Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Obama Terror Attack Quote Shows Stupidity Of The Right-Wing

(Post originally at Zennie62.com)

Obama Terror Attack Quote: the definition of "absorb" - keep that in mind.

The Internet's ablaze with news, blog, and soon video and audio chatter about President Barack Obama's quote in Bob Woodward's new book Obama's Wars. The Right Wing of the blogsphere's especially excited over the so-called statement by the President that America "could absorb" a Terrorist attack.

The right, looking for whatever edge it can get politically, is prone to great leaps in misjudgement. Want an example? Look no further than Senator John McCain's selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate. Not to digress, the problem of Couch Potato Conservatives rests in their lack of desire to think. Thus, failing to ask one simple question: what's the definition of "absorb."

Here are all of the possible definitions:

1. To take (something) in through or as through pores or interstices.
2. To occupy the full attention, interest, or time of; engross. See Synonyms at monopolize.
3. To retain (radiation or sound, for example) wholly, without reflection or transmission.
4. To take in; assimilate: immigrants who were absorbed into the social mainstream.
5. To learn; acquire: "Matisse absorbed the lesson and added to it a new language of color" (Peter Plagen).
6. To receive (an impulse) without echo or recoil: a fabric that absorbs sound; a bumper that absorbs impact.
7. To assume or pay for (a cost or costs).
8. To endure; accommodate: couldn't absorb the additional hardships.
9. To use up; consume: The project has absorbed all of our department's resources.

Of all nine choices, the one that most fits President Obama's statement is Number 6: "To receive (an impulse) without echo or recoil." That's not what America was able to do in the case of 9-11 and means that such an attack could happen and ultimately no one would be killed, certainly not the 3,000 lives lost on September 11, 2001.

Memories are short, and some Right-Wing blogger contemporaries show a weakness of cognitive thought that is the result of a poorly funded national educational system coupled with an inability to avoid the impulse for anti-intellectualism.

In other words, some of them are just being stupid. Note that "being stupid" is a temporary state of mind, not a permanent one, which means the problem can be repaired. Read on.

Before 9-11 we didn't have the Transportation Services Administration, The Department Of Homeland Security, or WiFi, smart phones, or any number of systems that help prevent or absorb possible terrorist attacks. Now we have those systems in place and they work.

Obama Not Inviting An Attack, But Read The Book

All of this is taken out of context because you and I don't know the full context of the book's prose. Some at the New York Times do, but only share their observations with us, not Bob Woodwards's book itself. Thus, we're left to guess at the context, at least for those of us thoughtful enough to realize we don't know it.

The Right should cool its jets, unless it wants to see an unearthing of every scary, stupid, and idiotic comment made from members of its brethren since September 11th 2001.  By using patient, thoughtful consideration of words, The Right Wing can avoid such displays of lack of intellect in the future.

Zennie Abraham Asks Did Jesse Jackson Jr. Have Giovana Huidobro As Mistress?


Zennie Abraham (Zennie62Media CEO and builder of ZENNIEREPORT.COM ZENNIEREPORT.COM) Asks Did Jesse Jackson Jr. Have Giovana Huidobro As Mistress?
Before we get to the whole Giovana Huidobro mistress thing, some Jesse Jackson Jr. house cleaning is in order.

If you recall that moment two years ago, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was on CNN to say he did not try to pay for the Illinois Senate seat held by now President Barack Obama.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, an Oak Brook businessman named Raghuveer Nayak told the FBI that he had a conversation with Jackson where allegedly Jackson said he would have Chicago's Indian community raise the $1 million for Governor Rod Blagojevich, and Jackson would raise another $5 million after he was in the Senate.

The question is why would Raghuveer Nayak wait so long to make his claim, rather than come out with it just as Jesse Jackson Jr. was on television two years ago? Whatever the reason, it places Jackson Jr. in a bad light because at trial Robert Blagojevich, Friends of Blagojevich chair specifically pointed to an episode where two Indian fund-raisers met him, offering money on behalf of Jesse Jackson Jr.

And Who Is Giovana Huidobro?

The FBI interviewed Giovana Huidobro as part of its Blagojevich corruption investigation. The FBI was trying to confirm Raghuveer Nayak's allegations regarding the Jackson Jr. offer to Blagojevich. Giovana Huidobro is a friend of Jesse Jackson Jr. - a social acquaintance as described by Nayak to the FBI.

