#7
These are the times that try the souls of US Senators anyway.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
02/14/2016 16:07 Comments ||
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#8
Presuming they all have souls, Abu.
I'm thinking at least half of them don't.
Posted by: Barbara ||
02/14/2016 17:15 Comments ||
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#9
The bad news is the Senate is in recess until Feb. 22 and will have been in recess for 10 days. According to Glen Reynolds this means Obama can make a recess appointment.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/14/2016 17:47 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV] Around 150,000 Adelie penguins have been killed by a giant iceberg that got stuck near their colony in Antarctica and cut off their food source.
If you guessed that "global warming" was the cause, as opposed to just one of those things that nature has been doing the last couple bajillion years, then you're ready to become an MSM commentator...
Posted by: Fred ||
02/14/2016 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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#1
Nice penguin pics at the link, however, when I read According to research carried out by the Climate Change Research Center I questioned the story. But read a few of the comments!
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/14/2016 8:14 Comments ||
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#2
Hopefully, the European countries will do their humanitarian duty and accept a flood of penguin refugees.
#3
True story, tangentially related to penguin refugees.
Right after the USSR fell some western scientists went to Russia to observe efforts there to test whether offering food and shelter would allow ostriches to survive on the southern steppes. So there they were in a rickety flatbed truck, ostrich young'uns sticking their scrawny necks out of crates as they drove to a local quonset hut to take vitals etc.
Along the muddy road they passed an old Baba who started crossing herself furiously as they drove by. Shaking her fist she shouted, "So THAT'S what you godless Bulsheviks have done with our chickens!!"
Posted by: Wheagum the Rasher of Bacon8442 ||
02/14/2016 16:49 Comments ||
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Sultan Qaboos of Oman is to fly to Germany on Sunday for a medical checkup on his progress after eight months of treatment there in 2014-15, his government announced. Poor Sultan Caboose!
The 75-year-old monarch will undergo a "routine medical examination" during a stay that will be of "limited duration, God willing", a statement carried by the official ONA news agency on Saturday said. He's gonna be pushing up crocuses real soon...
Qaboos, who has ruled Oman since overthrowing his father in a bloodless 1970 coup, has made only short public appearances since his return from treatment in Germany last March. There has never been any official statement on the nature of his illness.
State television reported at the time that his treatment was a "total success". But he has since returned to Germany at least twice, a diplomatic source said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/14/2016 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
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Menacing, crudely written signs hung from highway bridges or left with mutilated corpses have delivered the message: Mexico's fastest-growing drug trafficking group, Cartel Jalisco Nueva GeneraciĂłn, is now in Tijuana ‐ and fighting to expand its influence.
The group's growing presence coincides with a surge in homicides in Tijuana that started last spring, authorities said, and have continued in these first weeks of the new year, with many of the perpetrators and victims described as low-ranking members of the city's neighborhood drug trade.
Drug-related killings accounted for more than 80 percent of Tijuana's 670 homicides in 2015, the highest number in five years, according to the Baja California Attorney General's Office. A total of 71 homicides last month marked the most violent January in the city since 2010.
With the participation of Nueva GeneraciĂłn, the battle for control of Tijuana's neighborhood drug trade and lucrative smuggling routes to the United States has entered a new phase, one that has left the Sinaloa cartel increasingly on the defensive and led to the defections of some of its members, according to law-enforcement officials.
Nueva GeneraciĂłn "is the new player in town that is trying to gain control of the Tijuana plaza," said Gary Hill, assistant special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's San Diego office.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/14/2016 09:53 ||
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Link ||
[7 views]
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#2
Alright, here's a serious question. Why are we still using Hellfires and not developing the next generation. Hellfires are OLD...Harpoons are old, have we even introduced a new missile in the past two decades? One of any kind?
#3
Why are we still using Hellfires and not developing the next generation.
Perhaps they've been concentrating on little drone missiles? I have to admit, I'm not clear on what the characteristics of a Hellfire are, but as the drones have gotten smaller, so have their missiles, which I think may also be fire-and-forget.
[Iran Press TV] Venezuela's newly-empowered opposition politicians in the National Assembly have announced plans to accelerate efforts to develop a legal mechanism to depose President Nicolas Maduro within weeks.
The development comes as the head of the opposition coalition Jesus Torrealba confirmed that opposition politicians will begin talks on Sunday to move forward the process of ousting Maduro, who the US-backed opposition blames for the persisting economic crisis in the oil-rich country amid the unprecedented crash of oil prices in global markets.
