Iraq Invasion Update
 

Spanky, you shouldn't respond to trolls, whether they be on the left or the right. It just encourages Penske.

Iraq Invasion Update
 

Speaking of being independently wealthy, it may not be such a prudent idea to constantly post stuff outing pernske to an internet chatroom all day long.

Iraq Invasion Update
 

I don't think what was done to the Indians was courageous. As far as I know, I have never heard of substantiated accounts of American Revolutionaries specifically targeting civilians. Alexander Hamilton and John Adams never owned slaves and were members of Abolition movements most of their adult lives. I am not sure, but I believe Benjamin Franklin falls into this catagory also.

Iraq Invasion Update
 

How do you know that this isn't a penske sock? Or do Penske socks only attack from the right?

Hanging Chad and Captain Marvelous seemed to have similar lines of reasoning. Accepting facts that support their position, no matter how aburd, and discounting facts that do not support their position, now matter how valid.

Could be the same person.

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

Who is suggesting that business will be free of SEC oversight? Is this a new proposal I missed somewhere?

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

Good point. Even when the fox is guarding the chickenhouse, is there not still regulatory oversight?

Iraq Invasion Update
 

You're right. They must be Hank socks.

Guilty,Guilty, Guilty
 

I fit the profile. I am white and I think both OJ and Michael Jackson were guilty.


Gallup: Public Splits, In 'Major Racial Divide,' on Michael Jackson Verdict

By E&P Staff

Published: June 14, 2005 11:30 AM ET

NEW YORK An overnight Gallup Poll released today shows that 48% of Americans disagree with the verdicts clearing pop star Michael Jackson of all charges in the molesting case and only 34% agree -- and they are split along a “major racial divide,” Gallup said.

Whites disagree with the verdict by about 2-1 (54% to 28%) while nonwhites take the opposite view by 2-1 (56% to 26%).

This recalls the O.J. Simpson verdict in 1995, when whites disagreed with him getting off by 62% to 27% while nonwhites supported it by 67% to 24%.

A clear majority, or 62%, believe that Jackson's celebrity status was a major factor in the verdict.

Nearly half said they were “surprised” by the verdict, with 24% saying they were “outraged.”

Exactly one in four said they were “still a fan” of the singer. Almost as many said they were once fans, but no longer.

Guilty,Guilty, Guilty
 

I have avoided following this trial, as I avoid following every "celebrity" trial. That said, some things manage to leak their way through. From what's gotten through, I have no problem with this verdict -- it seemed permeated with "reasonable doubt," occasionally even overwhelming doubt.

I would not be shocked to learn that Michael Jackson had molested boys. I am shocked, however, that the prosecution chose to hang their hats on this alleged victim and his mother. They were a parody of the gold-digging plaintiffs.

Given that this was, apparently, the best the prosecution could do, I would also not be shocked to learn that Michael Jackson had, in fact, never molested boys.

The whole "this would be different if he weren't a celebrity" strikes me as, bluntly, a crock of shit. People have a gut feel about the guy because of his persona as a celebrity. No one should go to prison on gut feel. But, I think the prosecution was banking on that, and felt that they could get away with a weak case and weaker star witnesses because of the gut feel.

If he weren't a celebrity, I doubt that the case would have been brought on this evidence. I do not doubt that another wealthy defendant, one who was not a celebrity but who, like Jackson, had the means to mount a full defense, would have gotten the same result on the same evidence. In fact, I think it would've been easier for someone who did not bring Jocko's creepiness into the courtroom.

As for OJ, that's a different story. The case was stronger (infinitely), and the prosecution just grossly bungled it. The jury lost sight of the important things, but who can blame them? If the prosecution hadn't spent eight months on bullshit (including, if I remember the Bugliosi book correctly, a full day explaining that an indentation on Nicole's back was caused by the clasp of her dress), then they maybe they could have focused the jury's attention on the important stuff -- the DNA evidence. Also, one has to wonder who got the brilliant idea of asking a professional actor (OJ) to do an uncontrolled demonstration (the glove). Stupid, stupid, stupid.

