Wednesday Open Thread 02-11-15

Good morning 99percenters!
A little news and Jerry Jeff Walker

Obama Seeks Broad Powers to Wage Geographically Limitless War On ISIS
Analysts raise alarm at presidential proposal for congressional authorization, which would allow for further troop deployments and years of intervention

President Barack Obama is seeking broad congressional authorization for the U.S.-led war on ISIS that would allow for further deployments of ground troops, years of intervention, and geographically limitless military operations, according to media reports on Tuesday.

The war has already been waged for six months without a congressional vote or meaningful debate. While Obama has previously claimed that such authorization is not required, he appeared to diverge from this line in his State of the Union address last month.

"I call on this Congress to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorize the use of force against [ISIS]," he said in the speech. "We need that authority."

At a closed meeting on Tuesday, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and White House counsel Neil Eggleston met with Senate Democrats to discuss the key stipulations of the war authority Obama is seeking, ABC reports.

Obama: 'We have to twist arms when countries don't do what we need them to'

President Barack Obama has said the reality of “American leadership” at times entails “twisting the arms” of states which “don’t do what we need them to do,” and that the US relied on its military strength and other leverage to achieve its goals.

In a broad-ranging interview with Vox, which Obama himself described as a venue "for the brainiac-nerd types," the US president both denied the efficacy of a purely “realist” foreign policy but
also arguing that at times the US, which has a defense budget that exceeds the next 10 countries combined, needed to rely on its military muscle and other levers of power.

Lauding the rule-based system to emerge in the post-World War II era, Obama admitted it wasn’t perfect, but argued “the UN, the IMF, and a whole host of treaties and rules and norms that were established really helped to stabilize the world in ways that it wouldn't otherwise be.”

He argued, however, that the efficacy of this idealistic, Wilsonian, rule-based system was severely tested by the fact that “there are bad people out there who are trying to do us harm.”

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Jerry Jeff Walker - Mr. Bojangles

Jerry Jeff Walker - Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother

Jerry Jeff Walker - Gettin' By

Jerry Jeff Walker - Pissin' In The Wind

Jerry Jeff Walker - Wheel

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NCTim's picture

for that kid that used to twist my arm and demand my lunch money.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

I slayed a dragon yesterday. Many new features for you today, all ways to monitor and make the caucus99percent experience smoother and more enjoyable. Two new features in the Navigation menu:
1 - "Content Stream" provides a real time flow of all content published, it lists the diary title, author, amount of replies and new replies, both the date/time of the post and the date/time of the last reply and a link to "Add a new comment". It also will display a red "Update" when any new reply has been made to the diary. It's very handy for monitoring the flow of the site.

2 - "Comment Stream" provides a real time flow of all comments made in all the diaries, it lists the title of the diary the comment was made in, the author of the comment, date/time when comment was made, comment title, comment body, and a "Reply to" link. It's very handy for keeping abreast of the comment flow in one central area.

Wait, I'm not done yet! if you want to monitor your personal content and comments then go to "My Account":

1 - "My Comments" lists all of your personal comments in chronological order, it contains the diary title where the comment was made, date/time of the comment, an "edit" link, and the comment itself. Keep track of your comments, folks.

2 - "My Content" lists all your personal diaries in chronological order, it contains the diary title, date/time of the post, a short summary of body of the diary, comment count, new comments made with a link to the new comments, and edit and delete links. It's your one-stop-and-shop for your diary needs.

Enjoy your new toys, folks. Play with them and give them a workout. These features combined provides the functionality that we all became accustomed to at other sites. Getting this done was a major hurdle.

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NCTim's picture

Thanks Cuz!

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

wasn't easy to do either, there was no modules for that stuff, had to create them all mahself.

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NCTim's picture

Cuz

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

some John the Conqueroo in a mojo bag hanging from my neck, that shit works!

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NCTim's picture

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

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gulfgal98's picture

Every day you have some new goodies for us. I can hardly keep up with all the enhancements. Thank you, Johnny!!!! Biggrin

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

these four today are huge improvements. They're pretty easy to use too.

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mimi's picture

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Tammany Tiger's picture

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Tammany Tiger's picture

And yes, I intend to give the site a workout in the days to come. Thanks again!

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"my mail shirt, these shining bits of metal/ Woven across my breast, saved me/ From death. A monster seized me, drew me/ Swiftly toward the bottom, swimming with its claws/ Tight in my flesh. But fate let me/ Find its heart with my sword, hack myself/ Free; I fought that beast's last battle,/ Left it floating lifeless in the sea."

Beowulf

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If we aren't at war for arms, it's for oil. If it isn't arms and oil, it's something else. Even Thom Hartmann, who is normally so moderate and calm, is shouting from the roof top that the capitalists have seized control of government; and we're well on our way to becoming fascist Germany. He believes authoritarian capitalism can't be stopped with the wounded democracy and so called leaders that we currently have.

