Sunday Night Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Sun Apr 18, 2010 at 08:41:33 PM EST
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There's a lot on new TV tonight: Pacific, Treme, Breaking Bad, Nurse Jackie, Celebrity Apprentice, Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. With tivo, I should be set for the week. What are you watching?

In the good news department, five airlines have said for now they won't charge carry-on luggage fees: Delta, United, US Air, American and JetBlue. Who's missing? Continental.

The media is going overboard in its coverage of tomorrow's 15th anniversary of the OKC bombing, particularly in its efforts to make it more relevant today by comparing it to those who engage in outspoken criticism of the Government, as if there's some homogeneous equation between them. The Oklahoman in its editorial today:

Any anniversary is hard for those losing a loved one to whatever cause. Birthday. Wedding. Day of death. Rounded anniversaries — 10 years, 15 years, 50 — aren’t necessarily more significant to the survivors than an "ordinary” mark of time.

They seem to matter more to the media and society than to the survivors. They matter most to those who exploit anniversaries for a political agenda or to rekindle the long-doused fires of conspiracy theories.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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Sunday Night Open Thread | 24 comments (24 topical)

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Is Lloyd Blankfein (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by Edger on Sun Apr 18, 2010 at 08:53:56 PM EST

behind on his bribery payments? Goldman Sachs might want to hurry up and replace him with somebody competent.

Rahm, maybe?

This domestic dispute... (5.00 / 1) (#12)
by kdog on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 07:44:19 AM EST

between oligarchal sub-divisions will be interesting to watch, if nothing else.


Caged rates eating each other (none / 0) (#14)
by Edger on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 07:51:06 AM EST

And on another note, David Swanson has this morning what could become the quote of the year:

Congress will soon vote on whether to spend another $33 billion of our money to escalate a war in Afghanistan that makes us less safe, violates the basic rule of law, kills innocent people, puts our children in debt, empowers the oil industry, and protects the heroin industry.

-- Ending Wars: The Flexible Waiverable Timetable Approach


err.. "rats" (none / 0) (#15)
by Edger on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 07:57:36 AM EST

Rats with high rates:) (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by kdog on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 08:08:38 AM EST

And a money quote indeed...but you feel "safer", dontcha E?


Safer? (none / 0) (#19)
by Edger on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 08:31:57 AM EST

Oh, yes. All warm and fuzzy.

Further down in the same article...

...the bill to fund the escalation could be amended to say that the president has to plan to someday end the war, although he would be free to change his plan.
That's what Congressman Jim McGovern's bill H.R. 5015 does
[snip]
It makes this a bill to support instead of oppose, meaning that the House of Representatives then votes unanimously or nearly unanimously to fund the escalation of war, or at least the Democrats do.

But, but... the other guys could be worse, dontcha know? And this makes us safe from them, no?


: There are other guys?... (5.00 / 1) (#22)
by kdog on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 09:43:04 AM EST

As fas as I can tell D.C. is the new Stepford...the Stepford Representation.

A better way (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by CoralGables on Sun Apr 18, 2010 at 09:50:30 PM EST

to enjoy tomorrow is the 114th running of the Boston Marathon on Patriot Day.

Most can't quite grasp what this entails unless you watch the 26.2 miles from start to finish. If you're bored in the morning and have 2 1/2 hours to kill and Universal Sports on cable, the women start at 9:32 ET and the men begin at 10:00. The top finishers for both men and women should hit the finish the line between noon and 12:08.

For baseball fans, the RedSox game starts tomorrow morning at 11:05am to get everyone into the stadium before the runners pass by Fenway.

: My son, a cancer survivior, (5.00 / 5) (#17)
by itscookin on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 08:15:18 AM EST

is running in the race for Dana Farber. When he was a cancer patient, someone ran the race in his honor, and now Rob is running for another teenage boy. We're headed for the beginning of "heartbreak hill" to cheer him on. Go, Rob!

Researchers keeping track of the (5.00 / 1) (#10)
by Militarytracy on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 07:36:28 AM EST

propagandizing being set up and coming our way for the gutting of social security.

Heh, I've never read one single (5.00 / 1) (#13)
by Militarytracy on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 07:44:36 AM EST

word from anyone about Wall Street being after the Social Security income stream.....it was just common sense that saving Wall Street meant they must have what we pay into Social Security because they completely ripped off and destroyed everything else we invested with them through free choice. It looks like I'm not alone though in my crazy insanity.


