Home
entries friends calendar user info Previous Previous
profile
David Benfell
User: [info]benfell
Name: David Benfell
calendar
Back November 2009
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930
page summary
tags
    The Benfell Blog
    Add to Memories
    Tell a Friend

    These are some of the articles I've been reading. I generally use FriendFeed to comment on articles. Story descriptions on Digg may or may not be my own.

    Tuesday, 24 November 2009

    05:14:35 +0000

    Matthew Dowd - Yes, she can: Palin has a shot at the presidency - washingtonpost.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Matthew Dowd - Yes, she can: Palin has a shot at the presidency - washingtonpost.com - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...
    Quite apart from speculation about Palin's prospects, I've recently seen her, Lou Dobbs, and Glenn Beck touted as possible Republican candidates. And former Vice President Dick Cheney hasn't shut up since leaving office. It seems awfully, awfully early to be speculating about presidential candidates. It only makes sense if we see President Obama as a lame duck--which he may well be. - David Benfell

    05:12:03 +0000

    Yes, she can: Palin has a shot at the presidency [Digg]

    How she could face and beat Obama in 2012.

    Monday, 23 November 2009

    23:06:05 +0000

    The Monkey Cage: Who Wants to Audit the Fed? [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    The Monkey Cage: Who Wants to Audit the Fed? - http://www.themonkeycage.org/2009...
    This seems to confirm that liberals in the Democratic Party are beholden to financial interests. Still no one has explained to me why the Federal Reserve must be independent. - David Benfell

    23:00:17 +0000

    Afghanistan decision to come within days, White House says - CNN.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Afghanistan decision to come within days, White House says - CNN.com - http://edition.cnn.com/2009...
    This doesn't look like it allows time for negotiations with the Taliban (as reported by DAWN) to continue following Eid. - David Benfell

    22:17:34 +0000

    In the trenches on climate change, hostility among foes - washingtonpost.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    In the trenches on climate change, hostility among foes - washingtonpost.com - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...
    So of course its the Libertarians as climate change deniers. That's nothing new; they've been doing it forever. But it takes some kind of hypocrisy for someone from the Cato Institute--which churns out non-peer reviewed paper after non-peer reviewed paper, each of which is taken as gospel by capitalist Libertarians--to in any way participate in a peer review process. - David Benfell

    22:12:21 +0000

    Obama ready to offer target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions | Environment | The Observer [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Obama ready to offer target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions | Environment | The Observer - http://www.guardian.co.uk/environ...
    Why is it that Congress, controlled by Democrats, is such a huge problem for Barack Obama, a Democrat, when it was not at all a problem for George W. Bush, a Republican? - David Benfell

    19:17:46 +0000

    Daily Kos: State of the Nation [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Daily Kos: State of the Nation - http://www.dailykos.com/storyon...
    I read this differently from "mcjoan." According to the quoted text, independents oppose a public option and Democrats want a health care plan. That part is easy. Here's the crucial text: "Democrats get 86% with their own party on the generic ballot if a bill with a public option passes. They get 84% before health care is even mentioned. They get just 75% without a health care bill." In that mangled text, it looks like they get a 2 percent bump from a public option over any health care plan at all. The trouble with interpreting percentages however is that there is a different aggregate number of independents from the aggregate number of Democrats. "Mcjoan's" interpretation requires that 2 percent of Democrats who actually vote be a larger number than the 12% of the independents who actually vote. - David Benfell

    15:44:02 +0000

    Obama says boosting jobs is a top priority | Reuters [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Obama says boosting jobs is a top priority | Reuters - http://www.reuters.com/article...
    The operative part of this is: "The White House said separately that all 'sensible and reasonable measures' would be considered to encourage employment, but also stressed that it must be balanced with the need for the United States to tackle record budget deficits." Obama has made lots of promises that he hasn't kept. Will this one about boosting employment be another? - David Benfell

    10:38:26 +0000

    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009 [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009 - http://money.cnn.com/2009...
    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009
    What I'm not seeing here is an explanation for why the Federal Reserve must be "independent." That seems to be an assumption, so taken for granted, that it goes unquestioned. - David Benfell

    09:30:28 +0000

    America's broken politics | Jeffrey Sachs | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    America's broken politics | Jeffrey Sachs | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk - http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment...
    He claims "the [U.S.] budget deficit stands at a peacetime record of about 10% of GNP, much higher than in other high-income countries," but later acknowledges that the U.S. is engaged in two wars. - David Benfell

    01:09:19 +0000

    Feeds

    FeedRSSLast fetchedNext fetched after
    digg / n4rky / history XML 12:00:10 +0000, Tuesday, 24 November 2009 12:30:10 +0000, Tuesday, 24 November 2009
    FriendFeed - davidbenfell XML 12:00:10 +0000, Tuesday, 24 November 2009 12:30:10 +0000, Tuesday, 24 November 2009

    Generated by rawdog version 2.12 by Adam Sampson.

    Add to Memories
    Tell a Friend

    These are some of the articles I've been reading. I generally use FriendFeed to comment on articles. Story descriptions on Digg may or may not be my own.

    Tuesday, 24 November 2009

    05:14:35 +0000

    Matthew Dowd - Yes, she can: Palin has a shot at the presidency - washingtonpost.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Matthew Dowd - Yes, she can: Palin has a shot at the presidency - washingtonpost.com - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...
    Quite apart from speculation about Palin's prospects, I've recently seen her, Lou Dobbs, and Glenn Beck touted as possible Republican candidates. And former Vice President Dick Cheney hasn't shut up since leaving office. It seems awfully, awfully early to be speculating about presidential candidates. It only makes sense if we see President Obama as a lame duck--which he may well be. - David Benfell

    05:12:03 +0000

    Yes, she can: Palin has a shot at the presidency [Digg]

    How she could face and beat Obama in 2012.

    Monday, 23 November 2009

    23:06:05 +0000

    The Monkey Cage: Who Wants to Audit the Fed? [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    The Monkey Cage: Who Wants to Audit the Fed? - http://www.themonkeycage.org/2009...
    This seems to convert that liberals in the Democratic Party are beholden to financial interests. Still no one has explained to me why the Federal Reserve must be independent. - David Benfell

    23:00:17 +0000

    Afghanistan decision to come within days, White House says - CNN.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Afghanistan decision to come within days, White House says - CNN.com - http://edition.cnn.com/2009...
    This doesn't look like it allows time for negotiations with the Taliban (as reported by DAWN) to continue following Eid. - David Benfell

    22:56:06 +0000

    Can populism be liberal? [Digg]

    Could a new wave of populist independents be steered into the Democratic Party? Alas, that seems unlikely, if Democrats are viewed as the compromised, establishmentarian governing party. Moreover, the Republican Party benefited from the last two populist upheavals.

    22:37:38 +0000

    Blackwater's Secret War in Pakistan [Digg]

    Inside sources reveal that the firm works with the US military in Karachi to plan targeted assassinations and drone bombings, among other sensitive counterterrorism operations.

    22:17:34 +0000

    In the trenches on climate change, hostility among foes - washingtonpost.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    In the trenches on climate change, hostility among foes - washingtonpost.com - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...
    So of course its the Libertarians as climate change deniers. That's nothing new; they've been doing it forever. But it takes some kind of hypocrisy for someone from the Cato Institute--which churns out non-peer reviewed paper after non-peer reviewed paper, each of which is taken as gospel by capitalist Libertarians--to in any way participate in a peer review process. - David Benfell

    22:12:21 +0000

    Obama ready to offer target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions | Environment | The Observer [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Obama ready to offer target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions | Environment | The Observer - http://www.guardian.co.uk/environ...
    Why is it that Congress, controlled by Democrats, is such a huge problem for Barack Obama, a Democrat, when it was not at all a problem for George W. Bush, a Republican? - David Benfell

    22:10:15 +0000

    Obama ready to offer target for cutting greenhouse gas emiss [Digg]

    US set to propose cuts to save Copenhagen deal

    22:07:25 +0000

    Opinion: Obama Has Failed the World on Climate Change [Digg]

    US President Barack Obama came to office promising hope and change. But on climate change, he has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor George W. Bush. Now, should the climate summit in Copenhagen fail, the blame will lie squarely with Obama.

    22:03:21 +0000

    Lowest form of life could save planet - Environment - The In [Digg]

    The lowest form of pond life may turn into the saviour of Earth after scientists discovered that microscopic algae can be made to produce copious amounts of hydrogen, one of the cleanest and most renewable forms of energy.

