Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Net Neutrality defeated at Federal level but court says States free to act on their own.

- Where does Mexico get its guns? Interesting Fox News article seems to give a plausible justification for the Obama Administration's Operation Fast and Furious but also suggesting the border wall could stem the tide of illegal immigrants coming to the US AND illegal guns into Mexico.

- I did not know this.

- Speaking of exercise - How to work out like Tom Brady

- Good question - why hasn't the FDA made Naloxone available over the counter as a measure to help fight the damage cause by fentanyl?

- It's been 2-years since the passing of Tom Petty. Rolling Stone put together a list of what they consider his top 50 songs to mark the anniversary.

- Journal Nature retracts ocean-warming study. Because of bad math. On a related note - Michael Crichton was a very smart man.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- 50-years ago today

- Science has first ever images of molecules changing their charge state.

- This is pretty cool

- The scandal in Washington no one is talking about. This always should have been a much bigger thing.

- Civilian drone warfare has arrived

- Amazon asks FCC to launch satellites for broadband service. Jeff Bezos quietly making a run at Elon Musk's Starlink satellite project.

- In the final minutes of his life, Calvin has one last talk with Hobbes. It may get misty for you when reading this (it did for me)

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Had to tap out of watching the UFC last night around midnight to go watch live music instead. An overall very disappointing fight card... Six months ago yesterday... The movie Three Days of the Condor was based on the book Six Days of the Condor. Was it reduced to three days because of budget constraints?... Given how he doesn't seem to believe in the Ideal Gas Law - could Roger Goodell be the poster boy for climate change deniers?... Speaking of climate change - one of the biggest factors in climate change is the Earth's magnetic pole shifting from North to South. We still know so very little about the Earth's "magnetic personality" (so let's blame Americans who don't drive Prius' for climate change instead to make us feel better for our ignorance - better yet let's blame Tom Brady)... Holy crap - did the Garland Texas shooter buy one or more of his guns via the Fast and Furious "sting"?... Given how much credibility Chris Mortensen has flushed down the toilet in DeflateGate - someone should start a fake Twitter handle for him and report things like, "Multiple league sources confirm that Roger Goodell was eaten by wolves. And that he was delicious"... How can it be "Ultimate" fighting when biting and kicks or punches to the dick/baby-maker aren't allowed? Wouldn't that be the ultimate in fighting? Truly no holds barred...

Presidential Pardons

If President Obama loses the election one of the most interesting things to watch for will be who he decides to give Presidential pardons to on the way out the door. I'm inclined to believe that President Obama may give Attorney General Eric Holder a blanket pardon. Holder would then become where the buck stops on anything the Administration did that may have been in less than the spirit of the law. Fast and Furious would be the obvious scandal that could stop at Holder's door. In exchange for immunity Holder could take the blame for that. Taking illegal foreign campaign contributions? Holder could step up and say "My bad!" There are any number of examples (and probably many more will see the light of day if Obama loses Tuesday).

Many people have called for Eric Holder's resignation for many years. The President stuck by Holder probably because Holder knew too much. Giving Holder a pardon in exchange for Holder agreeing to take the blame for anything and everything would seem a fair exchange. I'm not sure if the law allows for pardons for crimes that have not been charged yet but hey - when did a little thing like the law stop this Administration?

Just combine the pardon with yet another Executive order - presto chango!

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

How deliciously ironic would it be if President Obama's Executive Privilege ploy on the Fast and Furious scandal gets undermined by people leaking documents?... Pretty cool - navigating the solar system from your desktop... Is it just me or does Jarrod Saltalamacchia always look like he just came from a Phish concert?... 11 Authors who hated the movie versions of their books. Didn't know about the Mary Poppins story. They easily could have added Tom Clancy, Elmore Leonard and Ernest Hemingway to the list... Have you seen that Subway commercial where the fire chief steals and eats the fireman's sub? You know that same fire chief sexually harasses the female firefighter when nobody is around. You just know it... Wow - no wonder nobody is hiring! Obamacare adds $1.79 per hour to the cost of a full-time employee... My two word response to people who ask me why I support the death penalty - Jerry Sandusky.

Bill Whittle on Fast and Furious

I agree with this video 100%.

