The O'D Report

OBAMA: I'M OPEN TO PROSECUTING BUSH OFFICIALS

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:41:00 +0000

From: Huffington Post
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is leaving the door to open to possible prosecution of Bush administration officials who devised harsh terrorism-era interrogation tactics.
Continued...

My Comments:
Thank you for listening to reason Mr. President. I know you've said that you would prefer to move forward on this issue, so I think you are doing the right thing. Accountability, in my opinion, is the only way to truly move forward. Isn't that the whole point of justice?

And by insisting that CIA agents not be prosecuted, instead going up the chain of command leaves open the door to prosecuting Bush himself and Cheney. Go Obama!

Obama to Lift Some Restrictions on Cuba

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:24:00 +0000

From: Washington Post
President Obama will announce today that he is lifting some restrictions on Cuban Americans' contact with Cuba and allowing U.S. telecom companies to operate there, opening up the communist island nation to more cellular and satellite service, a senior White House official said.
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My Comments:
And it's about time too! This has been one of the most asinine policies and has come between families caused a great deal of economic hardship for Cuban civilians.

Tea Party Video: Right-Wing Tax Protests Caught On Tape

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:47:00 +0000

From: HuffingtonPost
Hundreds of tea party protests are scheduled in cities and towns across the country for tax day. But the curious don't need to wait till April 15 to get a sense of what these protests might be like. Several events happened on Feb. 27, less than two weeks after CNBC's Rick Santelli howled about irresponsible government spending and called for a Chicago tea party in an impromptu rant. And several people brought video cameras to those events. Herewith, a roundup of some of the best vids, which hopefully provide clues for what to expect on tax day:
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My Comments:
Oh good grief. The unhinged, psychotic right wing is coming out in force. I could barely sit through these videos without cringing and wanting to shout obscenities at these lunatics. And to think, they are out there protesting against their own best interests. Protesting to make sure they get as little as possible and it all gets soaked up by the already fabulously wealthy. This is hoodwinked America at it's worst.

With Advocates’ Help, Squatters Call Foreclosures Home

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:41:00 +0000

From: The New York Times
MIAMI — When the woman who calls herself Queen Omega moved into a three-bedroom house here last December, she introduced herself to the neighbors, signed contracts for electricity and water and ordered an Internet connection.

What she did not tell anyone was that she had no legal right to be in the home.
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My Comments:
Well, at least all those foreclosed homes are being put to good use instead of just sitting empty and many people who would otherwise be living on the streets have a roof over their heads. Just wait until the crazy right wing hears about this though. They'll probably try and start revolution over it or something.

GOP CONGRESSMAN: I HAVE A LIST OF SOCIALISTS

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:33:00 +0000

From: HuffingtonPost
Not too long ago, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was on Hardball, calling for the media to investigate her Congressional colleagues to "find out if they are pro-America or anti-America." Well, it turns out that someone has taken up Bachmann's call on a proactive basis! His name is Spencer Bachus and he has made a list -- a secret list! -- of the socialists in the House of Representatives. Or so he told the Birmingham News. Who are the seventeen socialists? That's the secret part, apparently.
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My Comments:
Looks like McCarthyism just got resuscitated in the U.S. Congress. Well guess what, I have a list of fascists and it includes Bachus, Bachman, Hannity, Limbaugh and Beck, among others.

Communities Print Own Money To Keep Cash Flowing

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:32:00 +0000

From: usatoday.com
A small but growing number of cash-strapped communities are printing their own money.

Borrowing from a Depression-era idea, they are aiming to help consumers make ends meet and support struggling local businesses.

The systems generally work like this: Businesses and individuals form a network to print currency. Shoppers buy it at a discount — say, 95 cents for $1 value — and spend the full value at stores that accept the currency.
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My Comments:
Another sign that the economy won't be coming back any time soon. I knew as soon as I heard Jim Cramer announce "the depression is over" that we were really in this for the long haul. And sure enough, in other news: Stocks fall after 4-week rally. Like I've been saying - it's time to learn how to garden.

Jim Cramer Declares The Depression "Over"

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 22:59:00 +0000

From: Huffington Post
On Thursday's episode of "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer declared that the depression is, well, over. No stranger to making bold statements about the stock market and the economy, ">Cramer delivered the news in his own inimitable style, unequivocally stating with gusto: "Right now, right here on this show -- I am pronouncing the Depression over."
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My Comments:
Seriously? It seems to me that this guy is consistently wrong. And not just wrong by spectacularly wrong. As in 180 degrees wrong. So, this may be a good time to learn how to garden because if Cramer is saying that the depression is over, then I think we're in this economic downturn for the long haul.