    21:22:22 +0000

    DAWN.COM | Front Page | US in back-channel talks with Afghan [Digg]

    After fighting a bloody war in Afghanistan for more than eight years, the United States appears to have undertaken a re-think of its policy and has started engaging the Taliban in negotiations through Saudi and Pakistani intelligence agencies, highly-placed sources told Dawn here on Monday.

    20:08:41 +0000

    Belgian says he was alert but mute for 23 years [Digg]

    For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out.

    20:02:37 +0000

    U.S. talking to Taliban? - UPI.com [Digg]

    Washington officials reportedly held secret negotiations with top Taliban and other militant commanders from Afghanistan, sources say.

    19:59:21 +0000

    Whither the Public Option [Digg]

    The problem is, you give up on this and what do Democrats have to exclaim about doing for healthcare reform in 2010? Individual mandates? Making people buy crappy insurance from the same old insurers that will continue to find ways to exclude their claims and jack up their premiums?

    19:38:01 +0000

    The Associated Press: Lawmaker defends RI Rep Kennedy in Com [Digg]

    "We don't legislate at the orders of the Vatican, we legislate what is in our conscience and what we think is good for our country," said Rep. Patrick Murphy, a Democrat and Catholic who, like Kennedy, supports abortion rights. Murphy spoke at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., where he received a John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award from the la

    19:29:09 +0000

    How we became a night unto the nations [Digg]

    From a light unto the nations, Israel has become a maligned and ostracized nation. The UN Security Council doesn't condemn Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for announcing his intention to destroy Israel, but Israel, which has been fighting for its life for six decades, has become the most denounced and criticized country on the face of the glo

    19:17:46 +0000

    Daily Kos: State of the Nation [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Daily Kos: State of the Nation - http://www.dailykos.com/storyon...
    I read this differently from "mcjoan." According to the quoted text, independents oppose a public option and Democrats want a health care plan. That part is easy. Here's the crucial text: "Democrats get 86% with their own party on the generic ballot if a bill with a public option passes. They get 84% before health care is even mentioned. They get just 75% without a health care bill." In that mangled text, it looks like they get a 2 percent bump from a public option over any health care plan at all. The trouble with interpreting percentages however is that there is a different aggregate number of independents from the aggregate number of Democrats. "Mcjoan's" interpretation requires that 2 percent of Democrats who actually vote be a larger number than the 12% of the independents who actually vote. - David Benfell

    15:44:02 +0000

    Obama says boosting jobs is a top priority | Reuters [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Obama says boosting jobs is a top priority | Reuters - http://www.reuters.com/article...
    The operative part of this is: "The White House said separately that all 'sensible and reasonable measures' would be considered to encourage employment, but also stressed that it must be balanced with the need for the United States to tackle record budget deficits." Obama has made lots of promises that he hasn't kept. Will this one about boosting employment be another? - David Benfell

    10:38:26 +0000

    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009 [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009 - http://money.cnn.com/2009...
    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009
    What I'm not seeing here is an explanation for why the Federal Reserve must be "independent." That seems to be an assumption, so taken for granted, that it goes unquestioned. - David Benfell

    09:30:28 +0000

    America's broken politics | Jeffrey Sachs | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    America's broken politics | Jeffrey Sachs | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk - http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment...
    He claims "the [U.S.] budget deficit stands at a peacetime record of about 10% of GNP, much higher than in other high-income countries," but later acknowledges that the U.S. is engaged in two wars. - David Benfell

    01:09:19 +0000

    Sunday, 22 November 2009

    23:05:08 +0000

    Payback Time - Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government - Series - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Payback Time - Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government - Series - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    This article appears to directly contradict Paul Krugman. - David Benfell

    22:57:02 +0000

    Op-Ed Columnist - The Phantom Menace - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Columnist - The Phantom Menace - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    Paul Krugman here tackles the fear that high deficits may undermine the United States' ability to borrow. He simply doesn't believe it. But I notice that Barack Obama's rhetoric about this became most pointed on his trip to China, the U.S.' largest creditor. So while we all know the geniuses on Wall Street deserve to be thrown out on to the streets, I'm wondering what China has been saying. - David Benfell

    20:01:35 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Church [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Church - http://benfell.livejournal.com/258651...

    11:31:24 +0000

    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' - http://thinkprogress.org/2009...
    The full psalm can be read at http://www.bartleby.com/108... -- the question I have to raise about this is whether the invocation of one verse in the psalm invokes the entire psalm. Amanda Terkel here seems to treat it as if it does--and I think that's a stretch. - David Benfell

    11:11:51 +0000

    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/glogin...
    Someone on one of my feeds has disputed the meaning of "strict ethical vegan" as used here to mean avoiding all animal products. There's controversy in particular about both honey (a product of bees) and sugar (the final stage of refining may entail bone char) and in all cases, we draw lines somewhere. At what point is an animal low enough that it is okay (yeast is acceptable to nearly all vegans) or that we don't fuss over it (bugs on the windshield and in the radiator)? At what point do we stop calling something an "animal product" (fruits are fertilized by "enslaved" bees). - David Benfell

    Saturday, 21 November 2009

    23:44:29 +0000

    Survey Shows Hard Times Before Recession - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Survey Shows Hard Times Before Recession - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    What this shows is that we don't even know what an economic recovery is. We've been lying about the state of our economy for so long that we no longer even know how to tell the truth. - David Benfell

    23:15:52 +0000

    Informed Comment: Polk: Let America be America, and Depart Afghanistan [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Informed Comment: Polk: Let America be America, and Depart Afghanistan - http://www.juancole.com/2009...
    There is one factor that Polk does not address here and that "America," the United States is an imperialist country from before its independence. I have said before that we have never gotten over the British Parliament telling us in 1763 that we couldn't expand westward over the Appalachians. And we have been in expansionist overdrive ever since. To stop now is inconceivable. That doesn't make Polk wrong; on the contrary, I completely agree with him. But I am also convinced that Obama cannot do the right or even a sensible thing. - David Benfell

    Wednesday, 18 November 2009

    23:48:38 +0000

    Obama to have forum on job creation [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Obama to have forum on job creation - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin...
    Strange how Obama's "limits to what government can and should do even during such difficult times" didn't apply to bankers. - David Benfell

    Feeds

    FeedRSSLast fetchedNext fetched after
    digg / n4rky / history XML 06:00:08 +0000, Tuesday, 24 November 2009 06:30:08 +0000, Tuesday, 24 November 2009
    FriendFeed - davidbenfell XML 06:00:08 +0000, Tuesday, 24 November 2009 06:30:08 +0000, Tuesday, 24 November 2009

    Generated by rawdog version 2.12 by Adam Sampson.

    Add to Memories
    Tell a Friend

    Some of the articles I've been reading....

    Monday, 23 November 2009

    23:06:05 +0000

    The Monkey Cage: Who Wants to Audit the Fed? [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    The Monkey Cage: Who Wants to Audit the Fed? - http://www.themonkeycage.org/2009...
    This seems to confirm that liberals in the Democratic Party are beholden to financial interests. Still no one has explained to me why the Federal Reserve must be independent. - David Benfell

    23:00:17 +0000

    Afghanistan decision to come within days, White House says - CNN.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Afghanistan decision to come within days, White House says - CNN.com - http://edition.cnn.com/2009...
    This doesn't look like it allows time for negotiations with the Taliban (as reported by DAWN) to continue following Eid. - David Benfell

    22:56:06 +0000

    Can populism be liberal? [Digg]

    Could a new wave of populist independents be steered into the Democratic Party? Alas, that seems unlikely, if Democrats are viewed as the compromised, establishmentarian governing party. Moreover, the Republican Party benefited from the last two populist upheavals.

    22:37:38 +0000

    Blackwater's Secret War in Pakistan [Digg]

    Inside sources reveal that the firm works with the US military in Karachi to plan targeted assassinations and drone bombings, among other sensitive counterterrorism operations.

    22:17:34 +0000

    In the trenches on climate change, hostility among foes - washingtonpost.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    In the trenches on climate change, hostility among foes - washingtonpost.com - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...
    So of course its the Libertarians as climate change deniers. That's nothing new; they've been doing it forever. But it takes some kind of hypocrisy for someone from the Cato Institute--which churns out non-peer reviewed paper after non-peer reviewed paper, each of which is taken as gospel by capitalist Libertarians--to in any way participate in a peer review process. - David Benfell

    22:12:21 +0000

    Obama ready to offer target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions | Environment | The Observer [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Obama ready to offer target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions | Environment | The Observer - http://www.guardian.co.uk/environ...
    Why is it that Congress, controlled by Democrats, is such a huge problem for Barack Obama, a Democrat, when it was not at all a problem for George W. Bush, a Republican? - David Benfell

    22:10:15 +0000

    Obama ready to offer target for cutting greenhouse gas emiss [Digg]

    US set to propose cuts to save Copenhagen deal

    22:07:25 +0000

    Opinion: Obama Has Failed the World on Climate Change [Digg]

    US President Barack Obama came to office promising hope and change. But on climate change, he has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor George W. Bush. Now, should the climate summit in Copenhagen fail, the blame will lie squarely with Obama.

