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Monday, June 15
The Iranian Rebellion: Will Obama stand with Tehran's democratic reformers?
by
Roland, the Gunslinger
on Mon 15 Jun 2009 05:18 AM EDT
Even sham elections can sometimes produce real results. That was the lesson of the Philippines in 1986 and of Ukraine in 2004. And though Friday's election in Iran is unlikely to yield a similar democratic outcome anytime soon, the poll matters for having again revealed the nature of mullah rule -- to the Iranians who cast ballots expecting they'd be counted, and to a world that finds its illusions about Iranian democracy shattered.
The election was a sham thrice over. Though elected by popular vote, Iran's president is subservient to an unelected Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The four candidates whose names made it on the presidential ballot this year were pre-screened by an unelected Guardian Council composed mostly of Islamic clerics, which also disqualified more than 400 others.
What's remarkable is that these leaders still felt the need to rig the results.
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More on Obama's firing of independent IG Walpin
by
Roland, the Gunslinger
on Mon 15 Jun 2009 02:13 AM EDT
If, like me, you haven't had time over the last few days to keep up with the story of Barack Obama's firing of Gerald Walpin, the Inspector General who has responsibility for the AmeriCorps program, Byron York will bring you up to speed...This story adds to the disconcerting picture we are getting of the Obama administration--a picture of lawlessness, hyperpartisanship, cronyism and lack of transparency.
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What's behind Obama's sudden attempt to fire the AmeriCorps inspector general?
See also, Obama's Civilian National Security Force
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Biden on stimulus: "Everyone guessed wrong"; ladies and gentlemen, your Vice POTUS
by
Roland, the Gunslinger
on Mon 15 Jun 2009 02:00 AM EDT
From Time's The Page: Biden tells "Meet the Press" that "everyone guessed wrong" on the impact of the stimulus, economy was worse off than anyone thought.
Backs away from the estimate that the funds could create or save 3.5 million jobs, instead promises 600,000 by the end of the summer.
(No, everyone "guessed wrong" last November. Somewhere in northeast Pennsylvania, a village is missing its idiot. - Roland)
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How can this be? Argentine Glacier Advances Despite Global Warming
by
Roland, the Gunslinger
on Mon 15 Jun 2009 01:52 AM EDT
Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier is one of only a few ice fields worldwide that have withstood rising global temperatures.
Nourished by Andean snowmelt, the glacier constantly grows even as it spawns icebergs the size of apartment buildings into a frigid lake, maintaining a nearly perfect equilibrium since measurements began more than a century ago.
"We're not sure why this happens," said Andres Rivera, a glacialist with the Center for Scientific Studies in Valdivia, Chile. "But not all glaciers respond equally to climate change."
(Oh, now I understand. Not all glaciers are alike. Now I get it. Only 'certain' glaciers respond to global climate change. I'm so stupid...)
H/t: Steve
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The IRS Phones Home: What's next, a tax on each sip of office coffee?
by
Roland, the Gunslinger
on Mon 15 Jun 2009 01:13 AM EDT
With federal spending in 2009 at 28% of the economy and deficits heading north, Democrats are eyeing tax increases on everything from soft drinks to electricity to health benefits to charitable contributions. But the palm for creativity goes to the Internal Revenue Service, which is contemplating a new tax on the use of business cellphones.
The IRS believes that some percentage of the costs incurred by employees using company-provided wireless devices should count as a "fringe benefit" and thus be subject to taxation. Since workers inevitably end up taking personal calls or emails, the thinking goes, it's only fair that they pay for the privilege. What's next? Maybe a per-cup tax on office coffee, or targeting furtive visits to ESPN or Hulu on the office PC? As one wag put it on the Journal's Web site, "It's like charging for the use of the company washroom."
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