Bachmann Blasts Obama's "Economic Marxism," Calls For "Orderly Revolution" To Save Freedom

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:49:00 +0000

From: Talking Points Memo
Wow. Just plain wow. This past Wednesday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) appeared on Sean Hannity's radio show, and sharply reiterated her calls for revolution in America, warning against the imminent dangers of tyranny under Barack Obama:
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My Comments:
So let me get this straight... You can undermine the constitution and the bill of rights, you can do away with habeas corpus, you can kidnap people and "rendition" them to other countries for torture in secret prisons, you can eaves drop on every American and none of this is considered tyranny - it is in fact perfectly ok with everyone in the right wing... But tax the rich a little more and WHOA, we have a tyrant and it's time to start a revolution!

These people make me sick!

UK Scientists Grow A Living Human 'Brain'

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:05:00 +0000

From: Sky News
The team at Aston University created tiny bundles of cells which act like a mini nervous system.

They believe it could help find a cure for degenerative conditions like Alzheimer's, motor neurone or Parkinson's disease.

Professor Michael Coleman is leading the research.

He explained: "We are aiming to be able to study the human brain at the most basic level, using an actual living human cellular system.
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My Comments:
I love technology. Can't wait to see where this stuff takes us in another 10, 15, 20 years.

Pentagon exploring robot killers that can fire on their own

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:50:00 +0000

From: www.mcclatchydc.com
WASHINGTON — The unmanned bombers that frequently cause unintended civilian casualties in Pakistan are a step toward an even more lethal generation of robotic hunters-killers that operate with limited, if any, human control.
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My Comments:
And I thought it was scary that robotic drones were controlled from underground bunkers 6000 miles away. Now they want to let the drones decide on their own when to shoot. Say hello to Skynet.

Diebold Admits Systemic Audit Log Failure; State Vows Inquiry

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:54:00 +0000

From: Wired.com
SACRAMENTO, California — Premier Election Solutions (formerly Diebold Election Systems) admitted in a state hearing Tuesday that the audit logs produced by its tabulation software miss significant events, including the act of someone deleting votes on election day.
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My Comments:
Did anyone ever think that Diebold's electronic voting machines would be reliable?

Will a Shift to Cloud Computing Create or Cut Jobs?

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:47:00 +0000

From Salon
I don’t often look to movies about beer for poignant macroeconomic commentary, but as February ended with an 8.1 percent unemployment rate (and rising), a line from “Strange Brew” struck me as particularly relevant. As they’re introduced to their new jobs as the only two workers on the bottling line, the Mackenzie brothers are told: “Welcome to 1984, the age of automation and unemployment. The rise of the machine and the fall of man. The end of the human era.”

Will cloud computing, as some predict, be to information technology today what automation was to the assembly line in the ’80s? If so, what happens to those jobs? To the people who used to do them?
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My Comments:
Having made my living in IT for the past decade (and then some) and being currently unemployed, this article hits particularly close to home for me.

Perino: Bush Deserves Credit For Recent Market Uptick

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:15:00 +0000

From: Huffingtonpost
Former White House spokesperson Dana Perino said on Sunday that the Bush administration, while presiding over the start of the current recession, nevertheless deserved some credit for the modest uptick that Wall Street experienced this past week.
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My Comments:
Seriously? Bush's people have been trying to absolve him of any responsibility for the terrible economy and pin it on Obama for the past month or so, now they see a slight uptick and they want Bush to get credit for it? The mendacity is appalling.

Lieberman open to reunion with Democrats

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:18:00 +0000

From The Hill
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) is not ruling out running as a Democratic candidate in his reelection race in 2012.

Lieberman said on Thursday that he has been asked by friends about the possibility of returning to the party that nominated him for vice president in 2000.
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My Comments:
Oh good grief. Do you think he'd be considering this if McCain had won? This little traitor just wants to be close to power. I hope he gets shot to the curb by the Dems. Better yet, he should just go back to Israel where his only true loyalties lay. Lieberman is the only reason I'm glad Gore didn't win in 2000. To think of this weasel occupying the VP office gives me chills.

Obama's New Tack: Blaming Bush President Points to 'Inherited' Economy

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:09:00 +0000

From: Washington Post
In his inaugural address, President Obama proclaimed "an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics."
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My Comments:
I'm happy to see the President fighting back on this one. The mendacity of the right wing continues to be appalling.

Weary of Looking for Work, Some Create Their Own

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:49:00 +0000

From: NY Times
Economists say that when the economy takes a dive, it is common for people to turn to their inner entrepreneur to try to make their own work. But they say that it takes months for that mentality to sink in, and that this is about the time in the economic cycle when it really starts to happen — when the formerly employed realize that traditional job searches are not working, and that they are running out of time and money.
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My Comments:
I can attest personally to the difficulty of finding work in this market. Having had only a few job interviews and no offers since being laid off almost 2 and a half months ago I've turned to this blog and another website project I am working on in hopes of making a living on my own.

