Daily Archives: April 7, 2007

Open thread

April 7, 20071:04 a.m.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Open thread | Comments (200)

‘Loyal Bushies’ can be political hacks

April 7, 20071:03 a.m.

The big reasons to be upset with the Bush administration get all the attention, but don’t overlook the little reasons, says Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus. She ticks off some of the alarming instances in which top jobs were variously entrusted to and ill-served by “loyal Bushies,” then concludes: “If your faith is more in the operations of the private sector than in the capacity of government, if you have scant commitment to the laws you are pledged to enforce, if you see government less as a trust to be administered than a force to be used for the benefit of political and ideological allies, then this kind of behavior is the inevitable result.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Current Affairs | Comments (81)

No wonder the Brits put on a happy face

April 7, 20071:02 a.m.

Many people were wondering what happened to the Brits’ stiff upper lips after seeing footage of them being jovial with the Iranian president before being released Thursday. But it seems they were more worried for their lives then they let on during the Iranian media spectacle.
Arthur Batchelor, a 20-year-old sailor, stated that, “At some points I did have fears we would not survive.” The freed soldiers said they were kept isolated in separate stone cells, threatened with seven years in prison, and spoke of one occasion during which they were blindfolded, then lined up facing a wall while guns were being cocked behind them.
Posted by Ross Stewart

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Foreign affairs | Comments (18)

USDA doesn’t want overachievers

April 7, 20071:01 a.m.

It was good that a U.S. district judge ruled that Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, based in Arkansas City, has the right to test its cattle for mad cow disease. The meatpacking company intends to test all its cattle in order to meet the stringent rules for the lucrative markets of Japan and South Korea.
The USDA currently requires only 1 percent of cattle to be tested and didn’t want Creekstone going beyond that. The USDA’s argument was that if Creekstone Farms raised its standards, other meatpackers might be pressured into raising theirs — an expensive endeavor that, it argues, wouldn’t increase food safety. There was also some concern about the possibility of a lot of false-positive test results, which could rattle the markets.
But isn’t not allow Creekstone to test analogous to the federal government preventing car manufacturers from installing additional air bags or other safety measures, above and beyond the requirements, because other car manufacturers might feel pressured to do so?
The USDA has until June 1 to appeal the decision.
Posted by Patrice Hein

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Business | Comments (11)

Dubious, bogus and utterly phony headlines

April 7, 20071:00 a.m.

The following satirical headlines come from borowitzreport.com:
BUSH OFFERS U.S. ATTORNEYS NEW POSITIONS IN IRAQ; Attempt to Calm Furor Over Mass Sacking
BOWING TO PRESSURE, ART GALLERY REPLACES CHOCOLATE JESUS WITH CHOCOLATE SATAN; But Move Sparks Protest Among Chocolate Worshippers
GIULIANI’S WIFE ALSO MARRIED TO ROMNEY; Confession Roils GOP Race
NEW HILLARY SOFTWARE LETS VOTERS CUSTOMIZE HER POSITIONS; Hillary 8.0 Could Spell Victory in ‘08
SCIENTISTS STUDY MEMORY LOSS AMONG POLITICIANS; Near Amnesia Reaching Epidemic Proportions, Experts Say
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Spoof headlines | Comments (2)