably unconstitutional if ever challenged). But, Fredda's opinion notwithstanding, that is irrelevant. It is grandstanding either way.

[TwilightGardener]

12. I am livid about this. So, so stupid, and embarrassing. Don't we have

"contempt of Congress" subpoenas out for certain ChimpCo collaborators? Are they in the Capitol jail yet?

[LynneSin]

13. should you have them vote on FISA instead

personally I think this is a time filler to allow the FISA bill to stall away. I personally think it's brilliant - "We'd rather investigate a bunch of overpaid cheats in baseball then vote on a bill that will take away civil liberties from our citizens"

Works for me

[Stinky The Clown]

25. An alternative view ...... one I'd not considered ..... but ..........

..... even without FISA, there's PLENTY they could spend time on ...... like enforcing the ignored subpoena to FatFuckPastyFacedLimpHairedRove

[malaise]

17. Investigate the Executive branch on steroids

This is a waste of time and money

[katty]

21. Distract&Delay-Reid: why not bush?!! Evidence ready to go

[msedano]

23. Martha? Mitchell?

I guess you're referring to the television magazine producer of the same first name.

Waxman's going after a turd who lied to congress. If he can't get the administration pigs who've made lying to congress a sacrament, he'll go after their heroes.

There's the other issue of anti-trust waivers. Baseball, like football, has exclusive hold on professional entertainment of its type. As a result, team owners get to come into cities and demand taxpayers build them billion dollar stadia, exclusive luxury boxes, and pay not a cent for these privileges. In this way, Waxman may be saving Los Angeles from professional football, and that cannot be all bad.

That said, I'd be a lot happier--and finally for the first time in my adult life make me really proud of my country-- if Waxman would go after the crooks and liars in the White House with identical fervor he's going after worthless cheaters like whatsisname.

[Stinky The Clown]

27. My snarky assed reply upthread applies here too:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2937320#2937468

[msedano]

39. I am hurt. and don't call me "Fredda".

I am hurt. Not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a hearing room door, but tis enough. twill serve. Ask for me tomorrow and you will find me xeroxing your snark. Damn, and here I supported your essential truth.

[Stinky The Clown]

44. Thank for supporting my essential truth .....

But the essence of the essence is ...... BASEBALL and its ANTITURST don't matter nearly so much as what else is going on. It may be technically righteous, but it is waaaaaaaaaaaaay down on the List Of Important Shit.

Here it is: The Democratic Congress is **either** Scared Shitless of the Conseravtive crazies loose in the land **or** so deep into corporate money that all they wish to do is preserve the status quo ....... including the fascist takeover of our country.

[DefenseLawyer]

66. The NFL has no antitrust exemption

Thus there has been the AFL, the USFL, the XFL and several other FL's over the years. And crazy Al Davis could move his team from Oakland to L.A., and back to Oakland, at his leisure, much to the chagrin of the other owners. Baseball's anti-trust exemption is judicial not legislative, and it conferred no required "oversight" authority over baseball to Congress. Waxman isn't saving Los Angeles. Good try though.

[msedano]

68. thanx for clarifying, still,

i hope waxman saves El Lay from the NFL. Pasadena voters kicked their asses out of the Rose Bowl, because we don't trust 'em, so there's a kind of anti-trust blanket right there.

[Timmy5835]

26. When last I checked.....

Lying while under oath is a federal crime. This needs to be investigated.

[Stinky The Clown]

28. My snarky assed reply upthread applies here too:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2937320#2937468

[truebrit71]

29. Lets start with the IMPORTANT liars first shall we? I think baseball players are at the BACK of that

...very long line....

[pscot]

30. If you're afraid to go after your abuser

kick the dog around.

[rniel]

31. Next congressional hearling will be

Has Snoop Doggy Dogg used marijuana.

[w8liftinglady]

34. I have written him.Concentrate on crimes against America first

[orleans]

42. dear henry

thank you for doing something so important by holding hearings that the american people have been clamoring to hear. we all realize that these hearings about steroids are probably the most important thing we could be talking about in the country today. keep up the good work. nothing is more important than what famous baseball players did regarding taking illegal drugs. if we are going to continue to have children want to grow up to be baseball players we need to really get to the bottom of all this steroid use right away.






HA! WHAT A JERK! WAXMAN SHOULD FUCKING WAKE UP AND SMELL THE AMERICAN MIND-SET! HE MIGHT EVEN BE SURPRISED. I DON'T THINK IT'S THE SMELL OF GODDAMN BASEBALL.

[Karenina]

47. Is it GROUNDHOG DAY?

Didn't this already happen? Didn't Waxman "apologize?" Why are the date stamps from TODAY??
OH DEAR! GASLIGHT!

[jhain]

51. Pass Me A Hanky, too.

I woke up the whole house RAGING about this when I heard it on the late night news.
A person could get damn depressed.

[bmbmd]

53. I say leave Clemens alone

and get after Brittney Spears. Where are your priorities, Waxman?

[ecstatic]

54. Well their hand is kind of forced. After all, they did take down Bonds nt

[Adsos Letter]

55. Amen...

"Some days I just want to put my head in my hands and cry."

You only WANT to do this?...I do it on a daily basis... :cry:

[pleah]

56. Congress should not be having hearings on Baseball, PERIOD!

This is just a smoke screen to blind people and keep them off track from the real crimes they should be investigating.:grr:

[Jack Rabbit]

59. It's not tit for tat

Yes, Roger Clemens is meaningful only in the way Walter Johnson and Sandy Koufax are. When your team loses the World Series, at least you can take comfort in the fact the grass is still green and the sky is still blue.

However, I don't think Waxman would have asked the FBI to investigate Clemens if he and other committee members didn't think they had heard something just a wee bit short of the truth.

As for Martha Stewart, I'm not as certain as you that she was "persecuted" for being a friend of Hillary, but the thought has crossed my mind and it wouldn't surprise me a bit.

[Cass]

61. And what ever happened to their Valerie Plame investigation??

There is a cornucopia of really important things to investigate and they go after a baseball player. Unbelievable.

:banghead:

[Stinky The Clown]

62. Whaaaaa .... ? Whooooooo ........ ? V-V-V-Valerie who?

Yup ..... Unbelievable.

[file83]

65. Sibel Edmonds who? I am unaware of such a case....

...Waxman is useless.

[CANDO]

63. Every god-damned administration official should get the same treatment

, but we go after a baseball player! Fucking pathetic! And this is the shit that ordinary idiot Americans eat up and talk about and laugh at! This is our "Terry Schiavo" moment. Completely ridiculous waste of Congress' time.

[spanone]

64. grrrr so so so pathetic....

[rateyes]

67. And, in the meantime, Sibel Edmonds awaits his call to testify

Waxman is proving to be as useless as teats on a boar hog.

[stillrockin]

70. Henry, you look like a dumbass.

[EFerrari]

71. It's more than that. They are inoculating management by going after

the meathead. That's what this is about.

[jakefrep]

72. In fairness, it was Tom Davis (R) that started this steroid nonsense

Waxman merely elevated himself to clueless douchebag status by perpetuating it.

Let baseball (and all other sports, for that matter) make up its own mind about whether to regulate steroids or not. If there's an issue with illegal sales or distribution, let law enforcement deal with it.