OTOH, we got a great Chris Rock bit out of it, so that's something. ("You can't tell me that white people wouldn't wonder, if Jerry Seinfeld was being prosecuted for murder and the one cop who found the glove just happened to be in the Nation of Islam.")

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

There you go again. [This part is irony -- the literal meaning of my statement is the opposite of the actual meaning intended] If Ralph Nader were made the US Trade Rep, would you just assume that he would radically shift US policy away from free trade? [/This part is irony -- the literal meaning of my statement is the opposite of the actual meaning intended]


edited for clarity.

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

I would make that Assumption.

Ralph spoke at my law school graduation. He said that there are a ton of attorneys but very few lawyers (or maybe it was the other way around). The few and the proud go out and use the legal system to change society and make their mark on the world. The rest just becomes cogs in the machine. He said that you have to make your mark right out of law school. You can never do it the other way around. He said if you don't do something remarkable by the time you are six years out of lawschool it ain't going to happen. I don't know about the rest of you guys but I missed my chance.

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

Uh, right. So, are you saying you assume that Cox will move the SEC toward a more relaxed way of monitoring?

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

I'm mildly disappointed that this story didn't involve Ralph getting his ass kicked by a Marine in an Okinawa bar.

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

Gee, maybe Donaldson resigned because he really wanted to spend more time with his family.

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

No I am just saying that I would assume Ralph would move us towards a protectionist policy if he were US Trade Representative.

I am confused
 

Maybe I am confused, but you guys seem to be arguing with eachother eventhough you agree. Sidd - do you think the SEC is going to be less regulatory with Cox? If you do, what the hell is the point of dispute? On the other hand if you think you can't assume that Cox will be less regulatory, does that mean one can't assume that Ralph will be anti-trade?

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

One of these days, you'll be able to recognize sarcasm (irony?)when you see it. And then, the charm of your innocence will be gone.

I am confused
 

Go back and re-read my post. I have edited it for clarity.


As for the serious question, I think it is obvious that the SEC will be less regulatory with Cox. More importantly, there will be no more effort to make it more regulatory -- Donaldson was pushing for greater regulation, but could not move things forward. Cox will not want to move things forward in that direction; he will move in the opposite direction.

This is as obvious as the proposition in my Nader-comment. If Nader were Trade Rep, he would pursue more protectionist policies -- that's obvious to anyone who knows a damn thing about him (though people can suprise -- viz. Souter being a lot less conservative than his record as state AG would have suggested.) We can argue whether less enforcement by the SEC would be good or bad, but I don't think anyone can really expect that he will not pursue a policy of less enforcement.


eta: Note that I tried to start a discussion on Cox several days ago, but we were all busy arguing about whether Chilean wines produced under Pinochet were as good as the Bordeaux produced under Petain. My view is that, while the PSLRA was in part a necessary response to abusive suits, it contributed to an attitude that there was no accoutability to investors.

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

I think it went like this:

Someone posted something that had, as an (unstated?) premise, that Cox would be for less strict regulation as head of SEC than the guy who is leaving.

Club posted something like you bastard liberals just assume that he'll be a lax regulator blah blah Ayn Rand blah blah.

Sidd posted the thing about Nader sarcastically -- basically saying, hey, if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck and swims like a duck, it's pretty much a duck, and you'd do the same thing if you weren't reading from the RNC talking points memo.

You bizarrely thought he was making a substantive point about Nader, because apparently you are incapable of normal human conversation circa 2000.

I typed out this thing after a huge meeting, which is completely inexplicable.




Is the innocence really charming? I think not.

Heh
 

Guy who edited environmental reports to join Exxon Mobil.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050614/...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl

Can you say it with a straight face?
 

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Cooney's departure was "completely unrelated" to the disclosure two days earlier that he had made changes in several government climate change reports that were issued in 2002 and 2003.

I may be naive, but not that naive.

Can you say it with a straight face?
 

Spanky! You're growing up!