    22:03:21 +0000

    Lowest form of life could save planet - Environment - The In [Digg]

    The lowest form of pond life may turn into the saviour of Earth after scientists discovered that microscopic algae can be made to produce copious amounts of hydrogen, one of the cleanest and most renewable forms of energy.

    21:22:22 +0000

    DAWN.COM | Front Page | US in back-channel talks with Afghan [Digg]

    After fighting a bloody war in Afghanistan for more than eight years, the United States appears to have undertaken a re-think of its policy and has started engaging the Taliban in negotiations through Saudi and Pakistani intelligence agencies, highly-placed sources told Dawn here on Monday.

    20:08:41 +0000

    Belgian says he was alert but mute for 23 years [Digg]

    For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out.

    20:02:37 +0000

    U.S. talking to Taliban? - UPI.com [Digg]

    Washington officials reportedly held secret negotiations with top Taliban and other militant commanders from Afghanistan, sources say.

    19:59:21 +0000

    Whither the Public Option [Digg]

    The problem is, you give up on this and what do Democrats have to exclaim about doing for healthcare reform in 2010? Individual mandates? Making people buy crappy insurance from the same old insurers that will continue to find ways to exclude their claims and jack up their premiums?

    19:38:01 +0000

    The Associated Press: Lawmaker defends RI Rep Kennedy in Com [Digg]

    "We don't legislate at the orders of the Vatican, we legislate what is in our conscience and what we think is good for our country," said Rep. Patrick Murphy, a Democrat and Catholic who, like Kennedy, supports abortion rights. Murphy spoke at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., where he received a John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award from the la

    19:29:09 +0000

    How we became a night unto the nations [Digg]

    From a light unto the nations, Israel has become a maligned and ostracized nation. The UN Security Council doesn't condemn Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for announcing his intention to destroy Israel, but Israel, which has been fighting for its life for six decades, has become the most denounced and criticized country on the face of the glo

    19:17:46 +0000

    Daily Kos: State of the Nation [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Daily Kos: State of the Nation - http://www.dailykos.com/storyon...
    I read this differently from "mcjoan." According to the quoted text, independents oppose a public option and Democrats want a health care plan. That part is easy. Here's the crucial text: "Democrats get 86% with their own party on the generic ballot if a bill with a public option passes. They get 84% before health care is even mentioned. They get just 75% without a health care bill." In that mangled text, it looks like they get a 2 percent bump from a public option over any health care plan at all. The trouble with interpreting percentages however is that there is a different aggregate number of independents from the aggregate number of Democrats. "Mcjoan's" interpretation requires that 2 percent of Democrats who actually vote be a larger number than the 12% of the independents who actually vote. - David Benfell

    15:49:20 +0000

    Ex-CNN anchor Lou Dobbs is considering running for president [Digg]

    Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs has never been elected to any government office, but he said Monday he's considering a run for the White House in 2012.

    15:44:02 +0000

    Obama says boosting jobs is a top priority | Reuters [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Obama says boosting jobs is a top priority | Reuters - http://www.reuters.com/article...
    The operative part of this is: "The White House said separately that all 'sensible and reasonable measures' would be considered to encourage employment, but also stressed that it must be balanced with the need for the United States to tackle record budget deficits." Obama has made lots of promises that he hasn't kept. Will this one about boosting employment be another? - David Benfell

    13:09:41 +0000

    Cheap 3D Solar Cells Are 6x More Efficient, Work Underground [Digg]

    Scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology have created the world's first 3-D photovoltaic solar system that actually works underground.

    10:38:26 +0000

    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009 [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009 - http://money.cnn.com/2009...
    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009
    What I'm not seeing here is an explanation for why the Federal Reserve must be "independent." That seems to be an assumption, so taken for granted, that it goes unquestioned. - David Benfell

    09:30:28 +0000

    America's broken politics | Jeffrey Sachs | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    America's broken politics | Jeffrey Sachs | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk - http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment...
    He claims "the [U.S.] budget deficit stands at a peacetime record of about 10% of GNP, much higher than in other high-income countries," but later acknowledges that the U.S. is engaged in two wars. - David Benfell

    01:09:19 +0000

    Sunday, 22 November 2009

    23:05:08 +0000

    Payback Time - Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government - Series - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Payback Time - Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government - Series - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    This article appears to directly contradict Paul Krugman. - David Benfell

    22:57:02 +0000

    Op-Ed Columnist - The Phantom Menace - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Columnist - The Phantom Menace - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    Paul Krugman here tackles the fear that high deficits may undermine the United States' ability to borrow. He simply doesn't believe it. But I notice that Barack Obama's rhetoric about this became most pointed on his trip to China, the U.S.' largest creditor. So while we all know the geniuses on Wall Street deserve to be thrown out on to the streets, I'm wondering what China has been saying. - David Benfell

    20:01:35 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Church [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Church - http://benfell.livejournal.com/258651...

    11:31:24 +0000

    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' - http://thinkprogress.org/2009...
    The full psalm can be read at http://www.bartleby.com/108... -- the question I have to raise about this is whether the invocation of one verse in the psalm invokes the entire psalm. Amanda Terkel here seems to treat it as if it does--and I think that's a stretch. - David Benfell

    11:11:51 +0000

    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/glogin...
    Someone on one of my feeds has disputed the meaning of "strict ethical vegan" as used here to mean avoiding all animal products. There's controversy in particular about both honey (a product of bees) and sugar (the final stage of refining may entail bone char) and in all cases, we draw lines somewhere. At what point is an animal low enough that it is okay (yeast is acceptable to nearly all vegans) or that we don't fuss over it (bugs on the windshield and in the radiator)? At what point do we stop calling something an "animal product" (fruits are fertilized by "enslaved" bees). - David Benfell

    Saturday, 21 November 2009

    23:44:29 +0000

    Survey Shows Hard Times Before Recession - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Survey Shows Hard Times Before Recession - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    What this shows is that we don't even know what an economic recovery is. We've been lying about the state of our economy for so long that we no longer even know how to tell the truth. - David Benfell

    23:15:52 +0000

    Informed Comment: Polk: Let America be America, and Depart Afghanistan [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Informed Comment: Polk: Let America be America, and Depart Afghanistan - http://www.juancole.com/2009...
    There is one factor that Polk does not address here and that "America," the United States is an imperialist country from before its independence. I have said before that we have never gotten over the British Parliament telling us in 1763 that we couldn't expand westward over the Appalachians. And we have been in expansionist overdrive ever since. To stop now is inconceivable. That doesn't make Polk wrong; on the contrary, I completely agree with him. But I am also convinced that Obama cannot do the right or even a sensible thing. - David Benfell

    Wednesday, 18 November 2009

    23:48:38 +0000

    Obama to have forum on job creation [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Obama to have forum on job creation - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin...
    Strange how Obama's "limits to what government can and should do even during such difficult times" didn't apply to bankers. - David Benfell

    13:26:35 +0000

    Robert Reich's Blog: The Great Disconnect Between Stocks and Jobs [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Robert Reich's Blog: The Great Disconnect Between Stocks and Jobs - http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2009...
    Robert Reich seems a little unclear when he talks about companies having easy access to credit which they use to export jobs. He means big corporations--like Caterpillar, which he uses as an example--not small businesses whose access to credit has been severely reduced. - David Benfell

    Feeds

    FeedRSSLast fetchedNext fetched after
    digg / n4rky / history XML 00:00:08 +0000, Tuesday, 24 November 2009 00:30:08 +0000, Tuesday, 24 November 2009
    FriendFeed - davidbenfell XML 00:00:08 +0000, Tuesday, 24 November 2009 00:30:08 +0000, Tuesday, 24 November 2009

    Generated by rawdog version 2.12 by Adam Sampson.

    Add to Memories
    Tell a Friend

    Some of the articles I've been reading....

    Monday, 23 November 2009

    15:49:20 +0000

    Ex-CNN anchor Lou Dobbs is considering running for president [Digg]

    Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs has never been elected to any government office, but he said Monday he's considering a run for the White House in 2012.

