Talk about chutzpah

When Bush Pere pardoned Cappy Weinberger, and five others, for their role in the Iran-Contra mess I thought it was amazing. One of the most egregious uses of executive power to cover the executives ass I was ever likely to see.

It was, you see, a pre-emptive pardon; in appearance much like Nixons. All of them had to admit to committing illegal acts (else they'd not need a pardon) but it kept them from going to trial, which meant we wouldn't know until later (and with the present Bush in the office, much later) what role Poppy had in the crimes.

All of this was ignored when the people ragging Clinton last minute pardons were spouting about his mis-use of that power (since extending clemency to the convicted must be bad, but using a power of the Oval Office to keep one's own ass out of jail is good. And yes, I am reading into that set of pardons that Bush Pere was in the illegal sale of arms, and the sideline trafficking of drugs, and the strengthening of Iran, up to his very eyeballs).

But that's nothing on the Governor of Kentucky, he has gone better than that. Better even than the Democratic Governor who pardoned four people facing charges.

Background: Kentucky has laws relating to the hiring, and perhaps more importantly, firing of gov't employees. The theory is it's based on merit, not party affiliation, nor specific politics.

Nine people, present, and former, state officials were indicted, one on felony counts, the rest on misdemeanors, alleging they broke those laws.

Not only did hizzoner grant them pardons (thus closing off that line of investigation. Barring a contempt citation the Grand Jury has no leverage) he also said he would grant a pardon to anyone else the Grand Jury indicts.

Unlike the Bush pardons, however, this set seems to have annoyed people, people who could do something about it. His Lt. Governor was against them, and members of the legislatture are talking impeachement, as is the Atty General, "Gov. Fletcher broke his promise to the people of Kentucky to cooperate fully with the investigation. It will be up to the members of the General Assembly to decide whether this conduct merits impeachment proceedings."

Strange spam

This may be legit, but I wonder why they spammed it, why they chose my .mil account and why they make the assumption the recipients will be at a bookfair in Frankfurt.

It reads well, and I can't see the scam if any, right up front (it may have to do with the non-payment until first shipment, and that being not quite the case).

I thought, at first, it was a vanity publishing scheme, from the e-mail header.

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Funny, in a sad sort of schadenfruede way

It's text based, but sill a tad risque, so if people read over your shoulder, you might not want read about a case of WTF?

Or, when an RPG goes bad.

Sigh...

What's wrong with these pictures?





Nothing, right?

Well, if you go and look at them here and here you will see that the couple in the first picture are just grabbing needed food, where the kid in the second has looted a grocery.

The only differences I can see between them are the color of their skin, and the bag of food the kid has (and the guy has a knapsack, so it's possible they have more than a "bottle of milk, a loaf of bread and come home right away." Absent knowledge of what's in the bag, and of how many people the kid might be taking it too; or of when he might be rescued, I'm willing to cut him the same slack the ones in the top picture get.

The food in those groceries is doomed. The perishables will perish and the semi-durable (canned goods) will probably be unsalvageable by the time they get the waters out of the city for not only are the pumps not capable of more than an inch an hour (as I recall reading) but they put the water into Lake Ponchartrain, which would be, until they repair the levee breaches, a Sysiphean task, since it will just run right back into town, charging anyone with looting; for food, is pointless, but the distinctions made here... sigh.