"Toronto Mayor Denies Smoking Crack Cocaine."-Reuters.

?
I would also like to deny smoking crack cocaine...God, that is a terrible headline. When did you stop beating your wife?

The National Transportaion Safety Board which is in charge of this issue has recommended that laws be passed to lower the blood alcohol level at which driving is illegal from .08% to .05%. Until thirteen years ago the illegal limit was .10%. Then it was lowered to .08% and now the recommendation of .05%. The National Transportaion Safety Board can kiss...I oppose this.

Smaller story but I'm sure you'll be interested--the State of California has balanced its budget, nay even has a surplus :o, the first time in a decade that that has occurred. A rebounding economy and Governor Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown's successful tax increase are responsible for this good news.

Obama sure seems to have gotten off to a rocky start in his second term, hasn't he?  Jeez. "No drama Obama" was not reelected.

Search Keyword of the Day: fbis-chi-91-215

That's the citation to "Deng Initiates New Policy 'Guiding Principle," a US Department of Defense white paper.

This is The Atlantic quoting from a New York Times article...This is Public Occurrences quoting The Atlantic quoting The New York Times.  WHATEVER! What this is is not good:

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Tuesday defended the Justice Department's sweeping seizure of telephone records of Associated Press journalists, describing the article by The A.P. that prompted a criminal investigation as among "the top two or three most serious leaks that I've ever seen" in a 35-year career. "It put the American people at risk, and that is not hyperbole," he said in an apparent reference to an article on May 7, 2012, that disclosed the foiling of a terrorist plot by Al Qaeda's branch in Yemen to bomb an airliner. "And trying to determine who was responsible for that, I think, required very aggressive action." 

In a statement in response The A.P.'s president and chief executive, Gary Pruitt, disputed that the publication of the article endangered security. "We held that story until the government assured us that the national security concerns had passed," he said. "Indeed, the White House was preparing to publicly announce that the bomb plot had been foiled." Mr. Pruitt said the article was important in part because it refuted White House claims that there had been no Qaeda plots around the first anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden."

This is compelling evidence that the Justice Department's subpoena's were motivated by politics, to protect the president from revelations that his approach toward Islam represents a FALSE IDEOLOGY.

JEE-sus Christ.

The January 5, 2011 post, "New York City, December 2008," has been read six times today, only 140 times overall. I'm proud of the writing in that post. I like to write and that is about as well as I can do.

Myanmar [Burma] 8
USA 5
Germany 1
Sweden 1
( last two hours)

A friend and I were conversating today about how puzzling it can be to navigate the world wide web and I told him that one of the pleasurable mysteries of having had a blog for so long is imagining how people find such a tiny website as this. I mentioned to him that a few days ago there was a spike in readers from Norway; there was a spike yesterday from Ukraine. Now Myanmar. As I told my friend, China I can understand but Russia now number two? I've written a lot of dumb "Rooski" posts but "serious" posts like on China, maybe a couple on Alexie Navalny and Pussy Riot, that's it. Ukraine, never; and Ukraine is tenth in pageviews. Norway?  Nothing serious (a couple that tickled me anyway) after Obama won the Nobel Peace prize. Myanmar/Burma, puh-lease. 

And with that, I am checking out. I know I can never leave. But I am stabbing this day with steely knives.

Baby.

I have 20/400 vision. Yes, you read that right. However, despite having 20/400 "vision," I could see that Deadhead sticker on the Cadillac. I can also see you.  Yes I, Benjamin X. Harris, can see you, your brown skin shining in the sun. I can also see that you got that hair slicked back and those Ray-Ban Wayfarers on.

Baby.

Funny thing happened today: Out on the road I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac. Can you believe it? A Grateful Dead bumpersticker on a Caddy! Couldn't believe my eyes.

"Tax Scandal Fells IRS Chief."-Wall Street Journal.

Steven Miller, acting head, is out, his resignation requested and received by President Obama, over the targeting of Tea Party groups.

Public Occurrences is dedicated today to the band Eagles.