Torrealba added that the opposition will announce its "agenda for change" within the next few days, and the speaker of the National Assembly, Henry Ramos Allup, further vowed to hasten efforts to force Maduro's ouster.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/14/2016 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[9 views]
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#1
Not gonna happen MUD needs Chvisimo to absolute own the collapse.
In early 2016 Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine agreed to form a joint peacekeeping brigade. It was no secret that this was an effort by two NATO nations to form military links with Ukraine without really involving NATO. This gives Russia less incentive to violently oppose the deal and enables two NATO nations to train with their new peacekeeping partner. The new brigade would have 4,000 troops from Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine and, presumably, most of the equipment would come from Lithuania and Poland. That's because, in order to join NATO, nations have to standardize a lot of their military equipment and procedures so that cooperation with other NATO allies is automatic. Poland has also asked for a small number of American and other NATO troops to be permanently stationed in Poland, to further dissuade Russia. Smart. But through history the Poles always were. Perhaps not: who truly thinks America will ride to the rescue for the Baltic states?
Posted by: Sven the pelter ||
02/14/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
Wow, 4000! That's sure to scare Ivan!
Posted by: Crutle the Rasher of Bacon6552 ||
02/14/2016 10:11 Comments ||
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[AnNahar] If you're an American voter and have provided personal information to a company, chances are data groups have shared it with political parties to help them target potential supporters.
One of the main players is NGP VAN, which manages the Democratic National Committee's database. Its name recently surfaced in connection with a data breach blamed on a technical glitch that enabled the campaign of presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders ...The only openly Socialist member of the U.S. Senate. Sanders was Representative-for-Life from Vermont until moving to the Senate for the rest of his life in 2006, assuming the seat vacated by Jim Jeffords... to access voter data belonging to rival Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as The Liberatress of Libya and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another James Baker ... The incident raises questions about the reach of the database.
"Everyone" is in there, Kevin Thurman, who served as Clinton's deputy Internet director during her last campaign in 2008, said with a laugh. "Every voter in America, since 2004, dead or alive."
NGP VAN estimates the number at about 195 million people, far more than the 146 million currently registered as voters. Voter registration is not mandatory in the United States. The database even includes adults who don't vote but who the campaigns hope to convince to turn out ahead of the November presidential election.
All Democratic candidates -- be they involved in local elections or a major presidential campaign -- use NGP VAN's data. The group helps candidates better target potential voters by avoiding those who will probably never cast a ballot for them, thereby reducing campaign expenses.
Other companies provide similar services, including for Republicans.
"If you're Trump, you're not going to lose time targeting the Clinton list," explained Brandi Travis, spokeswoman for NGP VAN competitor Aristotle.
The Democratic Party has been collecting information on American voters since 2004. The data -- which includes a registered voter's age, address and history of election participation -- is based on publicly available information. Through brokers, the party then buys information that private companies own on their clients. CVS pharmacies, for example, sell this information.
The National Rifle Association, America's leading gun lobby, also shares data on its members.
"They buy information from corporate databases... or newspaper subscriptions," Thurman explained.
Clients may not necessarily be aware of this practice, which is legal.
"They want to know what type of product you bought," said Sasha Issenberg, a journalist who has published a book, "The Victory Lab," on the issue.
These groups also sell their clients' email address.
With NGP VAN's information, the Democratic Party can also learn about someone's educational history and, often, his or her ethnic background. Then comes the analysis. A 30-year-old woman living in a major city and subscribed to a literary magazine, for example, has more chances of voting for Clinton than a 60-year-old man living in a southern rural area and subscribed to a magazine for weapons enthusiasts. When they go knocking on doors, volunteers can then further refine the data by asking whether the targeted voter cares more, say, about climate change or ending unemployment.
Among NGP VAN's dozens of competitors, some, like Aristotle, build their own databases.
NationBuilder told AFP that French political parties have sought its services ahead of next year's presidential election in La Belle France.
The Republicans have a similar database.
Data collectors stress that all information is obtained legally, even if Americans are often unaware of the extent of parties' knowledge of details of their personal lives.
"When you click the 'I agree' button online, you don't read the text, but you accept that your information can be sold," said Joe Curran, founder of Filpac, which works with the Republicans. "It's public, but people just don't know it."
Thurman agreed -- people simply don't realize what they've signed up for when they register on a website.
"There is no way our information can compete with the information the private companies have on Americans," Thurman added. "Compared to them, we are weak."
132 foot long robo-boat will scour seas for silent enemy submarines for months at a time - without a single person on board Would be interesting to see the anti-boarding tech.