Giovana Huidobro is also a former model and the hostess at Ozio, the cigar club and restaurant that's a lot like 1930 Shanghai, the San Francisco club that closed a year ago.

Jackson had Huidobro flown in for Chicago, and in his statements admits that he had an affair with her, but that was in the past:



"The reference to a social acquaintance is a private and personal matter between me and my wife that was handled some time ago. I ask that you respect our privacy.

"I know I have disappointed some supporters, and for that I am deeply sorry. But I remain committed to serving my constituents and fighting on their behalf."


Now that the information's out, is it of any value considering that it's old news? The FBI is more interested in Jackson Jr.'s attempt to buy the seat, it seems. But even then, there's no crime against talking about such a business deal if it never took place.

The question is why didn't it happen? If it was that the players figured it was not legal and backed off, why would the Federal Government prosecute anyone? That's what's confusing here.

But more on Ozio later.

Teresa Lewis to be first woman executed in US since 2005 By Nikky Raney




Photo of Teresa Lewis from SaveTeresaLewis.org
Teresa Lewis, 41, is scheduled to be executed on Thursday, September 23; she will be the first woman to be executed in the United States since 2005.

Tuesday, September 21, U.S. Supreme Court refused to halt Lewis' execution.

Teresa Lewis is the only person on death row in Virginia, and will be the first woman executed in Virginia since 1912 when a 17-year-old girl was put in an electric-chair. Lewis will also be the 12th person to die via federal edict since the death penalty was reinstated in the U.S. in 1976.

Lewis plead guilty in May 2003 to two counts of murder: she hired two men, Rodney Fuller and Matthew Shallenberger, to murder her husband and stepson in 2002. Both men were sentenced to life in prison (Shallenberger committed suicide in prison in 2006) while Lewis was given the death sentence since she was the "mastermind" behind the killings.

CBS News reported that Lewis used sex and money to persuade the two men to kill her husband and stepson - even including her teenaged daughter by offering her up for sex with one of the killers.

Two weeks ago Lewis' attorney, James Roap argued that her execution should be prevented due to claims that she is "borderline mentally retarded, with the intellectual ability of about a 13-year-old." He also argued that it is unfair for Lewis to be sentenced to death when the two men who fired the shots received life terms.

Many lengthy petitions were created in attempts to stop this from happening.

A web site created to save Lewis from the death sentence was created and includes this message to Governor McDonnell, who was apart of the decision to refuse reprieve:

"Governor McDonnell, your decision to deny clemency completely ignores the fact that Teresa Lewis is borderline mentally retarded and had a dependent personality disorder, and that a life sentence was given to the man who has repeatedly stated that HE was the mastermind and that “The only reason I had sex with [Teresa] was for the money [and] to get her to ‘fall in love’ with me so she would give me the insurance money. . . . She was exactly what I was looking for.” Killing Teresa now, when this man was allowed to live, is so unfair and unjust that it cannot be permitted."


The web site also lists Lewis' disabilities including documents from Dr. Costanzo, Professor of Psychology at Duke University, where he states Teresa did not "possess the intellectual capacity to calculate and plan these murders."

A piece of evidence that lawyers and supporters wanted the courts to consider was a letter that Shallenberger wrote before committing suicide in jail where he claims full responsibility for the murder plot and blames himself for pushing Lewis into it.

Lewis has been moved from Fluvanna Correction Center for women to Greensville Correction Center in Jaratt where Virgina's death chamber is located.

Fox News Source Jim Hoft Called Dumbest Man On The Internet

Wow. Liberals are really attacking Fox News Source Jim Hoft. The conservative blogger, called Gateway Pundit is also called now the Dumbest Man On The Internet by Media Matters. Why?

Media Matters claims:



Jim Hoft (aka Gateway Pundit) stands out as uniquely incompetent. Hoft runs with (or spawns) almost every inane story that bubbles up in the conservative blogosphere, has proven that he has absolutely no vetting process for the sources he cites, and apparently has a hard time with basic reading comprehension.

Hoft -- who has modeled for a John Deere catalogue and "played a cop on 'Unsolved Mysteries' twice" -- has "never had any training in politics or journalism," but now has the "#8 ranked political blog in the United States" that is "frequently mentioned on top national news shows."

Indeed, in spite of the fact that Hoft embarrasses himself on a near-daily basis and has shown time and again that he is either willfully dishonest or staggeringly inept, he has managed to carve out a role as one of the most-read, most respected writers in the conservative blogosphere. And his influence extends beyond the blogs. Hoft's stories are regularly featured on Fox News' Fox Nation website, and he has been cited as a source on-air by Fox News on multiple occasions.