    15:44:02 +0000

    Obama says boosting jobs is a top priority | Reuters [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Obama says boosting jobs is a top priority | Reuters - http://www.reuters.com/article...
    The operative part of this is: "The White House said separately that all 'sensible and reasonable measures' would be considered to encourage employment, but also stressed that it must be balanced with the need for the United States to tackle record budget deficits." Obama has made lots of promises that he hasn't kept. Will this one about boosting employment be another? - David Benfell

    13:09:41 +0000

    Cheap 3D Solar Cells Are 6x More Efficient, Work Underground [Digg]

    Scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology have created the world's first 3-D photovoltaic solar system that actually works underground.

    11:43:06 +0000

    The Public Option Dead End | Talking Points Memo [Digg]

    While the range of abortion related amendments remains a major hurdle for a health care reform bill getting to President Obama's desk, it is clear, as it has been for some time, that the real fight hangs on the Public...What gets less discussion is how circumscribed the public option (in current House and Senate versions) has become...

    10:55:09 +0000

    Paul Krugman: Deficit hysteria [Digg]

    Isn't there something weird about a conventional wisdom that's at odds with market prices?

    10:38:26 +0000

    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009 [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009 - http://money.cnn.com/2009...
    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009
    What I'm not seeing here is an explanation for why the Federal Reserve must be "independent." That seems to be an assumption, so taken for granted, that it goes unquestioned. - David Benfell

    09:47:18 +0000

    Will News Corp move its content to Microsoft's Bing? | Media [Digg]

    Online publishers would likely demand top dollar. Asked about the possibility last week, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch said he wasn't convinced even Microsoft could afford it. "If they were to pay everybody for everything they took, from every newspaper in the world and every magazine they wouldn't have any profits left," he said.

    09:38:26 +0000

    Iraq inquiry will not decide if war was legal or illegal | A [Digg]

    Andrew Sparrow: Sir John Chilcot says he will be asking: was this a wise decision, was it well-taken, was it founded on good advice?

    09:30:28 +0000

    America's broken politics | Jeffrey Sachs | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    America's broken politics | Jeffrey Sachs | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk - http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment...
    He claims "the [U.S.] budget deficit stands at a peacetime record of about 10% of GNP, much higher than in other high-income countries," but later acknowledges that the U.S. is engaged in two wars. - David Benfell

    01:09:19 +0000

    Sunday, 22 November 2009

    23:05:08 +0000

    Payback Time - Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government - Series - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Payback Time - Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government - Series - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    This article appears to directly contradict Paul Krugman. - David Benfell

    22:57:02 +0000

    Op-Ed Columnist - The Phantom Menace - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Columnist - The Phantom Menace - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    Paul Krugman here tackles the fear that high deficits may undermine the United States' ability to borrow. He simply doesn't believe it. But I notice that Barack Obama's rhetoric about this became most pointed on his trip to China, the U.S.' largest creditor. So while we all know the geniuses on Wall Street deserve to be thrown out on to the streets, I'm wondering what China has been saying. - David Benfell

    20:01:35 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Church [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Church - http://benfell.livejournal.com/258651...

    11:31:24 +0000

    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' - http://thinkprogress.org/2009...
    The full psalm can be read at http://www.bartleby.com/108... -- the question I have to raise about this is whether the invocation of one verse in the psalm invokes the entire psalm. Amanda Terkel here seems to treat it as if it does--and I think that's a stretch. - David Benfell

    11:11:51 +0000

    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/glogin...
    Someone on one of my feeds has disputed the meaning of "strict ethical vegan" as used here to mean avoiding all animal products. There's controversy in particular about both honey (a product of bees) and sugar (the final stage of refining may entail bone char) and in all cases, we draw lines somewhere. At what point is an animal low enough that it is okay (yeast is acceptable to nearly all vegans) or that we don't fuss over it (bugs on the windshield and in the radiator)? At what point do we stop calling something an "animal product" (fruits are fertilized by "enslaved" bees). - David Benfell

    Wednesday, 18 November 2009

    13:26:35 +0000

    Robert Reich's Blog: The Great Disconnect Between Stocks and Jobs [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Robert Reich's Blog: The Great Disconnect Between Stocks and Jobs - http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2009...
    Robert Reich seems a little unclear when he talks about companies having easy access to credit which they use to export jobs. He means big corporations--like Caterpillar, which he uses as an example--not small businesses whose access to credit has been severely reduced. - David Benfell

    11:49:23 +0000

    Obama: Too much debt could fuel double-dip recession | Reuters [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Obama: Too much debt could fuel double-dip recession | Reuters - http://www.reuters.com/article...
    Never mind that a "trickle down" economic approach has never, not once, ever worked. Never mind how many times it has been tried and failed. Obama says, "Our first job was to get the economy to recover." But contrary to what he claims, we aren't seeing that unless you're a Wall Street banker blowing up another bubble. He wants to promote exports, but at the same time promote "free trade." But "free trade" is why we have to import so much and have so little to export. He says "his administration faces a delicate balance of trying to boost the economy and spur job creation while putting the economy on a path toward long-term deficit reduction." Some balance would be nice. But no, Obama wants to talk about job creation while he rushes to help the rich grow richer. - David Benfell

    10:55:36 +0000

    Not mentioning names, Novato cracks down on meeting etiquette - Marin Independent Journal [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Not mentioning names, Novato cracks down on meeting etiquette - Marin Independent Journal - http://www.marinij.com/marinne...
    Instead of confronting the causes of a woman's behavior, the Novato City Council, the people in authority, here debate new rules of conduct, targeted--without naming names--at her. The inference is that she is a crackpot and therefore she is a waste of time and therefore the City Council need not concern themselves with her grievances. There is no mention here of how putatively responsible citizens conduct themselves in City Council meetings, so this article reduces the public to the archetype of a crackpot old woman with flowers in her hair. This reaffirms a perceived need for an elite to govern the masses who are presumptively unfit to govern themselves. - David Benfell

    Feeds

    FeedRSSLast fetchedNext fetched after
    digg / n4rky / history XML 18:00:12 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009 18:30:12 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009
    FriendFeed - davidbenfell XML 18:00:12 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009 18:30:12 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009

    Generated by rawdog version 2.12 by Adam Sampson.

    Add to Memories
    Tell a Friend

    Some of the articles I've been reading....

    Monday, 23 November 2009

    11:43:06 +0000

    The Public Option Dead End | Talking Points Memo [Digg]

    While the range of abortion related amendments remains a major hurdle for a health care reform bill getting to President Obama's desk, it is clear, as it has been for some time, that the real fight hangs on the Public...What gets less discussion is how circumscribed the public option (in current House and Senate versions) has become...

    10:55:09 +0000

    Paul Krugman: Deficit hysteria [Digg]

    Isn't there something weird about a conventional wisdom that's at odds with market prices?

    10:38:26 +0000

    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009 [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009 - http://money.cnn.com/2009...
    Fed rage boils over ahead of Bernanke's confirmation hearing - Nov. 23, 2009
    What I'm not seeing here is an explanation for why the Federal Reserve must be "independent." That seems to be an assumption, so taken for granted, that it goes unquestioned. - David Benfell

    09:47:18 +0000

    Will News Corp move its content to Microsoft's Bing? | Media [Digg]

    Online publishers would likely demand top dollar. Asked about the possibility last week, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch said he wasn't convinced even Microsoft could afford it. "If they were to pay everybody for everything they took, from every newspaper in the world and every magazine they wouldn't have any profits left," he said.

    09:38:26 +0000

    Iraq inquiry will not decide if war was legal or illegal | A [Digg]

    Andrew Sparrow: Sir John Chilcot says he will be asking: was this a wise decision, was it well-taken, was it founded on good advice?

    09:30:28 +0000

    America's broken politics | Jeffrey Sachs | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    America's broken politics | Jeffrey Sachs | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk - http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment...
    He claims "the [U.S.] budget deficit stands at a peacetime record of about 10% of GNP, much higher than in other high-income countries," but later acknowledges that the U.S. is engaged in two wars. - David Benfell

    01:10:09 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - Survival of the suboptimal [Digg]

    This is a time when a lot comes together. And the United States simply cannot continue as it has. And yet it appears set to do so--or at least to try.

