karn wrote:Ha, yes, well that is quite true. But righteousness however shiny, new, old, shit-smeared or any other adjective - if in the name of true righteousness and not self-interest - is still a far more honorable hand to play than that of the deceitful or iniquitous one, no?

karn wrote:Fair points, and none of which I disagree with. Where I land on the matter is that if the people in charge cannot and will not take seriously something as morally simple as protecting the lives of its people, or, at the very least, being forthcoming about how or why those lives were lost, how then can we, as citizens largely on equal footing with those who died, feel satisfied to entrust those same people with the responsibilities of doing the right thing on the big domestic issues? How are the whitewashing tactics and the handcart reality of the country not directly correlated?

Bucky wrote:I'm with Karn here. Well, I do believe that once the rest of the story is known it will seem less malevolent than it's being depicted as. But if these stories hold, I will be extremely disappointed in this administration, regardless of what their predecessors mat have done.

jerseyhoya wrote:IRS Apologizes for Targeting Conservative Groups - Holy #$!&@

Hours after a West paramedic was arrested for possessing a destructive device Friday, the Texas Rangers and McLennan County Sheriff’s office launched a criminal investigation into the fatal fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people, injured 200 others and damaged hundreds of homes.

But authorities have yet to say whether the arrest of 31-year-old Bryce Reed was related to the April 17 explosion at West Fertilizer Co. Reed was being held by U.S. marshals on Friday after he was booked into the McLennan County Jail. He was due in federal court Friday morning.

The State Fire Marshal’s office has not determined – or ruled out – whether the fire was a criminal act or accidental. The agency also has not determined the cause of the fire that preceded the deadly explosion, believed to be fueled largely by ammonium nitrate kept at the plant. Rachel Moreno, a spokeswoman for the fire agency, said Friday she could not comment on Reed’s arrest.

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw and McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara released a joint statement Friday morning about their criminal investigation. Neither mentioned Reed’s arrest.

“The citizens of McLennan County and Texas must have confidence that this incident has been looked at from every angle and professionally handled – they deserve nothing less,” McNamara said.

Rick Klein ‏@rickklein
IRS. Official. RT @Goldfarb: The senior IRS official briefing the press just said: "I'm not good at math."

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said: “If you link Watergate and Iran-Contra together and multiply it maybe by 10 or so, you’re going to get in the zone where Benghazi is.”

drsmooth wrote:

karn wrote:Fair points, and none of which I disagree with. Where I land on the matter is that if the people in charge cannot and will not take seriously something as morally simple as protecting the lives of its people, or, at the very least, being forthcoming about how or why those lives were lost, how then can we, as citizens largely on equal footing with those who died, feel satisfied to entrust those same people with the responsibilities of doing the right thing on the big domestic issues? How are the whitewashing tactics and the handcart reality of the country not directly correlated?

They are - and have been. This event you've chosen to elevate is hardly singular