If ISIS didn't exist, there is no doubt the US government would create it. Oh wait, I think they already did. Soon the whole budget will consist of nothing but the pentagon and DHS. Scary and sad world. It is no wonder most voters tuned in and dropped out.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

that's one excellent comment, right there!

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Big Al's picture

now, and rising. That's up from a low of the high thirties at the end of Clinton's terms.
The Project for a New American Century worked, at least as far as building up the national insecurity state.

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NCTim's picture

Make the economy go. So, you see, wars are a jobs program. Between the war jobs and the workforce reduction, unemployment is reduced.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

Big Al's picture

"Citizens pick their noses and fling it"

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Lady Libertine's picture

its over.

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Tammany Tiger's picture

This time, he wagged his finger at childless couples:

"Not to have children is a selfish choice," he said. "Life rejuvenates and acquires energy when it multiplies: It is enriched, not impoverished!

Attractive new packaging, same shitty product.

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as the first "hippie" Pope, now it seems like someone has held him down and cut his hair.

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Tammany Tiger's picture

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MarilynW's picture

I see mothers in my urban neighbourhood with a baby in a snuggie, one in a stroller and one holding mommy's hand often. One mother carries her twins in snuggies, one in the back and one in the front while she pushes a toddler in a stroller. 3 or more children under the age of 5, babies really. I think "wow! do they have that much faith in the future?" Maybe humans are like some wild animals, the more they are threatened they more they breed. Or maybe they are listening to the pontiff. I just hope they don't listen to him on child rearing since he believes in physical punishment for children.

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To thine own self be true.

mimi's picture

one's own comments?

That is a change I welcome and appreciate. Thank you.

I always asked myself how you can close your account on dailykos? I guess one can't? How about that being "liberal" and "progressive"? They need to be able to dig out every word you ever uttered on their blog, for decades to come. Oh well, I think they don't know what they are doing.

What are your policies here for closing an account, deleting your own diaries and your own comments. Is that allowed ?

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it's not allowed, but if one was to ask it would be considered.

They need to be able to dig out every word you ever uttered on their blog, for decades to come.

Exactly right.

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mimi's picture

an here you say one can not? Or did you refer to closing an account?
Anyhow. It's not that important to me, if one is allowed to edit a comment.

May be one day I write about what I consider wrong with some features at dailykos. But then I really don't want it anymore.

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an author can delete their own diary but a user cannot delete their own account.

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mimi's picture

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gulfgal98's picture

I tend to think much faster than I can type and often have posted a comment with words missing or even misspelled. Often in editing a comment before I post it, my edits can change the grammar in the sentence, and again I fail to catch that in preview. So for me, it is great being able to edit after posting. Often I catch my grammatical mistakes much later and I can still fix them.

I also believe a diary can be deleted here by the author because I saw one the other day. Hopefully this site will not make any members want to delete their accounts.

mimi, I wanted to uprate your comment, but after having been warned before about uprating, I was reluctant to do so. Apparently kos and elfling think uprating is a far worse sin than HR abuse, for some reason.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

editing is a handy feature, but i understand it not being allowed at a large site like DK, one can only imagine how the trolls would abuse it. Yes, authors can edit and delete their own diaries.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

I attempted to the other day when I posted a "thanks" to JTC in a diary, thinking it was a comment box.

Later, I reposted the thanks in a thread after I realized what I'd done.

Anyhoo, to my knowledge, one cannot actually delete a diary, 'cause I was going to. However, what you can do, is erase what was in it, and post in the heading "Diary [Content] Deleted By Author."

It sorta junks up the comment thread, but at least it clarifies the situation, if one makes the mistake that I did.

(This error probably won't happen here that often, especially once Everyone is acquainted with the "Dashboard.")

UL

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

the permissions were enabled allowing everyone to delete their own diaries, click the edit link in your diary and then there should be a delete button at the bottom next to save and preview. Try it in one of your diaries, don't delete the diary, just click edit and see if the delete button is there. Also, in the new "My Content" tab in "MY Account" there is a delete link for every one of your diaries.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

mimi's picture

for the comment, because it was what is called a direct ad hominem criticism of that specific poster.
You can be as rude and impolite as you want to be with someone, as long as you don't use some direct language.
If you are a polite dick and a fake smooth talker, you can do as much harm as anyone else who attacks you directly.
Banned or warned get those, who talk straight, people who use "clean" torturous debate tactics get away with it.

I have come in conflict four or five times, because of a certain expression I used to show my disdain about
someone else's (politician's) behavior, and unbeknownst to me at that time also about a "high-level" kossack, Adam B's decisions.

As if average readers knew who Adam B was and what his functions were. The site is not the most transparent one about
what and how some things are done or handled. And I said so straight into their faces. One time I came into conflict, because
I didn't know a background regulation about CT and 9/11 and apparently people couldn't believe I had never heard or read or watched
certain videos that related to it. I asked some questions with regards to them, and was amazed that people immediately
concluded I am a CT person. Well, their imagination is also a bit limited as to what some of their readers know and don't know.