This is from the lead editorial in The New York Times today:

The Obama administration, which has a chilling zeal for investigating leaks and prosecuting leakers, has failed to offer a credible justification for secretly combing through the phone records of reporters and editors at The Associated Press...
...

Both Mr. Holder [Attorney General] and Mr. Cole [Deputy A.G.] declared their commitment — and that of President Obama — to press freedoms. Mr. Cole said the administration does not “take lightly” such secretive trolling through media records.

We are not convinced. [That's an ouch.]
...

The Obama administration has indicted six current and former officials under the Espionage Act, which had previously been used only three times since it was enacted in 1917. [Ooh.] One, a former C.I.A. officer, pleaded guilty under another law for revealing the name of an agent who participated in the torture of a terrorist suspect. Meanwhile, President Obama decided not to investigate, much less prosecute, anyone who actually did the torturing.[Hmm.]
...

The Justice Department is pursuing at least two major press investigations, including one believed to be focused on David Sanger’s reporting in a book and in The Times on an American-Israeli effort to sabotage Iranian nuclear works. These tactics will not scare us off, or The A.P...

"The overall advice that he [defense attorney] gave me is that you have a right to get your stuff. He gave me an example that if you're walking the street and you see your laptop in a car, you can use force to break the window of the car."

                    -O.J. Simpson today, CNN.

Says Benjamin Harris, no more today.

Search Keyword of Day: toru hashimoto asshole.

"To maintain discipline in the military, it must have been necessary at that time. For soldiers who risked their lives in circumstances where bullets are flying around like rain and wind, if you want them to get some rest, a comfort women system was necessary. That's clear to anyone."

                      -Toru Hashimoto, Mayor of Osaka, Japan.

Said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei: "We are appalled and indignant about the Japanese politician's comments boldly challenging humanity and historical justice."

Said Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga: "The stance of the Japanese government on the comfort women issue is well known. They have suffered unspeakably painful experiences."

Says Benjamin Harris: 1. "Comfort women" were forced prostitutes. Forced sex is rape. The comfort women system therefore was systematized rape. 2. Toru Hashimoto therefore is an ignorant asshole. 3. Ditto what Hong Lei said. 4. Yoshihide Suga's statement does not exclude Hashimoto's contention that the comfort women system was "necessary." 5. Suga and the Japanese government therefore are assholes on this issue.

"My Medical Choice," Angelina Jolie, New York Times.

How many physicians would choose to perform a double mastectomy on an identically-situated patient: 37 years old, cancer-free, identical genetic mutation, identical, 87%, chance of developing breast cancer, identical, 50%, chance of contracting ovarian cancer?

It was not Ms. Jolie's choice alone.

Rooski, Shhh. Listen.

ping.
ping.
ping.

We ping the Murmansk, Rooski! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.

Rooski, we spy on you today, tomorrow, third Tuesday of last week! We spy on you till we get yawn. You no can stop us Rooski by arrest one little pee-pee. We still do. You see, Rooski.  We ping the Mumansk, we pong Kremlin!

[Carl] Bernstein Calls Out W.H. On AP Subpoena.-Politico.

Holder Says AP Probe Handled By Deputy After He Recused Himself.-Fox News.

Is This The End of Eric Holder's Tenure At The Justice Department.-The Atlantic.

"Russia Detains American, Saying He Is CIA Officer."

Rooski! Three can play game. We go tat for teet, we arrest Gromyko! Ha-ha-ha. You like, Rooski? We arrest Gromyko, Ha-ha-ha.

Preventive double mastectomy...Wh...I...Wh...B...

Preventive doub

                          le

                             mast

                                    ectomy.

Alrighty then.

"Russia Detains American, Saying He Is CIA Officer."-New York Times

Rooski, what you doski! So he have extra cash in pocket. He try enroll in Russian police academy! Eh, what a little spy among enemies? Rooski, we send other meteorite after you, this time Moscow!