    01:09:19 +0000

    Sunday, 22 November 2009

    23:05:08 +0000

    Payback Time - Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government - Series - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Payback Time - Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government - Series - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    This article appears to directly contradict Paul Krugman. - David Benfell

    22:57:02 +0000

    Op-Ed Columnist - The Phantom Menace - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Columnist - The Phantom Menace - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    Paul Krugman here tackles the fear that high deficits may undermine the United States' ability to borrow. He simply doesn't believe it. But I notice that Barack Obama's rhetoric about this became most pointed on his trip to China, the U.S.' largest creditor. So while we all know the geniuses on Wall Street deserve to be thrown out on to the streets, I'm wondering what China has been saying. - David Benfell

    20:01:35 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Church [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Church - http://benfell.livejournal.com/258651...

    11:31:24 +0000

    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' - http://thinkprogress.org/2009...
    The full psalm can be read at http://www.bartleby.com/108... -- the question I have to raise about this is whether the invocation of one verse in the psalm invokes the entire psalm. Amanda Terkel here seems to treat it as if it does--and I think that's a stretch. - David Benfell

    11:11:51 +0000

    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/glogin...
    Someone on one of my feeds has disputed the meaning of "strict ethical vegan" as used here to mean avoiding all animal products. There's controversy in particular about both honey (a product of bees) and sugar (the final stage of refining may entail bone char) and in all cases, we draw lines somewhere. At what point is an animal low enough that it is okay (yeast is acceptable to nearly all vegans) or that we don't fuss over it (bugs on the windshield and in the radiator)? At what point do we stop calling something an "animal product" (fruits are fertilized by "enslaved" bees). - David Benfell

    Wednesday, 18 November 2009

    11:49:23 +0000

    Obama: Too much debt could fuel double-dip recession | Reuters [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Obama: Too much debt could fuel double-dip recession | Reuters - http://www.reuters.com/article...
    Never mind that a "trickle down" economic approach has never, not once, ever worked. Never mind how many times it has been tried and failed. Obama says, "Our first job was to get the economy to recover." But contrary to what he claims, we aren't seeing that unless you're a Wall Street banker blowing up another bubble. He wants to promote exports, but at the same time promote "free trade." But "free trade" is why we have to import so much and have so little to export. He says "his administration faces a delicate balance of trying to boost the economy and spur job creation while putting the economy on a path toward long-term deficit reduction." Some balance would be nice. But no, Obama wants to talk about job creation while he rushes to help the rich grow richer. - David Benfell

    10:55:36 +0000

    Not mentioning names, Novato cracks down on meeting etiquette - Marin Independent Journal [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Not mentioning names, Novato cracks down on meeting etiquette - Marin Independent Journal - http://www.marinij.com/marinne...
    Instead of confronting the causes of a woman's behavior, the Novato City Council, the people in authority, here debate new rules of conduct, targeted--without naming names--at her. The inference is that she is a crackpot and therefore she is a waste of time and therefore the City Council need not concern themselves with her grievances. There is no mention here of how putatively responsible citizens conduct themselves in City Council meetings, so this article reduces the public to the archetype of a crackpot old woman with flowers in her hair. This reaffirms a perceived need for an elite to govern the masses who are presumptively unfit to govern themselves. - David Benfell

    Feeds

    FeedRSSLast fetchedNext fetched after
    digg / n4rky / history XML 12:00:08 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009 12:30:08 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009
    FriendFeed - davidbenfell XML 12:00:08 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009 12:30:08 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009

    Generated by rawdog version 2.12 by Adam Sampson.

    Add to Memories
    Tell a Friend

    This is a time when a lot comes together. And the United States simply cannot continue as it has. And yet it appears set to do so--or at least to try.

    We have an apparent conflict between a dire need for additional stimulus to employ people and a diminishing ability to borrow the money cheaply for that stimulus. (UPDATE: Paul Krugman continues to dispute the latter but none of this even mentions what the Chinese may have told President Obama--and he was about to leave on a trip to, among other places, China, when he first appeared to cave to the deficit hawks.) I call it an apparent conflict because these two priorities are typically set against each other. We can either increase stimulus or we can reduce debt, but we can't do both.

    But the fact is that we cannot sustain our present military power. Our war in Afghanistan is deeply misguided. We have a ridiculous number of military bases around the world and are adding more in the Persian Gulf. We spend ridiculous amounts of money on the military.

    And while President Obama drags out a decision almost certain to increase our involvement in Afghanistan, people are losing their homes, former vice presidential candidate and political bimbo of the decade Sarah Palin is looking like a presidential contender in 2012 in part because the White House has been far too cozy with the banks and far too slow to address unemployment, big corporations continue to export jobs and cut payrolls, and we apparently can't even pass a decent health care plan that would put U.S. residents on par with the rest of the developed world.

    It's all rather suboptimal, according to Thomas Friedman, who worries that "a great power that can only produce suboptimal responses to its biggest challenges will, in time, fade from being a great power."

    I think it's worse than that. Howard Zinn, in A People's History of the United States, points out that the U.S. has never really handled problems of class well, that the elite have consistently grudgingly conceded just enough to just enough people to avoid or contain insurrections. They don't seem to be figuring this out this time. And the people who most believed in the mythology of the U.S. are the ones feeling most betrayed. The Republicans, always more hawkish than Democrats, and under whom budget deficits have skyrocketed while workers got progressively worse deals, are the ones best exploiting the rage. As one mother waiting with her children to see Palin put it, "This hope and change, hope and change, what hope? And if this is change, God help us." And Republicans don't even seem to be seeking election.

    I don't know how this is going to play out. Survival instincts should dictate a new course. I don't see any sign that that's on tap.

    Add to Memories
    Tell a Friend

    Some of the articles I've been reading....

    Monday, 23 November 2009

    01:10:09 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - Survival of the suboptimal [Digg]

    This is a time when a lot comes together. And the United States simply cannot continue as it has. And yet it appears set to do so--or at least to try.

    01:09:19 +0000

    Sunday, 22 November 2009

    23:05:08 +0000

    Payback Time - Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government - Series - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Payback Time - Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government - Series - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    This article appears to directly contradict Paul Krugman. - David Benfell

    22:57:02 +0000

    Op-Ed Columnist - The Phantom Menace - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Columnist - The Phantom Menace - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    Paul Krugman here tackles the fear that high deficits may undermine the United States' ability to borrow. He simply doesn't believe it. But I notice that Barack Obama's rhetoric about this became most pointed on his trip to China, the U.S.' largest creditor. So while we all know the geniuses on Wall Street deserve to be thrown out on to the streets, I'm wondering what China has been saying. - David Benfell

    22:48:45 +0000

    BART officer, passenger injured in scuffle caught on video [Digg]

    An Oakland, California-area transit police officer was captured on video forcing the head of an unruly man into a heavy-duty glass window, which shattered, during an arrest at a passenger station, authorities said.

    22:45:57 +0000

    Al Jazeera English - CENTRAL/S. ASIA - Cambodian's reunion w [Digg]

    Khmer Rouge survivor tells of reunion with his childhood companion, an elephant.

    22:35:44 +0000

    BBC News - Russia 'is now a criminal state', says Bill Browd [Digg]

    Russia has turned into a "criminal state", according to the man who was once its leading foreign investor.

    22:35:28 +0000

    Antarctic ice loss vaster, faster than thought: study - Envi [Digg]

    The East Antarctic icesheet, once seen as largely unaffected by global warming, has lost billions of tonnes of ice since 2006 and could boost sea levels in the future, according to a new study.

    22:27:47 +0000

    Leading reformer who called election a 'swindle' jailed for [Digg]

    Mohammad Ali Abtahi, who "confessed” to his alleged crimes at a trial widely denounced as a charade, is the most senior of hundreds of dissidents who have been locked up over the past five months.

    22:26:02 +0000

    PostPartisan - Obama's Asian misstep [Digg]

    There's been a lot of misguided criticism of President Obama's trip to Asia. You're upset that he bowed to the emperor of Japan? Get over it. Obama was being respectful -- which was in keeping with the tone of...

    20:02:53 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Chu [Digg]

    The Catholic and Mormon churches are both extremely hierarchical, repressive churches. For them, women are inferior, sex is bad, homosexual sex is even worse, and abortion is murder. And that's all okay with the IRS, which not only uses your tax dollars to collect more of your tax dollars, but apparently uses them to not collect from organizations

    20:01:35 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Church [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Church - http://benfell.livejournal.com/258651...

    18:43:46 +0000

    Tomgram: Nick Turse, Out of Iraq, Into the Gulf | TomDispatc [Digg]

    Consider, then, what we can at present know now about this Pentagon build-up, country by country from Qatar to Jordan, and while you're reading, think about what we don't know -- and why Washington has chosen this path.

