Mario Piperni dot Com

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When not backtracking on every statement he’s ever made, here’s what McCain and his trashy sidekick Lieberman are up to.

The Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention and Prosecution Act of 2010, a legislative monstrosity produced by John McCain and Joe Lieberman, goes further than any Bush-era legislation in abrogating the core principle of Anglo-American justice: that a suspect is innocent until proven guilty. While the bill is deplorable in every detail — it denies terrorist suspects their Miranda rights and codifies indefinite detention without trial — one particular provision effectively ends the presumption of innocence for all of us. That provision codifies the President’s right to define any criteria he chooses to deliver any individual into the legal Twilight Zone defined by the bill.

The bill authorizes the President to establish an “interagency team” to make a “preliminary determination of the status” of an individual “suspected of engaging in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners through an act of terrorism, or by other means in violation of the laws of war, or of purposely and materially supporting such hostilities.”  That team will determine whether the suspect shall be accorded a preliminary designation as a “high value detainee” (a.k.a. “unprivileged enemy belligerent” — the bill makes no coherent distinction between these terms).  A final status determination is to be made by the Attorney General and Secretary of Defense; the President can only weigh in if these two disagree.  Incredibly, the entire procedure from capture to final status determination is to be completed within 48 hours.

And herein lies the danger.

It is unimaginable that Obama would sign such a law. At present this is an act of pure legislative aggression, an attempt to score political points, put forward by two politicians who have not a scrap of integrity left between them. But it’s also a shot across the bow for all of us. A President Palin, or Giuliani, or “Double Guantanamo” Romney, or doubtless a pandering Pawlenty, would sign it in a heartbeat.  Give one of that crew a Supreme Court appointment or two, and the High Court would concur.

Cheney’s “Dark Side” waits in the wings to subject us all to unbridled executive power.

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Colbert sums up the health care reform mess with the help of Ezra Klein.  There’s a great graphic of exactly what “ramming health care” down one’s throat looks like.

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I find it difficult to muster up any respect for Ken Starr.  Hearing him speak of “fair and honorable” attorneys when he himself disgraced the profession by way of his lie and smear campaign against Clinton is nothing short of revolting.  That said, he is right on criticizing the Liz Cheney/Bill Kristol attacks on Department of Justice attorneys who did their jobs by defending Guantanamo detainees.

Starr…

“This was very unwise, and really and out-of-bounds characterization and challenge to good, honorable lawyers.”

If anyone should be aware that there is no “out-of-bounds” when it comes to Republicans, it is Starr.  His over-the-top vendetta against Clinton had the support of Republicans in Congress and paved the way for what we’re now seeing from the likes of Dick and Liz Cheney, Karl Rove, Bill Kristol and the rest of these hard right dirtbags.

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The Talibanization of the educational system marches on with religious beliefs taking precedent over science.

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Seriously, how does a cartoonish joint like Liberty University get accredited?   Is it possible that any bible-toting evangelist huckster  with the means to open a university can do so unfettered by truth and be allowed to dumb down the country?  Sick.

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Feel free to replace the term “nontraditional family values” with “anything to do with those godawful gay people.”

Lawmakers in Florida are hoping to pass a $75 million incentive package to attract movie studios to film in Florida, but a little noticed provision could deny tax credits to movies that feature gay or other “nontraditional family values.”

Here is the relevant provision:

A certified production determined by the Commissioner of Film and Entertainment, with the advice of the Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council, to be family-friendly…Family-friendly productions are those that have cross-generational appeal; would be considered suitable for viewing by children age 5 or older…and do not exhibit or imply any act of smoking, sex, nudity, nontraditional family values, gratuitous violence, or vulgar or profane language. Under the current incentive program, review of the final release version is not required and nontraditional family values, gratuitous violence, and implied acts do not exclude a film from receiving this additional credit.

It seems somewhat bizarre that the tastes of a five-year-old would be the standard by which cinema becomes acceptable. But hey, it gets even more sick…

State representative Stephen Precourt, whose district includes Disney World, says the purpose of the credit is to encourage movies to depict cinematic life from the 1960s. “Think of it as like Mayberry,” Precourt told the Palm Beach Post News. “That’s when I grew up — the ’60s. That’s what life was like. I want Florida to be known for making those kinds of movies: Disney movies for kids and all that stuff. Like it used to be, you know?”

Wow. This guy wants to take the country back to the 1960s where, in his mind anyway, life was pure and wonderful and dad worked while mom cooked all day and Opey played with his buddies down at the swimming pond or fishing hole or whatever they called it back then.  A time when ads like this were acceptable.  Got it.

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It’s now officially confirmed. Sarah Palin is a total and complete babbling idiot.

When Sarah Palin wrote a few notes on her hand during her speech to a tea party convention last month, she was ridiculed by bloggers, comedians and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. This weekend, she defended the notes at an Ohio pro-life fund-raiser, saying she was in good company.

A fan, she said, had sent her a biblical passage. Isaiah 49:16 reads: “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

“Hey, if it was good enough for God, scribbling on the palm of his hand, it’s good enough for me, for us. He says, in that passage he says, I wrote your name on the palm of my hand to remember you. And I’m like OK, I’m in good company,” Palin said to laughter.

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I like this.
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As of this writing, Conan O’Brien has 587,401 Twitter followers and one person he is following.   Should be interesting to see how Killen’s life changes.

O’Brien’s second tweet after joining Twitter reads…

“This morning I watched Remington Steele while eating Sugar Smacks out of a salad bowl. I was naked.”

while his third one reads…

“Today I connected all the freckles on my arm with a Sharpie. It spells out RIKSHAZ9LIRK. Clearly I am The Chosen One.”

He now has 587,402 followers. This should be fun.

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I’m guessing he had no choice.

Republican Sen. Roy Ashburn, who has been on leave from the Senate since his DUI arrest last week, confirmed today that he is gay.

“I’m gay,” Ashburn told KERN radio host Inga Barks in an interview this morning. “Those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long.”

Ashburn’s announcement follows reports that Ashburn was leaving a gay club before he was arrested for driving under the influence last week.

The Bakersfield Republican, who has consistently voted against gay-rights measures, said his votes were a reflection of how the majority of voters in his conservative district would have wanted him to vote.

My thinking is that no one should be forced to reveal their sexual orientation unless they’re ready to do so.  I can only imagine what it must be like to be gay in a world where the majority unfortunately still view homosexuality as a sickness or a lifestyle choice. The crime here is the hypocrisy of a gay politician blocking gay-rights measures.  It is that part of the story which makes Ashburn a lowlife.  That and the fact he then blames his constituents for his anti-gay voting record.  I feel for this guy.

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Here they go again…

Reporting from Washington – Ronald Reagan is honored by, among other things, an airport, a freeway, an aircraft carrier and — ironically for a critic of big government — one of the biggest federal buildings in Washington.

Now, some of the late president’s admirers are launching a new effort to add another honor: printing his likeness on a $50 bill in place of Ulysses S. Grant’s.

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But at least one Democrat who serves on the House Financial Services Committee, where the proposal has been sent, isn’t ready to jettison Grant for “someone whose policies are still controversial.”

“Our currency ought to be something that unites us,” said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks).

Why not wait until they come out with a $3 bill before printing Reagan’s likeness on currency?

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