(Oh, my, yes, you are growing up!)

Pits
 

Is it just me or are the mother's comments way off the chart?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...NGJND7G5L1.DTL(spree: 9 year old mauled by pit bulls after walking in on pits schtupping).

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

This is one of the few instances over the last X years I've been posting here that I actually know what I'm talking about. The differences in enforcement from administration to administration or from commissioner to commissioner are not very dramatic. The only "loosening" I expect is at the high profile level (e.g., I think the SEC will back away a bit from the Spitzer type investigations (or persecutions, depending on your perspective).

I am confused
 

I responded to this the other day but it went no where.

Why do you think that the PSLRA changed accountability to investors? My guess, and it is only a guess, is that the number of securities law suits filed since the PSLRA has not been dramatically effected and may have even increased post SOX.

eta: Hey all you tax dorks out there . . . if this discussion goes anywhere, you'll get a feel for how the rest of us feel when y'all delve into your esoteric tax discusisons.

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

How many years ago was it the SEC had no cachet as a place to work? How long under Cox before it loses that cachet?

Iraq Invasion Update
 

I knew Ghostface Sockkillah, GhostFace Sockkillah was a friend of mine, and Sidd, you are no Ghostface Sockkillah.

B(encouraging Penske)S

Iraq Invasion Update
 

Did someone bellow? NTTAWWT

BTW, you forgot to mention which sock you wanted.

Croak Madame perhaps?

How about Yankee Doodle Greedy?

Or Pubic Hair on a Coke Can?

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

Its an odd thing for Ralph to say, considering that he pretty much canceled out his previous good works by getting Bush elected in 2000. Is he suggesting its better to do a lot of good, then do something horrifically bad, which pretty much outweighs your previous good deeds, than it is to have done nothing at all? I haven't been much more than a cog in the machine, but I also haven't upset the machine for no reason other than my own insane ego trip.

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

I think somewhere up until about 1 day before Congress approved a ~35% across-the-board increase to the pay grades.

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

Right. If I remember correctly, the SEC lawyers are now paid on par with justice.

Chris Cox
 

No, they're actually paid on a par with the Fed, which is about 30% higher than Justice. Well, I guess I should say (from what I know, and it's not a huge amount on this), that at least the top staff salary is ~30% higher than the top staff salary at DOJ, which is still on the GS schedule. So the top lawyer salary at DOJ is somewhere around $130k, and at the SEC somewhere around $160k (or more). Apparently top staff are paid more than the Commissioners.

Can you say it with a straight face?
 

Darmak at Tanagra!!! His eyes open wide!!


(inside joke)

Pits
 

She's worried that the dogs may hurt the kid.... so she locks up the kid?

It's times like these that I wonder why this country lets just anyone breed.

Any Rand and Chuck Schumer
 

I'd be interested to hear why you think this. I've spoken with several people who I consider very knowledgeable in this area -- former SEC attorneys, people who practice before the SEC, etc. -- and they take a very different view.

Pits
 

The locking the kid up was perhaps to keep him inside, not just away from the doggies. I believe lots of childcare-less moms use that technique to control the kids.

They aren't good parents, though.

Pits
 

She didn't lock the kid in the house; she locked him in the basement. Because she was worried that the male pit bull was "possessive" -- i.e., that he might attack the kid.

She didn't lock the dogs in the basement. Or chain them, as she should have. She knowingly left the kid in a dangerous situation.

Shoot her and be done with it.

Pits
 

I know all that. The kid is good with locks, he got out of the basement. Maybe she knew he couldn't be locked in the house other than by being in the basement.

Guilty,Guilty, Guilty
 

2. On every last everlovin' point.

Pits
 

By all accounts, the kid was pretty popular. For some reason, dropping him off at a friend's place to play was apparently not an option.

This really pissed me off. She said she has no regrets about what she did, and that she still loves the pets, etc. If any animal killed my child, I would wring the life out of that animal with my bare hands and face the consequences later. She should be looking at a manslaughter charge, to my mind.