I’m still down, but I need to apologize for inaccuracies in yesterday’s articles. The fact is, I was just feeling too crappy to apply my standard depth of research, so I misunderstood the SCOTUS Short Take that, thankfully, Nameless corrected. In the names of the Senate opponents of the fourth gun safety measure, I don’t know what happened. I copied and pasted that list of names directly from the Senate website. I have corrected the list here, and the list at the Senate’s site is now also corrected.
As I write I’m listening to MSNBC coverage in Boston. Since the suspect in a firefight with police, who is now in custody. employed bombs, I think it’s a safe bet that he’s one of the people responsible for the bombing. Update: The two people in the firefight were definitely the two bombing suspects. One is dead and the other is at large.
Finally, I have some good news. One of my guys, so far, was successful in his parole hearing and will be released in September. It’s Critter, who always sends greetings to Critter.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:15 (4;10 average). To do it click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: In the halls of the United States Senate, dozens of Senators congratulated themselves today for having what one of them called “the courage and grit to stand up to the overwhelming wishes of the American people.”
“We kept hearing, again and again, that ninety per cent of the American people wanted us to vote a certain way,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky). “Well, at the end of the day, we decided that we weren’t going to cave in to that kind of special-interest group.”
“It was a gut check, for sure, but we had to draw a line in the sand,” agreed Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S. Carolina). “If we had voted the way the American people wanted us to, it would have sent the message that we’re here in Washington to be nothing more than their elected representatives.”…
The accuracy of this satire makes me want to puke.
From Huffington Post: Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) skewered senators on Wednesday in a fundraising email sent out seconds after the Senate voted down an amendment to expand background checks for gun purchases.
"Moments ago, the U.S. Senate decided to do the unthinkable about gun violence — nothing at all," read the email from anti-gun violence PAC Americans for Responsible Solutions, according to the Arizona Republic. "Over two years ago, when I was shot point-blank in the head, the U.S. Senate chose to do nothing. Four months ago, 20 first-graders lost their lives in a brutal attack on their school, and the U.S. Senate chose to do nothing. It’s clear to me that if members of the U.S. Senate refuse to change the laws to reduce gun violence, then we need to change the members of the U.S. Senate."…
I could not agree more. Republicans should be opposed outright. The Democrats, who voted NO, should be primaried against firearms safety proponents.
From NY Times:
The story so far: At the beginning of 2010, two Harvard economists, Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, circulated a paper, “Growth in a Time of Debt,” that purported to identify a critical “threshold,” a tipping point, for government indebtedness. Once debt exceeds 90 percent of gross domestic product, they claimed, economic growth drops off sharply.
Ms. Reinhart and Mr. Rogoff had credibility thanks to a widely admired earlier book on the history of financial crises, and their timing was impeccable. The paper came out just after Greece went into crisis and played right into the desire of many officials to “pivot” from stimulus to austerity. As a result, the paper instantly became famous; it was, and is, surely the most influential economic analysis of recent years…
…Finally, Ms. Reinhart and Mr. Rogoff allowed researchers at the University of Massachusetts to look at their original spreadsheet — and the mystery of the irreproducible results was solved. First, they omitted some data; second, they used unusual and highly questionable statistical procedures; and finally, yes, they made an Excel coding error. Correct these oddities and errors, and you get what other researchers have found: some correlation between high debt and slow growth, with no indication of which is causing which, but no sign at all of that 90 percent “threshold.”…
Click through for the rest of this fine Krugman editorial. In short, the entire basis of Republicans’ insistence on austerity is the result of omitting inconvenient data, cooking the data that is included, and calculation error.
Cartoon:
12 Responses to “Open Thread–4/19/2013”
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From the Huff Post "Despite their optimism, Kelly minced few words when saying that he wouldn't shy away from working to oust anyone who voted against the measure, including Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a close family friend.
""You know, friendship is one thing," Kelly said. "Saving people's lives, especially first graders, is another thing." – I'm sorry that they thought Flake was a friend of theirs – it seems obvious to me that he is a friend to his bank balance first and the NRA second – and that anyone else comes about 90th on the list! His behaviour was disgusting!
