Today’s Q for O’s WH – 5/7/2009

here’s one for you to ask Jake:
and it depends on whether you can discern whether the following is true and accurate:
“if this doesn’t constitute crimes, what does?’
United States interrogators killed nearly four dozen detainees during or after their interrogations, according a report published by a human rights researcher based on a Human Rights First report and followup investigations.
In all, 98 detainees have died while in US hands. Thirty-four homicides have been identified, with at least eight detainees — and as many as 12 — having been tortured to death, according to a 2006 Human Rights First report that underwrites the researcher’s posting. The causes of 48 more deaths remain uncertain.

Nice catch on the 18 million quote.
Why, from Col. Jessep:
“Son, we live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You?… I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom.
You weep for (terrorists) and curse the (interogaters); you have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that (a terrorist’s) death, while tragic, probably saved lives and that my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.
You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use then as the backbone of a life trying to defend something. You use them as a punchline.
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said ‘thank you,’ and went on your way.
Otherwise, I suggest that you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to.”
Colonel Jessup, while a ficticious character, was right.

Gibbs:I think if you ask somebody how you’re going to balance the budget, and they said end earmarks,
===============
Jake provided the links below, and John McCain most certainly did not say he would balance the budget by ending earmarks. It was one thing in a list of ideas he had.

Remember earlier this year when the Republican Party was (and the corporate media was NOT) up in arms about $787 billion “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009″ (aka “The Stimulus Package”) that the Democrats and Obama proclaimed has $0 in earmarks?
You remember how much of the bill was earmarks?
Most of it! All but the “additional” $13/week due to adustment in tax withholding tables (for which I will have taxes liability).
. . . hypocritical much?

“United States interrogators killed nearly four dozen detainees during or after their interrogations, according a report published by a human rights researcher based on a Human Rights First report and followup investigations.’
Post the source link if this is not an outright lie. Thanks.

The meaning of jive talk gets clearer every day.

tjp612″And surely none of us will see “stimulus” money directed to replace existing and adequate buildings or other structures…Nah…”
Do you have any relevant actual facts, or just broad brush sneering? The stimulus bill is done and passed, this debate is on the current budget. Are you arguing the annual budget should be treated like a one-time stimulus bill?

Sigmonde:”United States interrogators killed nearly four dozen detainees during or after their interrogations, according a report published by a human rights researcher based on a Human Rights First report and followup investigations.’
Post the source link if this is not an outright lie. Thanks.”
I don’t have time to vouch for the exact numbers (it’s not my post), but the ACLU has made documents (attained through FOIA requests) that document 8 homicides attributable to interrogations available online. Those are the obvious ones. An overwhelming majority of the “natural deaths” were attributed to “Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease” and definitely questionable as to whether interrogation caused them.
As for links THIS BOARD DOES NOT ALLOW LINKS TO BE POSTED. Please use google and the ample information provided in the previous post and this one to followup and look at the reports for yourself.
These deaths mostly occurred in a warzone, and such things happen in war. But don’t be so ignorant as to deny the reality that even the Army has carefully documented. It’s a pity the “liberal media” refuses to report this reality.

If there were a shred of truth in it, the media would have hounded Bush et al.: Sigmonde
absolutely,.. we all remember how ‘forthcoming’ and open the Bushies were….old ‘W’ and Cheney’s veracity could never be questioned..
yeesh

@jhw,
“Please cite three SPECIFIC earmarks in the bill and use some accepted definition of earmark (such as that used by the OMB). Most of it is “earmarks,” and the bill is fully published online, so it should be easy to cite some page numbers.”
Please…Why would I research the bill when Congress (nor Obama) did not? But, OK, I give. Here is earmark definition per your request:
“The federal Office of Management and Budget defines earmarks as funds provided by Congress for projects or programs where the congressional direction (in bill or report language) circumvents Executive Branch merit-based or competitive allocation processes, or specifies the location or recipient, or otherwise curtails the ability of the Executive Branch to manage critical aspects of the funds allocation process.”
Can you HONESTLY and OBJECTIVELY state that none of the projects below qualify as earmarks per the OMB definition?
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD’s.
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
• $160 million for “paid volunteers” at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• $5.5 million for “energy efficiency initiatives” at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
• $850 million for Amtrak.

@ jhw,
Let me add a couple of more projects from the “stimulus” – Pork, baby!
• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.

tjp612:”Can you HONESTLY and OBJECTIVELY state that none of the projects below qualify as earmarks per the OMB definition?”
You didn’t post the entire OMB definition, and actually only the Hollywood break could meet it. So that is one.
Remember it has to be specific. Stuff like $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD’s is not considered an earmark, something even Rep. Jeff Flake agreed.
The assertion that “most of it” (the stimulus bill) was earmarks is false unless you call all Congressional budget line items “earmarks.”

@ jhw
“You didn’t post the entire OMB definition”
Really? You have to be kidding. Thou doth deflect too much.
“Remember it has to be specific.”
Again, you have to be kidding. A condensed/relevent definition of “earmark”:
“The federal Office of Management and Budget defines earmarks as funds provided by Congress for projects or programs where the congressional direction specifies the location or recipient.”
Every project I listed “states the location or the receipient” and are therefore earmarks! Step away from the Kool-Aid!!!
BTW – Have you had a chance to get back to us with your “science” backing up your belief in “global warming” (oops, “climate change”)? Look forward to it.

“You may reference the report posted for facts.”
Go back and read the first comment. That’s one of the biggest lies I’ve ever seen. Even bigger than the concoction that McCain caused the accident on the Forrestal. It is indefensible.

“Weak Treasury auction sends stocks lower
”
By TIM PARADIS and SARA LEPRO
“NEW YORK (AP) — Weak demand at a Treasury bond auction touched off worries in the stock market Thursday about the government’s ability to raise funds to fight the recession.
“The government had to pay greater interest than expected in a sale of 30-year Treasurys. That is worrisome to traders because it could signal that it will become harder for Washington to finance its ambitious economic recovery plans. The higher interest rates also could push up costs for borrowing in areas like mortgages.”
Now Lepo, Paradis and the AP have gone over to the right-wingers.

I guess it would mean swine flew.
lol

The President announces with great fanfare that he has managed to trim $18 billion from the $3.55 trillion budget that he, HIMSELF, proposed? Or are we supposed to take it as a sign of fiscal probity that he didn’t add another $18 billion when he could have — because, of course, he’s all about restraint? Sorry, make that a symbolic down payment on fiscal probity.
What am I missing here?

Despite its efforts to portray itself as tough on waste and spending, the Obama administration and Congress, have quickly passed a $787 billion economic recovery bill (which will add according to the CBO, $9,400 in new debt on the average American household; if some programs become permanent, this will skyrocket to $26,600 per American household), a $410 billion omnibus appropriations bill and Congress’ $3.6 trillion ($3,600,000,000,000) budget for next year, which calls for increases of almost 10 percent over current funding for non-defense agency budgets.
“In his first 100 days, President Obama proposed a budget that would dump a staggering $9.3 trillion in new debt–$68,000 per household–into the laps of American children. This is more debt than has been accumulated by all previous Presidents in American history combined.”
“In his first 100 days, President Obama will have quadrupled the budget deficit he inherited while pledging to cut it in half, which would still leave a deficit double the size it was in January 2009.”
From “100 Days: With a Hole in Your Pocket” HeritageDotOrg