Supplemental: We’ve been called away from our desk!

MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2015

On a mission of national import:
We’ve been called away from our desk on a mission of national import involving the proper functioning of the United States federal government.

Our mission takes us to a top-secret federal facility in the western reaches of the greater Shepherdstown, West Virginia metropolitan area. More than that cannot be disclosed concerning our location.

We had hoped to complete our current series, “23 Years Later,” before leaving on this mission. We weren't able to make that happen. Preparation, our dear Watson!

We plan to finish that series on Wednesday morning. We don’t expect to post again until then.

39 comments:

  1. @ B.S.

    Are you attending Jon Stewart's funeral?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sad to hear about Stewart. In other news, former CBS News anchor Dan Rather clings to life.

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    2. No. Frank Gifford"s.

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    3. I think Bob is burying a few federal tax dollars in his pants.

      "Training" our federal workforce to do their jobs better.

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    4. Another area of "expertise" for which he is suited by education and experience?

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    5. Must be, or they wouldn't ask him to do whatever it is.

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    6. Where our suffering Bobby may have been hiding out:

      "This hotel has significant deferred maintenance. For years the federal government's Office of Personnel Management used this location as the Eastern Management Development Center (EMDC) but the long term contract has ended.

      However, OPM is still holding classes here, having awarded the 2015 short term contract while they reportedly look for another location. The classrooms and offices in the EMDC are stripped of furniture, equipment etc - it's now folding tables, empty rooms and shadows on the wallpaper where posters once hung. The technology center, which housed all the computer equipment, is completely empty and there's only a couple of laptops and one printer for the students' use.

      The hotel rooms really have the deferred maintenance. The bathroom sinks (plastic marble) look like someone dropped a bowling ball in them, splintered outwards from the drain (other people confirmed their sinks were the same).

      The furniture is in poor shape, scraped up and old. The comforter covers and the blanket are the same as in the earlier pictures - they look like they're washed every few months, maybe.

      There's also functional obsolescence - while it might have been great when it opened, the building is outdated. The windows are very small and the shower curtain rod isn't curved - so the curtain keeps trying to attach itself to me while I shower.

      Worst of all, though, is the mold in the laundry room. The smell is horrendous and one of the washers was removed, with the mold clearly visible on the wall. A gallon of Kilz paint would go a long way. The dryer didn't work well at all (an hour later, my laundry was still wet) and was installed, I think, during the Truman Administration.

      Suggestion: head to the Laundromat by the Food Lion."

      http://www.yelp.com/biz/clarion-hotel-and-conference-center-shepherdstown

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  2. Excellent piece by some woman in Salon today...

    http://www.salon.com/2015/08/10/the_gops_carly_conspiracy_why_carly_fiorina_is_surging_in_the_republican_primary_and_what_it_means/

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  3. Here is some media criticism not found around here often:

    http://www.salon.com/2015/08/07/fox_news_breathtaking_republican_power_grab_why_megyn_kelly_vs_donald_trump_was_just_the_beginning/

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  4. The Washington Post is at its jihad again with Chris Cilizza and another unflattering photo.

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    Replies
    1. This vendetta creates a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation for the candidate herself.

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  5. Somerby has burned enormous amounts of time over the course of these last three weeks, time in which he could have been discussing some actual societal problems. Now he is taking a couple of days off and didn't even finish his series on manifestly crazy Maddow or the one on the quarter century of crimes from the Times.

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    Replies
    1. Demand a pro-rated refund.

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    2. No need. He'll just comment about it for the newt few weeks.

      "17 Years Later" or "Unfinished Thoughts in Vanity Blogger County."

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    3. Don't bother demanding a pro-rated refund. You won't get it. You might get an amateur-rated refund if you ask nicely,

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  6. I wonder why Megyn Kelly didn't ask Donald Trump about those tweets when she had him as a guest on her own show in May.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some on the right view Trump as a stalking horse for Clinton.
      I view the whole Trump/Kelly controversy as a ratings booster for both. Follow the money.