[Wash Examiner] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Saturday signaled there would be no vote on any appointment picked by President Obama to replace deceased Justice Antonin Scalia -- setting the stage for a dramatic political showdown in Washington that will likely result in gridlock for the remainder of the year.
McConnell said a new appointment should wait until a new president takes office.
"The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president," McConnell said in a statement.
McConnell's statement indicates he is not planning on bringing to the floor for a vote any nominee Obama selects to succeed Obama, according to a Senate GOP aide.
#2
Excuse me, but what an idiot? You don't announce that you won't approve any of Obama's proposals, you wait for his candidates and... well, one more thing before we can vote...
Posted by: European Conservative ||
02/14/2016 5:44 Comments ||
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#3
Blindling flash, but Scalia's passing highlights the danger of an activist Supreme Court. McConnell's statement was ill advised and may simply hasten the Champ taking a unilateral or recess action.
By the way, everything that Scalia has been working on at the court must now be pitched into the rubbish bin. A poor replacement has the potential of retroactive damage as well.
#5
Nice p0ker face, Mitch. Did you notice the way you held your cards, face out? Watta frickin moroon!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/14/2016 9:46 Comments ||
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#6
OTOH, my biggest fear on hearing of Scalia's death was that the uber-rino McConnel would help push through an Obama "compromise". This would seem to preclude that.
I agree that this would be a huge mistake, see #2,3,4,5, if I had any confidence in MM, but I don't think it will matter too much given the current circumstances.
It will be interesting to see what the GOP candidates have to say.
#7
No, Mitch has to say that -- if he doesn't there's instant rebellion in the GOP. He has to say that there will be no vote on a Scalia replacement this year. Then has to mean it, and then he has to be on guard for all the usual Dem tricks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/14/2016 10:28 Comments ||
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#8
I expect Mitch to fold when the nominee is described by the press/Prez as a 'moderate'.
#9
I disagree Darth - Mitch probably can't wait to fold for free. I think he gets off on folding to the democrats myself.
Either that or they will pass a bill that it will require 2/3rds vote to block a confirmation. That way they can safely vote against it later. Isn't that how they usually abrogate their duties? It's been done before.
#10
Elizabeth Price Foley laid out that McDinglberry doesn't need to vote. Obama has the power for 8 more days to put in a recess appointment:
COULD OBAMA MAKE A RECESS APPOINTMENT TO REPLACE SCALIA?: The answer appears to be “yes,” because (once again), the GOP-controlled Senate voluntarily has left itself vulnerable to the exercise of such presidential power. Article II, section 2 of the Constitution gives the President power to fill vacancies “during the recess of the Senate”:
The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.
There’s a lot of misinformation out there. For example, a report by Fox News mistakenly focuses on the Adjournment Clause of Article I, section 5, which merely states that neither House of Congress may adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other. The Fox News reporter wrongly concludes:
[S]o long as both the House and Senate haven’t jointly agreed to “adjourn” for a stretch longer than three days, then there appears to be no way the president could make a recess appointment.
But the House and Senate are not operating under those circumstances right now. Both bodies of have adjourned until later this month for the President’s Day recess.
The Senate last met on Thursday. When doing so, it approved a “conditional adjournment resolution” for the Senate not to meet again until Monday, Feb. 22. The House met on Friday and at the close of business adopted the same adjournment resolution to get in sync with the Senate. The House is out until Tuesday, Feb. 23.
So, the House and Senate will not be meeting in the coming days. This is an adjournment and is not challengeable in court the way the NLRB recess appointments were because both bodies have agreed with each other to adjourn.
Whether the House of Representatives is in adjournment is irrelevant to the Recess Appointments Clause power. The only salience of the Adjournment Clause is that, in NLRB v. Noel Canning (2014), the Supreme Court looked to the Adjournment Clause as relevant evidence in its quest to ascertain a minimum period of time for determining the meaning of a “Recess of the Senate” in the Recess Appointments Clause. Specifically, the Court concluded:
The Adjournments Clause reflects the fact that a 3-day break is not a significant interruption of legislative business. As the Solicitor General says, it is constitutionally de minimis. A Senate recess that is so short that it does not require the consent of the House is not long enough to trigger the President’s recess-appointment power. . . .
If a Senate recess is so short that it does not require the consent of the House, it is too short to trigger the Recess Appointments Clause. And a recess lasting less than 10 days is presumptively too short as well.
Thus, a Senate recess of fewer than 3 days is not enough to trigger the President’s recess appointment power; the Senate’s recess must be at least ten days in duration.