Holt does stupid things like call Al Sharpton as giving a Nazi salut when it's clear Al Sharpton's just pointing his finger for emphasis. Awful. Just plain terrible.

Just thinking. If Fox News Source Jim Hoft is the Dumbest Man On The Internet, does that mean Fox News is the dumbest program on television?

Vince Cable And Elizabeth Warren Protect Consumers Interests

U.K. Business Secretary Vince Cable is on record as saying he will "shine a harsh light into the murky world of corporate behavior." Elizabeth Warren, Assistant To President Obama and Advisor to The Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said "consumers need good information so that they can make good decisions." Both are working in the interests of consumers on both sides of the Atlantic, and at an unusual time.

Worldwide economic performance is still poor. The traditional market economies of America and Britain, which have lived off an overcommitted credit system for almost a decade, have seen jobs go to newly industrialized countries at such a rapid rate that basic manufacturing industry has shrank, taking many service jobs along with it.

Over that time, banks and financial institutions have developed systems to move money where it's cheapest, including derivatives schemes that permit an investor to bet against their own investments in risky financial situations. Such an activity has reduced the incentive to invest in plant and equipment in American and Britain. Additionally, the same institutions have developed new transactions fees and practices that harm the consumer.

All of this has created the climate for Vince Cable and Elizabeth Warren. The fact that they're needed at all should be of concern to any observer of the International economic condition. The needed component is complete government-aided industrial reconstruction and protectionism.

Having Vince Cable And Elizabeth Warren in power positions watching business is a great step, but only part of the whole. A complete plan for business that does for the private sector what the U.S. Economic Stimulus Package does for the public sector is needed.

Yes, America and Britain need a system of targeted subsidies to key industries that help businesses pay for labor costs, thus increasing the need for labor and upping production.

Kenny Mckinley: Denver Broncos WR Suicide Telegraphed, Who Listened?

The news of Denver Broncos Wide Receiver Kenny Mckinley's death by suicide Tuesday was both sad and shocking. Sad because a life was ended way before it was time. Shocking, because Kenny Mckinley was described by everyone who's talked about him as a very happy, almost perpetually happy, person. Now, in the wake of this tragic news, we're all left wondering why he did it.

Well, according to a sad article at The Denver Post website, Kenny Mckinley reportedly telegraphed his intentions while playing dominoes with friends, saying that he "should just kill himself." He did.

What's bothersome is that no one took his statement, made because Mckinley had his second knee injury in as many seasons, seriously. By contrast, when a friend of this blogger said she was going to kill herself years ago, the first action was to step in and talk to her. It worked.

When a person makes a statement like the one Kenny Mckinley made, friends should have the courage to step in and ask what the problem is.

The bet here is Kenny Mckinley felt no one cared. That's really sad. It's too late; we can't bring him back now.

I wish we could.

Paris Hilton - @ParisHilton Twitter: Leaving Japan Over Drug Charge


Just two minutes ago as of this writing, Paris Hilton issued this tweet on her Twitter account @ParisHilton:



About to take off. Going home now. So dissappointed to miss my fans in Asia. I promise to come back soon. I love you all! Love Paris xoxo
2 minutes ago via ÃœberTwitter

That's the latest news in a story that started like this.

Paris Hilton flew to Japan on business with her sister Nikky Hilton 21 hours ago. As soon as she stepped off the plane Paris, who pled guilty to a charge of cocaine possession in Las Vegas, was questioned by Japanese immigration authorities.

According to TMZ.com, Paris Hilton's representative said the socialite, actress, and business woman has obligations to her brand partners in Asia which called for the trip, planned months ago.

Japan is reportedly and now obviously very strict about letting foreigners with drug convictions into the country. But Paris could be allowed to go beyond the hotel she's reportedly "trapped" in as these matters are determined on a case-by-case basis.

Well, the Japanese did not decide this case in Paris Hilton's favor. But it's a good wake up call for Paris. She now understands, one hopes, the full extent of the consequences of not following the law.

Someone of her friends and associates should have checked into the matter of her ability to travel to Japan if only to avoid the embarrassment that Ms. Hilton's facing.

But it could have been much worse.  Suppose Japan had a policy of jailing those convicted of drug crimes just for trying to enter the country?    Paris could have been behind bars yet again.   Thankfully that's not the case this time.

Hopefully, this is the last time she's in this kind of trouble.