: Grrrrr.....and this is what (5.00 / 1) (#18)
by Militarytracy on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 08:26:55 AM EST

the Hamilton Project (that I totally despise) is about. We now have to buy insurance with almost no control over the quality of the product we must purchase whether we like it or not. Choice has always controlled quality. It works the same way with investing too and this is where Americans got in so much trouble with Wall Street, we simply gave them our money every month because they claimed they would make it more and bigger. Talk about "faith based". Things became "so complicated" that "regular folks" couldn't understand Wall Street, or so they were told, but just hand over the cash and we'll make it bigger and more.....and we all kept sending that money in and hearing about how it was the only thing that made sense considering the tax benefits and it was our responsibility to provide for our retirements because you can't expect Social Security to do it all. Wall Street had no incentive then to actually provide a service or a product though because we were told we could never take our money out and go home and we bought that too. I'm already preparing to hear about how I must now turn my Social Security over to Wall Street or we will have a system collapse and all I can say we already have one. Social Security is just fine, it is Wall Street that is busted broke and broken even if the Fed has been juicing the hell out of it. And oh by the way, we will all be paying for that juicing too that is supposed to be proving to all of us how unbroken Wall Street is. It is all smoke and mirrors and we can't even audit the Fed or we would KNOW what the Fed has been doing, and now they will come for the actual real wealth that exists in Social Security because there is precious little left to rape and things are so bad nothing is left except to embrace the disaster or do some more rape and pillage.

: Wall Street after Social Security? (5.00 / 1) (#24)
by Edger on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 10:41:56 AM EST

Goldman Sachs, one of Wall Street's most prestigious investment banks, was also among the many banks in 2008 and 2009 to receive billions of dollars in taxpayer money to help it stay afloat. Like others in the securities industry, Goldman Sachs advises and invests in nearly every industry affected by federal legislation. The firm closely monitors issues including economic policy, trade and nearly all legislation that governs the financial sector. It has been a major proponent of privatizing Social Security as well as legislation that would essentially deregulate the investment banking/securities industry. The firm tends to give most of its money to Democrats. A number of high-ranking government officials in recent years have spent part of their careers at Goldman Sachs.
Goldman Sachs Political Donations

Not much new here recently (none / 0) (#3)
by NealB on Sun Apr 18, 2010 at 10:03:52 PM EST

Just a casual observation. No jobs. No future. No life.

Jeralyn? Armando? Either of you care to write about it?

American Airlines is not (none / 0) (#4)
by caseyOR on Sun Apr 18, 2010 at 11:15:30 PM EST

on your list. Have they Not promised to hold off on charging for checked bags?

I'm thinking I may never get on a commercial airplane again.

And American? (none / 0) (#5)
by Andy08 on Sun Apr 18, 2010 at 11:18:58 PM EST

Who's missing? Continental.

What's next? We'll be charged for boarding with a coat? Dressed?

The carry-on charge is ridiculous; the only people who might travel without carry on or checked luggage are business day travel who don't care anyway about the cost...

These shenanigans are getting to the point of being insulting: why not just charge more for the darn ticket!...

: The 5 carriers (none / 0) (#6)
by Andy08 on Sun Apr 18, 2010 at 11:22:34 PM EST

that "promised" Schumer not to charge (for now?) are
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines and US Airways...

: thanks, I added American (none / 0) (#20)
by Jeralyn on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 08:49:29 AM EST

How is Treme? (none / 0) (#7)
by samtaylor2 on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 02:17:00 AM EST

I haven't been able to watch it yet

: I liked the first episode a lot (5.00 / 1) (#23)
by ruffian on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 10:13:07 AM EST

Looking forward to my tivo'd second episode, since I missed it last night.

Check the profile lists (none / 0) (#8)
by pcpablo on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 04:53:59 AM EST

the only people who might travel without carry on or checked luggage are business day travel who don't care anyway about the cost...

How about TERRORISTS!

: Or just the spontaneous... (none / 0) (#11)
by kdog on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 07:42:03 AM EST

but I guess that's suspect too now in the age of suspicion.

Actually (none / 0) (#9)
by jbindc on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 06:15:41 AM EST

It seems that the OKC bombing has all been but forgotten, as it was overshadowed by 9/11.

I hope the victims and families of those killed have been able to find peace. As for Timothy McVeigh, well, let's just say I hope it's extremely hot wherever he is and that he finds no relief.

: This site has a policy (5.00 / 1) (#21)
by Jeralyn on Mon Apr 19, 2010 at 08:51:03 AM EST

of not wishing ill of the dead. As to McVeigh specifically, since he was my client, you may not make such comments here. You will be banned if you continue.