This one was the fourth time I got warned (in 10 years of reading dk) I think either people are naive or they have never
suffered under a surveillance and language control regime or under rough interrogation or for this site here, rough debate tactics..
When I learned (just by accident) that there are very nice people, whose writings I respect, who read every diary and every comment,
who you would never suspect doing so, I just changed my mind about the site's structure. It enhances people's inclination to run wild with
their predatory surveillance urges and the site opens the door to abuse them.

When you get then told you that you are a security risk and support violence and try to hide behind a second account, it goes over the top.
That was so bad and wrong, I wouldn't let it stand.

But though I got upset, in the end I am just sad that I became so used to read the site that it is hard for me to look for other avenues. I think
I had for my little persona engaged in what I thought were positive and supportive actions, considering the fact that I am not a writer.

I don't want to talk about it anymore, it looks like I am a whiner, I am just upset about the whole affair and I do believe justifiably so. End of story.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

1) does NOT repeal the earlier very broad AUMF (2002?), which PBO said he wanted to do almost two years ago;

2) it is VERY broad, and could leave open ground action ("boots on the ground," I suppose he meant).

He was just interviewed on XM by Michael Smerconish.

UL

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Unabashed Liberal's picture

Just switched Channels (from POTUS to C-Span), and heard PBO declaring that the AUMF he's seeking would not allow for ground troops.

Go figure.

UL

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Big Al's picture

not only have they been fighting/aiding ISIS for over 6 months, but if he's leaving that 2001 AUMF in place
that covered about everything anyway. Not to mention it's all illegal anyway because this is just another
war, or segment of the global war, that is blatantly illegal no matter what Congress "approves".

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Cordelia Lear's picture

he can claim that he had "buy in" from Congress. Or maybe, he wants a vote "for diplomacy."

The Pentagon is going to do whatever it wants. It's all kabuki.

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"Never separate the life you live from the words you speak." --Paul Wellstone

MarilynW's picture

Maybe a very old man is knitting penguin sweaters, that is not in dispute. But not one of the sweaters has been used by bird rescuers. They have been sold to gift shops for stuffed penguins. Someone posted an exposé in the DKos diary but it's being virtually ignored.

The last thing we want to do is to put something over their feathers that causes the oil to be pressed against their skin, or impairs the evaporation of the aromatics put off by the oil. Penguins and other birds can also overheat very quickly, and the sweaters increase this risk.
http://grist.org/list/please-dont-knit-a-sweater-for-a-penguin/

And by now it turned out that none—not one—of the sweaters was actually used. The rescued penguins were being kept in warm water and recovering under heat lamps, much less stressful for wild birds than dressing them in a cute knitted sweater. Nobody seems to have asked the vets and rescue workers if they in fact needed penguin sweaters, and those interviewed seemed a bit surprised by the international knitting effort.
http://www.giantflightlessbirds.com/2011/10/the-great-penguin-sweater-fi...

Actually I didn't see any names of people I usually read there who rec'd the diary, except for MB. (?)

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To thine own self be true.

Unabashed Liberal's picture

runs the Pentagon, just like she runs the rest of the Executive Branch, LOL! IOW, she 'wears the pants' around the White House, especially when it comes to giving the military orders. Wink

(Actually, that's only a little bit jesting--I read that there are a lot of people in DC who are worried about her influence in military matters, especially since she's not exactly an expert in this area.)

Seriously, if we want to end war profiteering, it is our corrupt, and more or less fascistic merger of business and government [or state], that we Americans need to address.

WE elect these goons that give the orders for the military to engage in wars to protect the corporations' interests.

In the final analysis, I truly believe that it is up to us--or, one might say, 'the buck stops with us'--to put an end to warring.

Mr M and I have decided that we will never again vote for a war monger (knowingly, and we will consider their records--not their pretty words).

We also concluded that we should do everything that we can to expose lawmakers who fit this description.

People in both Parties are tiring of these misadventures--the misspent human and monetary treasure, at a time that so many critical needs at home go unmet.

The rank and file of both parties must denounce endless war. And then be willing to do whatever it takes to rid the parties of these parasitic lawmakers.

For some reason, the majority of the Dem Party Base doesn't seem willing to work toward the long game--everything is always about 'short term gain.'

Until this changes, I anticipate that the Dem Party will continue to stay on a very dangerous right-wing course.

And 'Heaven help' today's young people--I wonder if they fully recognize what they're up against, unless we can stop the war machine.

The near-term cuts to our social insurance programs will be very sizable. But that won't be the end of it. One Bowles-Simpson recommendation is putting further cuts on 'auto pilot,' using various 'triggers.'

We really are cooked, if they go this route.

UL

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Big Al's picture

we the people have to make something happen revolving around the 2016 election. It might be our best chance.

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