Palin Makes Troopergate Assertions that Are Flatly False “Well, I’m very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing,” Palin said, “any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that.” uh, whaaaa? Is she talking about an alternate universe?? From the report itself (downloadable directly from the state of Alaska here) FINDINGS: Finding Number One Originally posted on adin.vox.com
For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides
The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.
Finding Number Two
I find that, although Walt Monegan’s refusal to fire Trooper Michael Wooten was not the sole reason he was fired by Governor Sarah Palin, it was likely a contributing factor to his termination as Commissioner of Public Safety. In spite of that, Governor Palin’s firing of Commissioner Monegan was a proper and lawful exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority to hire and fire executive branch department heads.
Finding Number Three
Harbor Adjustment Service of Anchorage, and its owner Ms. Murleen Wilkes, handled Trooper Michael Wooten’s workers’ compensation claim property and in the normal course of business like any other claim processed by Harbor Adjustment Service and Ms. Wilkes. Further, Trooper Wooten received all the workers’ compensation benefits to which he was entitled.
Finding Number Four
The Attorney General’s office has failed to substantially comply with my August 6, 2008 written request to Governor Sarah Palin for infomration about the case in the form of emails.
Had this been a real post everyone's jaws would have dropped from amazement...not at the post itself, but the fact that I posted something on my blogs (vice the tumblelog or twitter)
You may now resume your "normal" (for whatever definition of normal applies) lives.
Testing out the new iPhone app for posting on LJ. But I think that actually trying to post something meaningful using the iPhone is probably a new, special level of hell.
Obviously, Trent gets it. Every opportunity he gets to experiment with a release, he does it a little bit better. This may not be the exact future of music/merchandise distribution, but I'm willing to put a bet on longnow that this page will be seen as the precursor to how it is done.
The future lets you listen, the future doesn't rape you, and most importantly, I don't see a place for a large monolithic RIAA. I see that someone will accomplish the real mission of the RIAA -- shut down mass production counterfeiters, but I think the current RIAA will have to be scrapped and rebuilt from scratch. (The same possibly extends to the IFPI)
I'm proud for Trent. He's got the cajones and the brains to figure it out. It gives me hope that the music industry isn't absolutely beyond salvation -- Hopefully the industry will listen.
And while I'm handing out music industry warm fuzzies, give a couple to Terry McBride & MC Lars. I still don't know about Radiohead.
[From Ghosts - Order Options]
Originally posted on adin.vox.com
This is by no means a complete, exhaustive list, but it covers most of the places I tend to keep up with. This is a "living" list, so if anyone has suggestions for me, I'm all ears!
ME/CFS News
Co-Cure ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia
Sleepydust
About.com ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia Homepage
Current Research Summaries & Medical Info:
Phoenix Rising**
"Official" ME/CFS & Fibro Organizations:
International Association for ME/CFS
CFIDS Association of America**
ME Association (UK)
US Governmental Webpages:
NIH Fibromyalgia Homepage
NIH ME/CFS Homepage
CDC ME/CFS Homepage**
CDC Fibromyalgia Homepage (under arthritis for some reason)
CFS Advisory Committee (CFSAC)
CFSAC Meeting Minutes**
Email lists
ME/CFS News** (many official notices from the NIH/CDC/CFSAC get posted to this list)
CFIDS-L - Action for ME/CFS
Fibromyalgia News
Co-Cure ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia **
CFSAC Listserv
**=recommended by adin
Originally posted on adin.vox.com
I'm a vet, and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I'm surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn't even *higher*. I just received my disability rating of 170%, after a year of watching the VA foreclose on my house and living off of help from my and my wife's family (the AF wasn't paying me while it tried to figure out how to pay me as an IMA reservist on active duty in the process of being medically retired). Even though I'm housebound, I don't know that I'm going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables. This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) veterans in need. I know that many have it worse than I do -- especially since I've gotten assistance from my incredible wife and the D.A.V. -- but I now understand how vets actually do end up on the street or end up committing suicide. Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide. The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren't getting taken care of; it's that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy. This is one of our country's biggest hidden shames -- our greatest advocates are actively being driven to acts of desperation by the very people that are there to help them
Originally posted on adin.vox.com
It took 14 months, much scrimping and hard work by JenniB, but it appears to have finally paid off. We just got the letter that I'm 100% (actually 130%, to be technical) disabled.