    11:31:24 +0000

    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' - http://thinkprogress.org/2009...
    The full psalm can be read at http://www.bartleby.com/108... -- the question I have to raise about this is whether the invocation of one verse in the psalm invokes the entire psalm. Amanda Terkel here seems to treat it as if it does--and I think that's a stretch. - David Benfell

    11:11:51 +0000

    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/glogin...
    Someone on one of my feeds has disputed the meaning of "strict ethical vegan" as used here to mean avoiding all animal products. There's controversy in particular about both honey (a product of bees) and sugar (the final stage of refining may entail bone char) and in all cases, we draw lines somewhere. At what point is an animal low enough that it is okay (yeast is acceptable to nearly all vegans) or that we don't fuss over it (bugs on the windshield and in the radiator)? At what point do we stop calling something an "animal product" (fruits are fertilized by "enslaved" bees). - David Benfell

    Saturday, 21 November 2009

    23:44:29 +0000

    Survey Shows Hard Times Before Recession - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Survey Shows Hard Times Before Recession - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    What this shows is that we don't even know what an economic recovery is. We've been lying about the state of our economy for so long that we no longer even know how to tell the truth. - David Benfell

    23:15:52 +0000

    Informed Comment: Polk: Let America be America, and Depart Afghanistan [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Informed Comment: Polk: Let America be America, and Depart Afghanistan - http://www.juancole.com/2009...
    There is one factor that Polk does not address here and that "America," the United States is an imperialist country from before its independence. I have said before that we have never gotten over the British Parliament telling us in 1763 that we couldn't expand westward over the Appalachians. And we have been in expansionist overdrive ever since. To stop now is inconceivable. That doesn't make Polk wrong; on the contrary, I completely agree with him. But I am also convinced that Obama cannot do the right or even a sensible thing. - David Benfell

    22:55:51 +0000

    Enthusiasm for Palin, and Echoes of 2008 Divide - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Enthusiasm for Palin, and Echoes of 2008 Divide - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    "The places she visited were also ones where unemployment runs high, and many in the crowds that have turned out to see Ms. Palin said they had lost jobs, knew someone who had, or were working two or three jobs as they looked for one good one. "'There's a lot of talkers out there, that's what we're seeing now,' said LeAnn Knudsen, 41, who had waited since 5 a.m. with her daughter, 10. 'This hope and change, hope and change, what hope? And if this is change, God help us.'" - David Benfell

    18:50:26 +0000

    Rule-of-law extremism engulfs primitive Eastern Europe [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Rule-of-law extremism engulfs primitive Eastern Europe - http://www.salon.com/news...
    Glenn Greenwald indulges in satire that's just a little too subtle. - David Benfell

    18:40:26 +0000

    Berlin wants no part in potential 9/11 execution | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 21.11.2009 [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Berlin wants no part in potential 9/11 execution | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 21.11.2009 - http://www.dw-world.de/dw...
    And what will Germany do if the U.S. does use its evidence to convict and to sentence to death Khalid Sheikh Mohammed? - David Benfell

    18:09:58 +0000

    Westlands Irrigation District wields major clout in California water wars - Sacramento Bee [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Westlands Irrigation District wields major clout in California water wars - Sacramento Bee - http://www.sacbee.com/288...

    17:35:15 +0000

    Iraq vice president vetoes new election law -- latimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Iraq vice president vetoes new election law -- latimes.com - http://www.latimes.com/news...
    This arises due to the ethnic cleansing that passes for greater peace and stability in Iraq. A great many Iraqis have been displaced and it appears the law as passed was an attempt to cement the gains from ethnic cleansing by effectively disenfranchising the refugees. - David Benfell

    17:30:58 +0000

    City Insider : Gavin Newsom breaks his silence [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    City Insider : Gavin Newsom breaks his silence - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin...
    Newsom is losing it. Even if you never watch videos (because, like me, you don't have time), watch the one at the end of this article. I'm not an expert but this performance does raise questions about Newsom's mental stability; he appears to me to be evading questions in the way that a pathological liar or a drug addict would. - David Benfell

    15:44:58 +0000

    Students Continue to Protest California Tuition Increases - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Students Continue to Protest California Tuition Increases - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    We have created a system where the only way for most people to get a decent job is to get an education, and the only way for them to get that education is to go deep in debt, and the consequence of that debt is many years of indentured servitude. - David Benfell

    13:30:47 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - The difference between Democrats and Republicans [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    The Benfell Blog - The difference between Democrats and Republicans - http://benfell.livejournal.com/256815...

    Tuesday, 17 November 2009

    23:27:30 +0000

    US 'dismay' at Israel over Gilo plan | World news | The Guardian [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    US 'dismay' at Israel over Gilo plan | World news | The Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/world...
    US 'dismay' at Israel over Gilo plan | World news | The Guardian
    This story claims, "It is politically risky for Israel to snub Obama so publicly." Why? - David Benfell

    22:54:42 +0000

    Iran - Salon.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    So CNN is salivating over a bigger bomb. And Greenwald is right to criticize that. Contrary to what Greenwald seems to imply in his satire of the U.S. position, Iran has never attacked its neighbors. Israel's politicians, however, just don't feel manly unless they're using overwhelming force against Palestinian civilians. - David Benfell

    Feeds

    FeedRSSLast fetchedNext fetched after
    digg / n4rky / history XML 06:00:06 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009 06:30:06 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009
    FriendFeed - davidbenfell XML 06:00:06 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009 06:30:06 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009

    Generated by rawdog version 2.12 by Adam Sampson.

    Add to Memories
    Tell a Friend

    Some of the articles I've been reading....

    Sunday, 22 November 2009

    23:05:08 +0000

    Payback Time - Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government - Series - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Payback Time - Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government - Series - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    This article appears to directly contradict Paul Krugman. - David Benfell

    22:57:02 +0000

    Op-Ed Columnist - The Phantom Menace - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Columnist - The Phantom Menace - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    Paul Krugman here tackles the fear that high deficits may undermine the United States' ability to borrow. He simply doesn't believe it. But I notice that Barack Obama's rhetoric about this became most pointed on his trip to China, the U.S.' largest creditor. So while we all know the geniuses on Wall Street deserve to be thrown out on to the streets, I'm wondering what China has been saying. - David Benfell

    22:48:45 +0000

    BART officer, passenger injured in scuffle caught on video [Digg]

    An Oakland, California-area transit police officer was captured on video forcing the head of an unruly man into a heavy-duty glass window, which shattered, during an arrest at a passenger station, authorities said.

    22:45:57 +0000

    Al Jazeera English - CENTRAL/S. ASIA - Cambodian's reunion w [Digg]

    Khmer Rouge survivor tells of reunion with his childhood companion, an elephant.

    22:35:44 +0000

    BBC News - Russia 'is now a criminal state', says Bill Browd [Digg]

    Russia has turned into a "criminal state", according to the man who was once its leading foreign investor.

    22:35:28 +0000

    Antarctic ice loss vaster, faster than thought: study - Envi [Digg]

    The East Antarctic icesheet, once seen as largely unaffected by global warming, has lost billions of tonnes of ice since 2006 and could boost sea levels in the future, according to a new study.

    22:27:47 +0000

    Leading reformer who called election a 'swindle' jailed for [Digg]

    Mohammad Ali Abtahi, who "confessed” to his alleged crimes at a trial widely denounced as a charade, is the most senior of hundreds of dissidents who have been locked up over the past five months.

    22:26:02 +0000

    PostPartisan - Obama's Asian misstep [Digg]

    There's been a lot of misguided criticism of President Obama's trip to Asia. You're upset that he bowed to the emperor of Japan? Get over it. Obama was being respectful -- which was in keeping with the tone of...

    20:02:53 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Chu [Digg]

    The Catholic and Mormon churches are both extremely hierarchical, repressive churches. For them, women are inferior, sex is bad, homosexual sex is even worse, and abortion is murder. And that's all okay with the IRS, which not only uses your tax dollars to collect more of your tax dollars, but apparently uses them to not collect from organizations

    20:01:35 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Church [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    The Benfell Blog - Your tax dollars support the Catholic Church - http://benfell.livejournal.com/258651...

    18:43:46 +0000

    Tomgram: Nick Turse, Out of Iraq, Into the Gulf | TomDispatc [Digg]

    Consider, then, what we can at present know now about this Pentagon build-up, country by country from Qatar to Jordan, and while you're reading, think about what we don't know -- and why Washington has chosen this path.