I do agree TC – "In short, the entire basis of Republicans’ insistence on austerity is the result of omitting inconvenient data, cooking the data that is included, and calculation error." – and lying their heads off of course! What unmitigated swine Reinhart and Rogoff are – I hope their academic careers are ruined and that the GOP and TP don't employ them either! (Well, I can hope…). Kudos to the University of Massachusetts for investigating and being tenacious enough to get the data in the end – I bet Reinhart and Rogoff didn't want to give it up, knowing full well what was wrong with it!
Good for Critter! Please pass on my congratulations.
3:10 Pretty birdie!
2:59 Really pretty, pretty birdie! OK Jerry, how pretty is your birdie?
3:43 I am one ugly birdie today, fat and slow too.
Congratulate the other Critter for me.
New Yorker ~ God forbid they vote the way the people want. Sometimes fictions are truer than you think.
HuffPo ~ If any one of them is re-elected it is "Shame on the voters!"
NY Times ~ This is beyond me.
Cartoon ~ Oh, Turtle Man, get a life!
Puzzle — 2:59 Really pretty, pretty birdie!
The New Yorker — Andy B is so spot on! This lame-assed Senate even voted to allow illegal trafficking in weapons! Any senator that voted against these gun measures, no matter Republican/Teabagger or Democrat, should be arrested as imposters of real Americans who were elected to represent real people!
Huffington Post — Isn't that the entire legacy of this Senate — "nothing at all" — with one bright exception, Elizabeth Warren who is tearing into regulators, and a few other bright spots like Jeff Merkley. Giffords last statement is, I hope, prophetic: "It’s clear to me that if members of the U.S. Senate refuse to change the laws to reduce gun violence, then we need to change the members of the U.S. Senate." 2014 is just around the corner.
NY Times — The Republican/Teabaggers abandoned "jobs, jobs, jobs" in favour of austerity. But anyone with half a brain can see that if people are working, they are contributing tax dollars towards balancing the budget and reducing the deficit. Further, they are not drawing on social programmes to the same extent. Why can't Republican/Teabaggers see this, or is it that they choose not to see it so that they can fulfill their primary goals: 1) defeat Mr Obama at all costs; and 2) protect the élite and corporations from the "ravages of Democratic socialism" (sigh, heavy sarcasm!).
Cartoon — McTurtle looks like a 'deer in the headlights', caught with his pants down. The way McTurtle is anymore, that tinfoil hat isn't going to protect anyone from his inanane ramblings!
The American people are the ONLY special interest group that the Senators should pay attention to. If we had publicly finanaced elections, then we would be the only special interest group.
And, they are in Washington to be our elected representatives. What does he think a democratic republic is?
Great news and congratulations to Critter as he has been granted parole! I hope that the others that have worked so hard and applied for parole will also be successful.
Just thought that today – of all days – we should remember that it marks the ignominious 18th anniversary of the most deadly domestic terrorism attack on our home soil.
Radical right-wing anti-government zealot Timothy McVeigh murdered at least 168 American citizens, and wounded more than 680 others with his bombing of Oklahoma City's Murrah Federal Building.
I found that (naturally) TC was more beforehand with the news than the BBC with his news abour Reinhart and Rogoff and that today the R-R story is highly read in the BBC news section….
Have just seen this – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22223190
According to the BBC it was a student called Thomas Herndon who found the errors in the R – R con! (I call it a con – a spade is a spade! – They 'accidentally' missed out including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada and Denmark in their 'analysis' – either they are utter incompetents who should never have been appointed to look after a fast food concession, or lying b*****ds! Quod erat demonstrandum!!). They have made millions of people suffer due to their lies and people will have undoubtedly committed suicide in despair due to the economic austerities perpetrated due to this vile pair. I am deeply happy to say that it is the third most popular article on the BBC site at 7.30 this morning – and Herndon when interviewed appeared charmingly modest.
In the UK I have come across this petition http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Count_the_Corpses/
It has proof of the thousands (yes – thousands!!!) who have died due to the govt cuts and the evils of ATOS – http://anotherangryvoice.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/counting-corpses-atos-wca.html
This man (another Tom!) is a good man with a good heart and a social conscience – I think you'd like him – he isn't particularly angry if you look at his blogs, but he has chapter and verse on the deaths – and the fact that if one has legal representation the ATOS rejections are cut down by about 70% – but that costs people lots of money they don't have and months and months of worry and aggravation – and it is agony for them, poor souls.
Pat, thanks for the post. I signed the petition.