Originally posted on adin.vox.com
TenFiveBlue by =diamondlte on deviantART
Originally posted on adin.vox.com
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What game are you really good at?
I'm reasonably good at racquetball (b-level tournaments), volleyball (competitive city/state tourneys), and rapier (yes, real sword combat!)...but oddly enough, I'm a master at one really useless game: air hockey.
I actually found a tournament when I was at UF, I came in second place, with a grueling hour+ final game where my hands (mainly the blisters on my thumbs) gave out. I actually won money and the whole enchilada. I once saw a poster for an "Air Hockey League" in the Denver airport, and if I though it was at all credible, I might have gone for it.
I still play every now and then, but I can't even come close to that "zen" state I would always hit when I was "in the groove". (nothing like having an air hockey table in walking distance from your dorm to let you practice ::grin::)
I pretty much suck at every other game/sport on the planet. But somehow I got the "air hockey" gene. If anyone's ever traveling through/near Albuquerque, NM drop me a line, I'm always up for a game!
Originally posted on adin.vox.com
What would you attempt to do if you knew you could never fail?
Submitted by BeckyPink.
- Run for political office; not sure that I would want the presidency, but I probably would want something in the executive branch.
- Apply for the astronaut program
- Start a no-kill animal shelter, with a goal of making the entire US "no-kill"
- Start a construction business building earthship based homes.
- Sue Northrop Grumman and the VA
- Start a counseling organization that provided mandatory counseling training and education for all pre-teens.
- Start a company to fix all interoperability issues between all platforms and militaries (aka perfect ID friend/foe)
- Implement a world-wide spay/neuter program for pets
- Start a eco-investment company to buy land, monetize nature's services (not products) and simultaneously use the land for production of solar energy. A 100x100km square for energy production should be enough tip the economies of scale
- Pick up my PhD in Counseling, Human Factors, ComSci
Originally posted on adin.vox.com
Just finished reading ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
cameronrogers's book (US edition), The Music of Razors.
Originally posted on adin.vox.com
â™d rather do something better, like stick a red hot screwdriver in my eye or visit the Creation Museum. Or both.
But câ™mon, giant battling alien robots!
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The power of "right thinking" plainly illustrated with fMRI; priceless.
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UPDATE: Here's a direct link to Adam Kokesh's Blog. Wow. Absolute suspension of the right to free assembly.
Apparently leaving the service isn't enough for this administration to try to apply the UCMJ to you. You see, there's a dirty little secret -- almost everyone leaving the military is forced into the "Inactive Ready Reserve" -- it's not really optional, and it's usually for around 6 years after discharge. Supposedly this is for **extreme** emergencies, along the lines of China or the Soviet Union invading the US. But this administration is using this loophole as retribution for someone speaking out.
Understand that it is a punishable offense for any military person to speak unfavorably about anyone higher in the chain of command. It's usually covered under Article 88-91 of the UCMJ. Mind you, this isn't little stuff -- in its most extreme form, protesting can be considered treason, which can be punishable by death. This is why you don't see anyone on Active Duty saying anything, and its why several Generals have chosen retirement--so they can get their right to freedom of speech back While no one is talking treason, or even a court martial, the reactivation of a honorably discharged Non-Commissioned-Officer (Iraq vet) for the express purpose of applying the UCMJ is *unprecedented* in modern professional military history -- in "free" nations with professional militaries.