    16:35:36 +0000

    DoD Buzz | U.S. Power Slipping, Analysts Warn [Digg]

    Two influential analysts told lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week that America's strategic position in the world is eroding. America is losing its technological edge and is in deep financial trouble, while purchasing power is shifting from the West to Asia. Those trends cannot be undone, they warned, so the U.S. must adapt and seek greater cooperat

    12:13:05 +0000

    Thanksgiving: Time to Consider Native Americans' Plight | Co [Digg]

    If the country is serious about the words Obama spoke during the White House Tribal Conference, where he stated he is "absolutely committed...that [American Indians] can be full partners in the American economy and...have an equal shot at pursuing the American dream," then federal investment will be necessary to finally turn the page on the history

    12:02:02 +0000

    In Cairo, Peres promises to stop settlement construction | M [Digg]

    Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told reporters that any construction by Israel on land beyond the 1967 borders would put a damper on "final-status negotiations" and further augment the stagnation of the peace process. He also warned Peres that Israel would anger all Muslims if it does not resolve Jerusalem's disputed status, emphasizing that the f

    11:31:24 +0000

    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' - http://thinkprogress.org/2009...
    The full psalm can be read at http://www.bartleby.com/108... -- the question I have to raise about this is whether the invocation of one verse in the psalm invokes the entire psalm. Amanda Terkel here seems to treat it as if it does--and I think that's a stretch. - David Benfell

    11:11:51 +0000

    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/glogin...
    Someone on one of my feeds has disputed the meaning of "strict ethical vegan" as used here to mean avoiding all animal products. There's controversy in particular about both honey (a product of bees) and sugar (the final stage of refining may entail bone char) and in all cases, we draw lines somewhere. At what point is an animal low enough that it is okay (yeast is acceptable to nearly all vegans) or that we don't fuss over it (bugs on the windshield and in the radiator)? At what point do we stop calling something an "animal product" (fruits are fertilized by "enslaved" bees). - David Benfell

    Saturday, 21 November 2009

    23:44:29 +0000

    Survey Shows Hard Times Before Recession - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Survey Shows Hard Times Before Recession - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    What this shows is that we don't even know what an economic recovery is. We've been lying about the state of our economy for so long that we no longer even know how to tell the truth. - David Benfell

    23:15:52 +0000

    Informed Comment: Polk: Let America be America, and Depart Afghanistan [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Informed Comment: Polk: Let America be America, and Depart Afghanistan - http://www.juancole.com/2009...
    There is one factor that Polk does not address here and that "America," the United States is an imperialist country from before its independence. I have said before that we have never gotten over the British Parliament telling us in 1763 that we couldn't expand westward over the Appalachians. And we have been in expansionist overdrive ever since. To stop now is inconceivable. That doesn't make Polk wrong; on the contrary, I completely agree with him. But I am also convinced that Obama cannot do the right or even a sensible thing. - David Benfell

    22:55:51 +0000

    Enthusiasm for Palin, and Echoes of 2008 Divide - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Enthusiasm for Palin, and Echoes of 2008 Divide - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    "The places she visited were also ones where unemployment runs high, and many in the crowds that have turned out to see Ms. Palin said they had lost jobs, knew someone who had, or were working two or three jobs as they looked for one good one. "'There's a lot of talkers out there, that's what we're seeing now,' said LeAnn Knudsen, 41, who had waited since 5 a.m. with her daughter, 10. 'This hope and change, hope and change, what hope? And if this is change, God help us.'" - David Benfell

    18:50:26 +0000

    Rule-of-law extremism engulfs primitive Eastern Europe [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Rule-of-law extremism engulfs primitive Eastern Europe - http://www.salon.com/news...
    Glenn Greenwald indulges in satire that's just a little too subtle. - David Benfell

    18:40:26 +0000

    Berlin wants no part in potential 9/11 execution | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 21.11.2009 [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Berlin wants no part in potential 9/11 execution | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 21.11.2009 - http://www.dw-world.de/dw...
    And what will Germany do if the U.S. does use its evidence to convict and to sentence to death Khalid Sheikh Mohammed? - David Benfell

    18:09:58 +0000

    Westlands Irrigation District wields major clout in California water wars - Sacramento Bee [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Westlands Irrigation District wields major clout in California water wars - Sacramento Bee - http://www.sacbee.com/288...

    17:35:15 +0000

    Iraq vice president vetoes new election law -- latimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Iraq vice president vetoes new election law -- latimes.com - http://www.latimes.com/news...
    This arises due to the ethnic cleansing that passes for greater peace and stability in Iraq. A great many Iraqis have been displaced and it appears the law as passed was an attempt to cement the gains from ethnic cleansing by effectively disenfranchising the refugees. - David Benfell

    17:30:58 +0000

    City Insider : Gavin Newsom breaks his silence [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    City Insider : Gavin Newsom breaks his silence - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin...
    Newsom is losing it. Even if you never watch videos (because, like me, you don't have time), watch the one at the end of this article. I'm not an expert but this performance does raise questions about Newsom's mental stability; he appears to me to be evading questions in the way that a pathological liar or a drug addict would. - David Benfell

    15:44:58 +0000

    Students Continue to Protest California Tuition Increases - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Students Continue to Protest California Tuition Increases - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    We have created a system where the only way for most people to get a decent job is to get an education, and the only way for them to get that education is to go deep in debt, and the consequence of that debt is many years of indentured servitude. - David Benfell

    13:30:47 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - The difference between Democrats and Republicans [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    The Benfell Blog - The difference between Democrats and Republicans - http://benfell.livejournal.com/256815...

    Tuesday, 17 November 2009

    23:27:30 +0000

    US 'dismay' at Israel over Gilo plan | World news | The Guardian [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    US 'dismay' at Israel over Gilo plan | World news | The Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/world...
    US 'dismay' at Israel over Gilo plan | World news | The Guardian
    This story claims, "It is politically risky for Israel to snub Obama so publicly." Why? - David Benfell

    22:54:42 +0000

    Iran - Salon.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    So CNN is salivating over a bigger bomb. And Greenwald is right to criticize that. Contrary to what Greenwald seems to imply in his satire of the U.S. position, Iran has never attacked its neighbors. Israel's politicians, however, just don't feel manly unless they're using overwhelming force against Palestinian civilians. - David Benfell

    Feeds

    FeedRSSLast fetchedNext fetched after
    digg / n4rky / history XML 00:00:07 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009 00:30:07 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009
    FriendFeed - davidbenfell XML 00:00:07 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009 00:30:07 +0000, Monday, 23 November 2009

    Generated by rawdog version 2.12 by Adam Sampson.

    Add to Memories
    Tell a Friend

    The controversy over Health Care Reform's impact on women's access to abortion heated up a notch today when Providence, Rhode Island, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin acknowledged Representative Patrick J. Kennedy's claim that the bishop had forbidden him from receiving communion "because of his advocacy of abortion rights." (CORRECTION: Tobin claims he asked but did not forbid Kennedy from receiving communion.) For all us non-Catholics, Thomas J. Reese, a Jesuit scholar at the Woodstock Theological Center in Washington, explained to the Providence Journal:

    that withholding Communion is not as grave a penalty as excommunication, which separates a Catholic from all the sacraments. If a bishop denies Communion to a Catholic, he or she 'is still a Catholic,' Father Reese said. Indeed, he said 'it would take a canon lawyer' to say whether a Catholic denied Communion in his own diocese would be free to receive Communion elsewhere.
    But I gather it's pretty grave.

    I now turn to a story in the St. Petersburg Times from 2004 at the First Baptist Church of College Hill, near Tampa, Florida. At the last minute, a political forum was moved from an historically black church to a public library. According to reporter David Karp, "That afternoon, the pastor had received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service asking about political activity at the church, a stop for many Democrats running for office."

    Now back to the story of Bishop Tobin and Representative Kennedy, where "in 2004, a large majority of bishops 'tried to persuade the minority not to . . . us[e] Communion as a weapon,' Father Reese said, but the conference could not come to a consensus view on the issue."

    So the Roman Catholic Church seeks to influence the political process and . . . the IRS does nothing. A black church hosts a "visit by then-gubernatorial candidate Janet Reno" and, two years later, gets a letter from the IRS. This in the midst of a presidential campaign:

    The Bush campaign has courted evangelical Christians, including asking for church mailing lists in some states. Democrat John Kerry has campaigned at black churches and invoked his faith in speeches. In July, Kerry's running mate stumped at a black church in Orlando.