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    2. I wonder why Donald Trump didn't disclose those tweets when he had the opportunity when he was on Megyn Kelly's show last May.

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    3. Were any of the tweets classified?

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    4. I wonder why Bob hasn't called Megyn out for failure to denounce Trump for his misogyny like he did Rachel and others when they failed to take him on for the Mexicans...they're rapists" comment.

      She is certainly mainstream media if Rachel is.

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    5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    6. @ 6:24

      The reason Trump is still insulting Megyn is because she did call him out on his misogyny during the debate. Why would Kelly ask Trump the question on her show when she knew she was going to be a debate moderator?

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    7. Because my addle-brained friend, when Megyn had Trump on her show he was a "prospective candidate" and she expressed doubt he would actually enter the race. Therefore she had no firm assurance he would be in any debate.

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    8. cicero's blowup dollAugust 10, 2015 at 10:14 PM

      @ 7:41

      L Brent Bozell III sez:

      Welcome to the MRC Internship Program home! Our demanding and challenging internships will provide you with the hands-on experience you need to make it in the fast-paced world of media and public policy. Explore the divisions below to get a feel for the areas in which you could specialize and apply today!

      Delete
  7. Rick Perry has had to stop paying his campaign staff. I wonder if he will wait four years to pay them like super-rich Carly Fiorina did with her California Senate campaign staff.

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    Replies
    1. @ 9:33

      Thanks for the Mother Jones report.

      Is HRC a charter member of the super rich? HRC & Willie Clinton made a combined $141 million between 2007 and 2014.

      Carly and hubby Frank have a net worth of $59 million.

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    2. So they were deadbeats without needing to be. I am sure her former staff appreciated their money management skills.

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    3. The conservative base are jealous, economic know-nothings.
      Stiffing labor is a "get out the vote" tactic.

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    4. @ 1:14

      Sure. And the unions lecturing everyone about minimum wage increase but not for their own members is typical union perfidy.

      "In a last-minute twist, the L.A. County Federation of Labor is pushing for an exemption for union workers in the city's $15 minimum-wage law. The exemption would give employers a choice: Either pay $15 an hour or consent to collective bargaining."

      http://www.laweekly.com/news/la-unions-fighting-to-give-their-own-members-less-than-minimum-wage-5619980

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    5. @ 12:43

      HRC doesn't even have to know how to manage a pay roll as she still relies on slave interns.

      "A former Hillary Clinton campaign fellow is accusing the Democratic front-runner of hypocrisy for relying on unpaid interns and fellows while publicly calling to for increased wages."

      http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/245941-former-unpaid-clinton-campaigner-pay-your-interns

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    6. cicero's blowup dollAugust 11, 2015 at 2:53 PM

      @ 12:19, 1:41 & 1:47

      L Brent Bozell III sez:

      Welcome to the MRC Internship Program home! Our demanding and challenging internships will provide you with the hands-on experience you need to make it in the fast-paced world of media and public policy. Explore the divisions below to get a feel for the areas in which you could specialize and apply today!

      Delete
    7. I can't wait until they outlaw campaign volunteers all together.

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    8. @ 1:14

      Sure.

      Thanks, cicero.

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  8. I can't wait for Somerby's return. Surely he will devote several days to the mainstream media coverage of the first Republican debate. He already has the big scoop: failure of Chris Matthews to debate Carly Fiorina while interviewing her after the debate. It will be fascinating to see what angle he uncovers next.

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    Replies
    1. Did someone take Bob by the arm and lead him away from his desk? Did someone take our Judy, our Elvis, and spirit him away under false pretenses to get some help?

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  9. MSNBC gets fooled by parody tweet.

    No, North Korea did not offer support for ‘noted scholar’ Donald Trump

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/08/10/no-north-korea-did-not-offer-support-for-noted-scholar-donald-trump/

    ReplyDelete