Here's the specific articles that he could be court-martialed for:
888. ART. 88. CONTEMPT TOWARD OFFICIALS
Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
889. ART. 89 DISRESPECT TOWARD SUPERIOR COMMISSIONED OFFICER
Any person subject to this chapter who behaves with disrespect toward his superior commissioned officer shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
..
891. ART. 91. INSUBORDINATE CONDUCT TOWARD WARRANT OFFICER, NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER, OR PETTY OFFICER
Any warrant officer or enlisted member who--
(1) strikes or assaults a warrant officer, noncommissioned officer, or petty officer, while that officer is in the execution of his office;
(2) willfully disobeys the lawful order of a warrant officer, noncommissioned officer, or petty officer; or
(3) treats with contempt or is disrespectful in language or deportment toward a warrant officer, noncommissioned officer, or petty officer while that officer is in the execution of his office;
shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
892. ART. 92. FAILURE TO OBEY ORDER OR REGULATION
Any person subject to this chapter who--
(1) violates or fails to obey any lawful general order or regulation;
(2) having knowledge of any other lawful order issued by any member of the armed forces, which it is his duty to obey, fails to obey the order; or
(3) is derelict in the performance of his duties;
shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
He is being charged as if he were active duty and not honorably discharged from the military. Once this line begins to blur, anyone that's within the IRR window should be afraid should they choose to exercise their right to free speech. (This is akin to fining a former NBA player for speaking badly about the NBA commissioner -- it really just doesn't make any sense!). This is another method to chip away at that "damn piece of paper" and the rights it provides citizens of the US.
I wouldn't have believed that this would be possible a few years back; this is something straight out of a fascism playbook. (Of course, that was before the AF made the mistake with my own orders..that cascaded into the VA taking my house).
Have we become the new Soviet Union? Should I be looking over my shoulder in case a "Political Officer" is monitoring my actions as a former member of the military?
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What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Well, I'll have to change up the question a little -- I don't really like American style ice cream all that much. First off, its really a frozen custard, second off, it has too much milk --- so the taste is all watered down.
When I lived in Europe I fell in love with gelatto & sorbettos. Rich tastes, smaller portions -- so that you became an ice cream DJ mixmaster of sorts -- if you got a medium or large size gelatto, you usually got scoops of 3+ flavors. It was all about what flavors stood on their own and which ones worked well in combination.
Limone (lemon) was a terrific base; the intense lemon flavor simply exploded on your tongue. I almost always had it in my palette/lineup when I had gelatto. When I was experimenting, I would try to find a sorbetto or fruit-based gelatto that had strong or sour tones. But nothing came close to Limone.
Chocolate/Chocolate hazelnut was usually next...providing the "deep" tones -- it was almost like the "heavy brass" section of the gelatto. The taste was always intense -- much closer to the experience of eating rich Belgian chocolate.
The third spot was usually the surprise, the wildcard, and was where I experimented the most. Most of the time I went for pistache (pistachio), stracciatella (vanilla-ish with chocolate flakes), or a mint flavor (my memory fails me as to the specific flavor names). These flavors provided the finishing touches; the coup de grace on my small symphony of flavor.
Back home in the states, I do my best to try and find good gelatti -- in Albuquerque there was an importer for a while, which brought a huge smile to my face.....and about the only true luxury that I afford my tastebuds. Unfortunately, Scotty's Gelatti went the way of the dodo, but I came across a small coffeehouse in Rio Rancho that serves a couple flavors. It's pretty good and very close to the "real" thing and is close to our current residence. I'm just hoping they survive so that every few weeks I can get my "fix". It'll be good enough. :)
Originally posted on adin.vox.com
What is the one saying that your parents said to you that you absolutely hate?
Submitted by victoriassecret.
I'll have to cheat and say it's a tie between two:
"Control Your Emotions, Be A Man"
and
"Remember, External Locus of Control....You Control Yourself, No One Else Controls You"
Originally posted on adin.vox.com