Boy, Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy. One of the sexiest, most beautiful women in the world. Poor thing. Cancer is so insidious. My family has had it every which way. Ever heard of tongue cancer? We thought they said lung cancer. My sister-in-law had tongue cancer. When you have treatment and the docs tell you "We got it all" you think, and sometimes the docs slip and say it,  you're "cured." We know there's no cure for cancer but that's how we think; that's how the medical profession makes us think. It's not true. It's insidious. Hate that friggin' disease, or whatever it is. I don't think Bush invented cancer but we should ask Obama. Personally, I think Islam invented,
or at least causes, it. "Islam causes cancer," spread the word.

"Under Sweeping Subpoenas, Justice Department Obtained AP Phone Records in Leak Investigation."-Washington Post.

That may be the record for longest headline. 

This is getting weird:

"In a sweeping and unusual move, the Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of journalists working for the Associated Press as part of a year-long investigation into the disclosure of classified information about a failed al-Qaeda plot last year."

...

"The aggressive investigation into the possible disclosure of classified information to the AP is part of a pattern in which the Obama administration has pursued current and former government officials suspected of releasing secret material. Six officials have been prosecuted so far, more than under all previous administrations."

...

"The inquiry is one of two leak investigations ordered last June by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. The second involves a New York Times article about the Stuxnet computer virus, which was developed jointly by the United States and Israel to damage nuclear centrifuges at Iran’s main uranium enrichment plant."

For now I trust the prosecutors.

Manchester City have fired manager Roberto Mancini after three years in charge and two trophies, the FA Cup in 2011 and the English Premier League title a year ago today. City did underachieve this year. The players did not seem to have, to use Mancini's word the same "mind" this year. There was some lack of spirit. City was a Peyton's Place the first two years, with Carlos Tevez refusing to come off the bench and demanding a transfer every other week to Mario Balotelli lighting his bathroom on fire. That is not the spirit you want but somehow Mancini made it work. This year Tevez behaved but didn't produce and Balotelli followed up a great season (on the pitch) with a spectacular performance for Italy in Euro 2012 only to disappear for City. Mancini finally sold him. It was as if loss of any emotional edge, however dysfunctional, meant loss of all edge on the pitch. Whatever it was Roberto Mancini recognized it but could not arrest it. I will always remember Roberto in one way, the way he was on May 15, 2012, when Kun Aguero scored to beat QPR, one of the most dramatic finishes in any sport at any time, ever:

"Obama Scoffs At Libya Outcry..."

I don't know if "scoffs" is the right political strategy. Maybe I just don't liked being "scoffed"...or "scoffed at," whatever the proper usage is. Not that he's scoffing at me, I have no "evidence" that he actually, like, knows who I am.  All I know is he never calls!

Seriously, Obama doesn't (didn't, anyway) seem to me a "scoffer." He has not seemed to me to be an arrogant man Oh, I can hear the guffaws. One who scoffs, who is "dismissive," I would think such a person to be arrogant, like "You little twits, be gone!"  He does not seem to me the you-little-twits-be-gone sort, but I could be wrong. He views the world as a very "complex" place (I've read). Twits don't make the world complex, they make it simple, you don't have to pay attention to them, you can be "dismissive" of them and their twitting viewpoints. So, this is new, to me.

                                                              -OR-

Sometimes, a person "scoffs" as a cover (up) when he really is concerned about something. "You little twits, be gone" because I can't make you go away with the facts! There is a there there: Susan Rice did go on the Sunday talk shows and say Benghazi was not a terrorist attack. And she did blame it on "Innocence of Muslims."  As did the president, and the secretary of state. And the "talking points" were scrubbed of references to Al Qaeda in Libya. And David Petraeus, then head of the CIA was "exasperated" at several points by the administration's insistence that CIA reports not use the term "Islamic terrorists."  Be gone, Islamic terrorists! The Obamas can't make Islamic terrorists go away in fact so they have tried to, and are trying to, make them go away stylistically, in print. T'aint gonna happen.

"Obama Scoffs At Libya Outcry..."-New York Times.

"An exasperated President Obama on Monday called Republican criticism of his handling of the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, 'a sideshow' and said that any accusation of a cover-up by his administration 'defies logic.'...Mr. Obama was dismissive of the continuing controversy...'Suddenly, three days ago, this gets spun up as if there's something new to the story.  There's no there there,' Mr. Obama told reporters..."