So how long is the Senate’s present recess? It began on Friday, February 12, with the passage of S. Con. Res. 31 which states:
That when the Senate recesses or adjourns on any day from Thursday, February 11, 2016, through Saturday, February 20, 2016, on a motion offered pursuant to this concurrent resolution by its Majority Leader or his designee, it stand recessed or adjourned until 12:00 noon on Monday, February 22, 2016, or such other time on that day as may be specified by its Majority Leader or his designee in the motion to recess or adjourn, or until the time of any reassembly pursuant to section 2 of this concurrent resolution, whichever occurs first; . . .
Sec. 2. (A) The Majority Leader of the Senate or his designee, after concurrence with the Minority Leader of the Senate, shall notify the Members of the Senate to reassemble at such place and time as he may designate if, in his opinion, the public interest shall warrant it.
A Senate recess from February 12 (at noon) until February 22 (at noon) is a recess of exactly 10 days. Thus, under Noel Canning, the Senate is potentially in recess, and President Obama’s recess appointments power may be exercised.
Under S. Con. Res. 31, the only way to recall the Senate back into business before February 22 is with the “concurrence [of] the Minority Leader of the Senate,” Harry Reid (D-NV). Somehow I doubt Sen. Reid will grant such concurrence to reconvene, should President Obama decide to use this 10-day recess to make a recess appointment and replace Justice Scalia. But should President Obama try use this particular 10-day recess to replace Justice Scalia, the replacement would only be constitutionally permitted to serve until the end of the next session– i.e., until the end of the 114th Congress, which occurs on January 3, 2017.
But there is another potential wrinkle. Specifically, the Congressional Record of February 12 shows that Senate declared that it would be in pro forma session (where a member of the Senate gavels in and gavels out every few days), declaring:
A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that when the Senate completes its business on Friday, February 12, 2016, it adjourn, to then convene for pro forma sessions only, with no business being conducted on the following dates and times, and that following each pro forma session, the Senate adjourn until the next pro forma session: Monday, February 15, 2016, at 11:00 a.m., and Thursday, February 18, 2016, at 9:00 a.m.; and that when the Senate adjourns on Thursday, February 18, 2016, it next convene at 3:00 p.m., on Monday, February 22, 2016, unless the Senate receives a message from the House of Representatives that it has adopted S. Con. Res. 31; and that if the Senate receives such a message, it stand adjourned until 3:00 p.m., on Monday, February 22, 2016.
Notice, however, that the pro forma status of the Senate’s recess is made conditional: “unless the Senate receives a message from the House of Representatives that it has adopted S. Con. Res. 31; and that if the Senate receives such a message, it stand [sic] adjourned until 3:00 p.m., on Monday, February 22, 2016.”
This matters because if the Senate is in pro forma session, the Noel Canning majority agreed that such pro forma sessions will block the president’s recess appointment power:
We hold that, for purposes of the Recess Appointments Clause, the Senate is in session when it says it is, provided that, under its own rules, it retains the capacity to transact Senate business.
Unfortunately for the GOP Senate, however, the GOP-controlled House agreed to S. Con. Res. 31 on February 12 without objection. This means that under the plain language of S. Con. Res 31, the Senate is “in recess”–and not in pro forma session.
If this is indeed the case, the Senate is presently in the midst of a 10-day recess (not a pro forma session), and under Noel Canning, President Obama currently possesses the power to make a recess appointment to the Supreme Court until noon on February 22, when the Senate comes back in session.
So basically the fix is in for a ultra-statist, gun grabbing fuck to be put in for the year and tons of our freedoms can be permanently rolled back. Again I question the timing of the judge's death and you can bet the establishment will do everything it can to fuck our country over.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Sultan Qaboos of Oman is to fly to Germany on Sunday for a medical checkup on his progress after eight months of treatment there in 2014-15, his government announced.
Menacing, crudely written signs hung from highway bridges or left with mutilated corpses have delivered the message: Mexico's fastest-growing drug trafficking group, Cartel Jalisco Nueva GeneraciĂłn, is now in Tijuana ‐ and fighting to expand its influence.
In early 2016 Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine agreed to form a joint peacekeeping brigade. It was no secret that this was an effort by two NATO nations to form military links with Ukraine without really involving NATO. This gives Russia less incentive to violently oppose the deal and enables two NATO nations to train with their new peacekeeping partner. The new brigade would have 4,000 troops from Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine and, presumably, most of the equipment would come from Lithuania and Poland. That's because, in order to join NATO, nations have to standardize a lot of their military equipment and procedures so that cooperation with other NATO allies is automatic. Poland has also asked for a small number of American and other NATO troops to be permanently stationed in Poland, to further dissuade Russia.
Hillary Clinton