    IRS Publication 1828, page 7, states in no uncertain terms:

    I suppose it is possible to quibble over the meaning of "substantial" in the part about "not devot[ing] a substantial part of their activities to attempting to influence legislation." But Representative Kennedy is a Congressman. And "[bishops' conference] spokeswoman [Deirdre] McQuade said the bishops conference could not give a count of how many times bishops have actually denied Communion to government officials." It apparently doesn't happen very often, but

    For Catholics, the debate could scarcely be more visceral. The church holds that abortion is a taking of human life that is intrinsically evil. Exclusion from the Holy Eucharist -- bread that the faithful believe to have been transformed into the body of Christ -- is a rare and serious penalty to impose on any Catholic.
    (UPDATE: According to the Associated Press, "Only a few U.S. bishops have said they would deny Communion to a Catholic lawmaker who supports policies that violate church teaching. A larger number of prelates have publicly asked a Catholic politician to voluntarily abstain from the sacrament.")

    The Church has been rather active politically, not just advocating California's proposition 8 banning same sex marriage but doing so in San Francisco's Castro District where the message would not be well received.

    So apparently a black church better be careful about which politicians it hosts. But the Catholic Church can blatantly campaign against abortion and same sex marriage with impunity. So too, apparently, can the Mormon Church.

    The Catholic and Mormon churches are both extremely hierarchical, repressive churches. For them, women are inferior, sex is bad, homosexual sex is even worse, and abortion is murder. They would like legislation passed to this effect. And that's all okay with the IRS, which not only uses your tax dollars to collect more of your tax dollars, but apparently uses them to not collect from certain religious organizations that rely on infrastructure, law enforcement, and other government services like anyone else but which infringe on separation between church and state.

    Add to Memories
    Tell a Friend

    Some of the articles I've been reading....

    Sunday, 22 November 2009

    16:35:36 +0000

    DoD Buzz | U.S. Power Slipping, Analysts Warn [Digg]

    Two influential analysts told lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week that America's strategic position in the world is eroding. America is losing its technological edge and is in deep financial trouble, while purchasing power is shifting from the West to Asia. Those trends cannot be undone, they warned, so the U.S. must adapt and seek greater cooperat

    12:13:05 +0000

    Thanksgiving: Time to Consider Native Americans' Plight | Co [Digg]

    If the country is serious about the words Obama spoke during the White House Tribal Conference, where he stated he is "absolutely committed...that [American Indians] can be full partners in the American economy and...have an equal shot at pursuing the American dream," then federal investment will be necessary to finally turn the page on the history

    12:02:02 +0000

    In Cairo, Peres promises to stop settlement construction | M [Digg]

    Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told reporters that any construction by Israel on land beyond the 1967 borders would put a damper on "final-status negotiations" and further augment the stagnation of the peace process. He also warned Peres that Israel would anger all Muslims if it does not resolve Jerusalem's disputed status, emphasizing that the f

    11:56:58 +0000

    Kennedy: Forbidden from Communion [Digg]

    WASHINGTON — Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin has forbidden Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy to receive the Roman Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion because of his advocacy of abortion rights, the Rhode Island Democrat said Friday.

    11:31:24 +0000

    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Think Progress » New Right-Wing Craze Prays That Obama's ‘Days Be Few' - http://thinkprogress.org/2009...
    The full psalm can be read at http://www.bartleby.com/108... -- the question I have to raise about this is whether the invocation of one verse in the psalm invokes the entire psalm. Amanda Terkel here seems to treat it as if it does--and I think that's a stretch. - David Benfell

    11:25:42 +0000

    New Right-Wing Craze "Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8” [Digg]

    The newest far-right craze is an anti-Obama slogan that is making its way onto t-shirts, bumper stickers, mugs, and even teddy bears:" Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8,” which reads, "Let his days be few; and let another take his office.” It's unclear whether the intent is to hope for an end to Obama's time in office — or an end to his life.

    11:25:01 +0000

    Link [Digg]

    11:11:51 +0000

    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Op-Ed Contributor - Animal, Vegetable, Miserable - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/glogin...
    Someone on one of my feeds has disputed the meaning of "strict ethical vegan" as used here to mean avoiding all animal products. There's controversy in particular about both honey (a product of bees) and sugar (the final stage of refining may entail bone char) and in all cases, we draw lines somewhere. At what point is an animal low enough that it is okay (yeast is acceptable to nearly all vegans) or that we don't fuss over it (bugs on the windshield and in the radiator)? At what point do we stop calling something an "animal product" (fruits are fertilized by "enslaved" bees). - David Benfell

    Saturday, 21 November 2009

    23:44:29 +0000

    Survey Shows Hard Times Before Recession - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Survey Shows Hard Times Before Recession - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    What this shows is that we don't even know what an economic recovery is. We've been lying about the state of our economy for so long that we no longer even know how to tell the truth. - David Benfell

    23:15:52 +0000

    Informed Comment: Polk: Let America be America, and Depart Afghanistan [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Informed Comment: Polk: Let America be America, and Depart Afghanistan - http://www.juancole.com/2009...
    There is one factor that Polk does not address here and that "America," the United States is an imperialist country from before its independence. I have said before that we have never gotten over the British Parliament telling us in 1763 that we couldn't expand westward over the Appalachians. And we have been in expansionist overdrive ever since. To stop now is inconceivable. That doesn't make Polk wrong; on the contrary, I completely agree with him. But I am also convinced that Obama cannot do the right or even a sensible thing. - David Benfell

    22:55:51 +0000

    Enthusiasm for Palin, and Echoes of 2008 Divide - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Enthusiasm for Palin, and Echoes of 2008 Divide - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    "The places she visited were also ones where unemployment runs high, and many in the crowds that have turned out to see Ms. Palin said they had lost jobs, knew someone who had, or were working two or three jobs as they looked for one good one. "'There's a lot of talkers out there, that's what we're seeing now,' said LeAnn Knudsen, 41, who had waited since 5 a.m. with her daughter, 10. 'This hope and change, hope and change, what hope? And if this is change, God help us.'" - David Benfell

    18:50:26 +0000

    Rule-of-law extremism engulfs primitive Eastern Europe [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Rule-of-law extremism engulfs primitive Eastern Europe - http://www.salon.com/news...
    Glenn Greenwald indulges in satire that's just a little too subtle. - David Benfell

    18:40:26 +0000

    Berlin wants no part in potential 9/11 execution | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 21.11.2009 [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Berlin wants no part in potential 9/11 execution | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 21.11.2009 - http://www.dw-world.de/dw...
    And what will Germany do if the U.S. does use its evidence to convict and to sentence to death Khalid Sheikh Mohammed? - David Benfell

    18:09:58 +0000

    Westlands Irrigation District wields major clout in California water wars - Sacramento Bee [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Westlands Irrigation District wields major clout in California water wars - Sacramento Bee - http://www.sacbee.com/288...

    17:35:15 +0000

    Iraq vice president vetoes new election law -- latimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Iraq vice president vetoes new election law -- latimes.com - http://www.latimes.com/news...
    This arises due to the ethnic cleansing that passes for greater peace and stability in Iraq. A great many Iraqis have been displaced and it appears the law as passed was an attempt to cement the gains from ethnic cleansing by effectively disenfranchising the refugees. - David Benfell

    17:30:58 +0000

    City Insider : Gavin Newsom breaks his silence [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    City Insider : Gavin Newsom breaks his silence - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin...
    Newsom is losing it. Even if you never watch videos (because, like me, you don't have time), watch the one at the end of this article. I'm not an expert but this performance does raise questions about Newsom's mental stability; he appears to me to be evading questions in the way that a pathological liar or a drug addict would. - David Benfell

    15:44:58 +0000

    Students Continue to Protest California Tuition Increases - NYTimes.com [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    Students Continue to Protest California Tuition Increases - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009...
    We have created a system where the only way for most people to get a decent job is to get an education, and the only way for them to get that education is to go deep in debt, and the consequence of that debt is many years of indentured servitude. - David Benfell

    13:30:47 +0000

    The Benfell Blog - The difference between Democrats and Republicans [FriendFeed]

    David Benfell
    The Benfell Blog - The difference between Democrats and Republicans - http://benfell.livejournal.com/256815...

    Feeds

    FeedRSSLast fetchedNext fetched after
    digg / n4rky / history XML 18:00:07 +0000, Sunday, 22 November 2009 18:30:07 +0000, Sunday, 22 November 2009
    FriendFeed - davidbenfell XML 18:00:07 +0000, Sunday, 22 November 2009 18:30:07 +0000, Sunday, 22 November 2009

    Generated by rawdog version 2.12 by Adam Sampson.