There are a lot of important stories being reported right now. In your opinion, what’s the most significant story in the news at the moment?
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
49 Comments
Recent Posts
- Day Five: The Fascist Regime Came for the Inspectors General
- Day Four: Fascist Regime Comes for the Transgendered and Native Americans
- Day Three: Fascist Regime Assaulted Health Information and Agencies
- Day Two: Fascist Regime Shuts Down Spanish Language White House Website
- Day One: Fascist Regime Gets Laken Riley Act
In today’s news, it’s Warren joining the Democratic Senate leadership.
That’s a fantastic alternative to running for President.
Win-win.
This seems pretty significant to me:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/world/europe/ukraine-russia-military-border-nato.html?_r=0
It may be true and an ominous sign, or it could be propaganda that the Times seems inclined to publish on the Ukraine situation, as Rbt Parry and Stephen Cohen have been cautioning us about for months.
No question though, the US-Russia situation is deteriorating before our eyes. Major Russian military buildup in the Arctic region, their air force to start flying into the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico areas, and the move to stop cooperating with the US on loose nuke material in their country. Plus Ukraine, a slow ongoing crisis area.
I’m not sure what the most important story being reported is, but my television assures me it relates to the ample posterior of some “famous” woman whose name is unfamiliar to me.
Jonathan Gruber, anyone?
MIT Microsimulation Model Developer Drunk on Attention, Trips over Tongue
Of minor significance: All Hell Breaks Loose On Ted Cruz’s FB Page As Conservatives Go On The Attack. Those would be tech-“libertarians”-Republicans that no-likee Cruz’s anti-net-neutrality position. Some amusing comments — but they’re as dumb as the teabaggers wrt to knowing who their political guys are.
Peter Theil — On Net Neutrality
Reminder: Peter Thiel is Ted Cruz’ Gay Billionaire Ally
“It hasn’t been necessary, yet American Internet continues to lag behind every other industrialized nation, and even many Eastern european countries. But don’t mind me.”
That would be the same Peter Thiel who also said “I no longer believe freedom and democracy are compatible.”
Why would he? He’s really rich and thinks that’s because he’s smarter than everyone else and luck/timing had nothing to do with it.
In your opinion, what’s the most significant story in the news at the moment?
Don Blankenship, WV’s former King of Coal, was indicted today for the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster.
Jail time, please.
Screw jail time.
Put him in one of his own mines and make him work it.
Israel’s move to an end game on the occupied territories while the US has crises in Syraqistan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Congress.
Russia’s operations in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico to make the point of how it sees US action in eastern Europe and the Middle East.
What’s with Putin? Flying his big bombers around the world without their transponders on.
Cold War II
What’s with the US conducting military exercises on states on Russia’s border?
The Russian military is worried about US intentions and the ability of the President to control the worst elements of the US military.
It should have been obvious the moment we threatened the Russian base at Sebastapol. And moved ships into the Black Sea.
Does anyone in the US national security establishment have any understanding how US moves actually look to other countries? Or are they just playing to entertain Congress and the folks at home? It’s the US that is playing with fire in its relationship with Putin, not the reverse. You won’t learn that from the Wall Street media nor increasingly will you learn that from the City media. Or any media that in any way has to be vetted by the US–compare AJE and AJA if you can.
Empire’s gotta project Empirical strength.
Empire’s are dream worlds.
There’s more important stories but the one that is annoying me right now is Mary “Keystone” Landreau frosting her own personal cake with a no vote for Harry Reid for minority leader.
She’s toast. What do you expect? Lavish praise for “Keep your powder dry”?
Well yeah, but for Dems to go along with this last blast for Keystone, for her sake when she’s gonna lose, is a stinker.
Professional courtesy. They want the same treatment when they lose.
La Democrats should all vote for the Republican.
I would.
Obama’s immigration executive order?
News that on the heels of sucking up the US Postal Service employment database, Chinese government hackers have sucked up the Weather Services database.
Guess they are showing Obama who is really the boss.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/chinese-hack-us-weather-systems-satellite-network/2014/11/12/bef
1206a-68e9-11e4-b053-65cea7903f2e_story.html
And those databases have backdoors to exploit because the US NSA designed it into the NTIS standards. And US corporations are too sloppy in their programming to close them. And the contractors who manage the USPS data centers are not tasked to close them.
For the US, it’s a self-inflicted wound.
Just like drone proliferation is going to be.
Also, how many of those contractors were Chinese H1-B’s?
Likely fewer than you would imagine. The problem lies with a very American illness–management that doesn’t understand the risks of doing everything on the cheap.
Oh yes. And a reluctance for the government to do anything in house.
Exactly. Public/private partnership. Prime/sub take their profit before the worker bee sees anything.
Government/US Tax Dollars for R&D…then hand over licensing rights to the highest corporate bidder.
Fascism is grand, ain’t it?
Obama’s agreement with China to reduce greenhouse gasses. It’s a BFD.
Big coal and Koch’s get screwed. Boone Pickens can start exporting natural gas.
But if the Kremlin is sloshing cash around to hundreds of sock-puppets what are the chances some similar quantities of loot have been lining the pockets of our more traditional media?:
With high traffic sites like Zero Hedge now all in what are the chances that similar funding has sloshed into some of the nether regions of our own Village? Given the current media ethos selling oneself to an oligarch wouldn’t be much of a stretch for most of our “thought leaders;” just more consequence free product placement.
Watching this space. I’m guessing it could be quite a shocker.
Loved this attribution:
So the Kremlin’s trying to catch up with the US NSA, USIA, and other US agencies while sounding like the US Tea Party.
The examples that Buzzfeed showed were far from “thought leader” quality. Twelve-year-old-sounding thought leaders–that’s what Putin needs–more low information voters sounding off with talking points.
People who try to organize this stuff like a marketing campaign always come off looking like idiots. Ro-si-ya, Ro-si-ya, Ro-si-ya comes off as braindead as U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A. Soccer stadiums excepted, of course.
Loved this, myself:
Uh-huh. My take was that it was the NSA, frankly, or some minions thereof. But get this:
Sputnik? Really? Can’t say the man doesn’t have a sense of humour.
Well, I just heard Chris Matthews call George Will “one of the greatest conservative thinkers in Washington”. Now THAT would be a huge story, if it weren’t the stupidest damn thing he might have ever said. And Tweety has said a lot of dumb shit.
Glad to see Tweety trying to up his personal best. He’s probably got a lot of room moving in that direction.
“Conservative thinker” is an oxymoron.
It might be true, actually. “One of the greatest conservative thinkers” is a very low bar.
Tweety needs to retire.
Maybe not the most important, VW’s recognition of UAW at its Tennessee plant.
Am I the only one following the Kobane story? ISIS is not doing so well.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11226998/US-air-strikes-help-halt-Isil-advan
ce-towards-Kobane.html
I fundamentally disagree with the assertion that anything happening right now is important. War is important, but that really isn’t new. Just about everything bad in this country flows from the simple fact that we are at war. The rest is just noise.
Climate agreement w China and immigration executive order. Maybe Obama Derangement Disorder can be fatal in some instances. I’m avoiding the fawning over repubs and the drum beat to cold war going on in lots of tradmed. Interesting that Ebola was suddenly cured by the repub wins in Nov 4.
The potential implosion of the government in Mexico seems like a big deal. The impact on immigration could be huge. Or perhaps Mexican civil society can do what the government hasn’t shown it can: bring some law and order and accountability to the country that badly needs it.
I don’t see it affecting immigration, but it is a huge story.