I keep waiting for reporters to ask the simple question of who was the Obama Administration official responsible for giving the green light to Fast and Furious. It's been a year and a half since the death of Brian Terry. Don't the parents of Brian Terry deserve at least that most basic answer? Any Democrat who asserts that this is just political grandstanding should be made to answer the question of who was responsible in public and if they can't provide the name then they should be asked to resign.

Fast and Furious - Executive Privilege

Yesterday I jotted down my thoughts on Fast and Furious just prior to it becoming the dominant story of the day as President Obama used Executive Privilege as a get out of jail free card for Attorney General Eric Holder. Since then there has been much said about the President's action and what it really means.

I have three thoughts I'd like to toss out there.

1. People seem to want to make this an either / or situation. Either this is a legitimate use of Executive Power or the President and Holder are trying to hide something nefarious. I suggest a possible third path or explanation - this exercising of Executive Privilege may simply be another example of simple incompetence. Holder and Obama may just not understand the principle of Executive Privilege and this article by John Hinderaker seems to support the frivolous nature of the claim. Of course I don't rule out the option that the Administration is both trying to hide something AND incompetent.

2. Karl Rove on Fox News floated the idea that the Obama Administration knows this isn't good news for them but that they need a shiny object to keep people distracted from focusing on the economy for a few weeks and Fast and Furious was the least evil of the options available to them. This was a WOW! statement for me. The Democrats have tried Bain Capital, high school bullying, Romney's record as Governor, Mormonism, even an Executive Fiat version of illegal immigrant amnesty and now they are out of shiny objects? Wow - Obama's own people must think things are not just bad but awful if this is the case and Fast and Furious would be the LEAST damaging distraction.

3. Small quibble but anyone who says this is just "election year politics" should be reminded that this started a year and a half ago and AG Holder could have ended it at any time by just providing the information requested. He's the one that delayed things so it is now coming to a head 5 months before the election. The simple question of "who authorized Fast and Furious?" has not been answered. Until that question is answered this will continue to be an issue.

Time Running Out or Running out the Clock?

The New York Post has an article from Michael Walsh suggesting that time is running out for Attorney General Eric Holder. Walsh also argues for keeping the pressure on - a strategy I agree with. However, as I've said before - Eric Holder is trying to run out the clock - in effect running a "four-corners" offense until the November elections. Then either way, win or lose, the President can offer his friend a blanket pardon for any actions related to Fast and Furious.

Two thoughts:

1. I think the handling of the situation has been awful by the Obama Administration. Putting everything off to the very end just keeps the story in the news just when the Administration can't afford these types of stories. It was easy for friendly media outlets to ignore this story in the past but how can they possibly ignore a story about the Attorney General being cited for contempt? Giving the impression that the Administration is lawless and capable of anything is not the way to convince voters to give Obama four more years in November.

2. I wonder even if Obama gives Holder a blanket pardon - would that pardon cover crimes that occurred in Mexico? Could Mexican officials press charges against Holder for the dozens of murders and counting that are related to Fast and Furious and would Holder be liable to extradition?

This story will get bigger and bigger and the Obama Administration has no one to blame for the timing or the scope.

Fast and Furious Theory

I think anyone following the Fast and Furious scandal has come to the realization that Attorney General Eric Holder had to be involved and that knowledge and authorization for the operation may have even gone higher than him. Holder, however, has given no indication that he is going to resign and President Obama has given no indication that he plans to ask for Holder's resignation any time soon.

Let me share a thought that occurred to me earlier today - maybe Attorney General Holder's plan is to "run out the clock" until the November election. Then if President Obama loses - he can give Holder a blanket pardon for any involvement he may or may not have had in Fast and Furious. That way Holder doesn't go to jail and he also becomes the place where the buck stops. Holder will have incentive to say the President was in no way aware or involved in Fast and Furious.

The more I think of it - the more I think that this is a likely scenario.

Fast and Furious

I think this scandal will start to get more and more attention in the coming months - and well it should. Watergate didn't have a body count.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

The ad in Variety seeking 4 folk musicians to audition for what would become The Monkees

What the Original $1 Bill Looked Like

Awesome - the Martin Luther insult generator

Eric Holder and Fast and Furious will be an albatross around Obama's neck - story isn't going away