Jim Cramer Emasculated on The Daily Show

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:24:00 +0000

From: Comedy Central

My Comments
Holeeee Shite! I am scared of Jon Stewart. If ever I have the opportunity to be on his show, I hope I'm on his good side. Jim Cramer of CNBC's Mad Money was not on Stewart's good side. At times I felt sorry for the hapless clown. His body language was painful to watch. He seemed like a crushed man, as if he might burst into tears at any moment. At the same time, I have great respect for Jon Stewart's direct, no bull shit approach. He called Cramer out on every attempt at downplaying the cheer leading of the MSM and thus it's culpability in the vast market scandals which have brought America's economy to it's knees. Stewart made clear that it was not about Cramer personally but what he represents. Stewart's quick wit, clarity of focus and unrelenting truth seeking is refreshing. I hope this heralds a new day in journalism.

The true power of humor has never in my memory been so starkly demonstrated. In it's darkest times humanity must look to it's jesters for truth and levity.

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:24:00 +0000

CNN Poll Rates Obama's First Fifty Days As "Yes" Or "No"

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:56:00 +0000

From: Huffingtonpost
In the clearest sign yet that CNN has maybe laid off all the wrong people, comes news that a poll the news organization put on their website to allow users to rate President Barack Obama's first fifty days may have been created and edited by people who were vastly unclear on the whole concept of polling. Click here to see a screenshot of the whole page, from Digg, if you like.
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Jack Cafferty: GOP becoming a cartoon

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:29:00 +0000

From: CNN.com
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The Republican Party is becoming a cartoon.
Where to start?
Bobby Jindal: "I'm certainly not nearly as good of a speaker as Obama." Good OF a speaker? How about not as good at eighth-grade grammar either. It's embarrassing.
Sarah Palin? Billing the taxpayers for her kids to travel to official events the children weren't even invited to? She finally agreed to pay back the state for that money she took.
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My Comments:
More than a cartoon, they are becoming outright treasonous.

Coulter, Maher spar at Radio City

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:04:00 +0000

From: Politico.com
NEW YORK — Bill Maher couldn’t have asked for a better act to follow.

Maher took the stage at the Radio City Music Hall Monday after Ann Coulter – with whom he’d spend the rest of the night debating – had held forth for 15 minutes on the sins of liberals.
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My Comments:
Wish I could have seen this live. Anyone remember when Coulter was a regular on Maher's show, Politically Incorrect? And by the way, I'm pretty sure Ann is a Man. Take a close look at that Adams apple. Not that I mind, it's just the hypocrisy that gets me.

The Silent Minority

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:29:00 +0000

From: Huffingtonpost
There is a minority group in America that is a bigger percentage of the country than blacks or Hispanics. But they are often ignored or derided in public. Almost no politician would ever admit to being one. And they are given no voice in the public arena.

They are the non-religious.
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My Comments:
Anyone who knows me knows that I am among those non-religious, non-believers. I can relate entirely to this article.

What the Heck Is Twitter?

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:56:00 +0000

From: Slate.com
It's not a Google killer, and it's not a Facebook killer.

For you and me, Twitter is a fun way to procrastinate. But for Silicon Valley's chattering classes, the microblogging company has emerged as something much more—the next Google, the next Facebook, or maybe some unbeatable combination of the two. "It's time to start thinking of Twitter as a search engine," TechCrunch's Michael Arrington declared this week, joining a chorus that includes John Battelle, the San Jose Mercury News, and some of Twitter's venture funders. By collecting millions of people's immediate thoughts, Twitter is building the Web's best database of "real time" information, these people argue. And that collection might be very valuable—when people want to know what's going on in the world right now, they'll increasingly check Twitter, not Google.
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My Comments:
Well, it's a great tool for driving traffic to your blog!

Really beginning to lose patience with Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 02:48:00 +0000

Elements simply disappear from the page with no warning or apparent reason. Posts vanish, ads vanish, feeds vanish. They're never too difficult to fix, but who knows how long they've been missing or how many clicks are lost. Looking for a new host.

My Beef With Ann Coulter by Meghan McCain

noreply@blogger.com (The O'D Man) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:13:00 +0000

From: The Daily Beast
It is no secret that being a Republican isn’t the most hip political stance a person can take right now. President Obama has successfully established himself as the hippest politician around. You know you’re big when Katy Perry wears a dress with your face on it to host the MTV Europe Music Awards. To my fellow Republicans: I’m sorry, I wish I could be more positive about the current “hipness” of our party. But being a Republican is about as edgy as Donny Osmond. Granted, being “hip” is not a reason to join a political party, or a reason to agree with its ideals. But it is a way to get the attention of a generation—or, more specifically, my generation.
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My Comments:
W00t GOP cat fight!
Sorry, couldn't resist saying it. But really, more signs of republican fissures and infighting. I really do think that the meltdown of the GOP will open the door to additional political parties becoming viable in our system. Because really, only having 2 parties is NOT good for democracy.