Open Thread

11 Comments

1. 

   maryb2004 on June 10, 2009 at 11:59 am

   I assume this means the court won’t hear the case.  So we still won’t know if the immigration arguments are persuasive.

   But at least they are going to a tropical paradise. Until global warming destroys it.

   • 

     justadood on June 10, 2009 at 12:09 pm

     tropical paradise…and one with fairly lax customs requirements….

     meaning it should not be overly difficult for Chinese agents to just travel to Palau for a vacation, kill a few Uighurs, and get some Sun-n-surf.   Certainly a win-win situation, no?

   • 

     DaveW on June 10, 2009 at 12:28 pm

     Cheney said Guantanamo is a tropical paradise, so I guess it’s a lateral move.

     • 

       maryb2004 on June 10, 2009 at 12:50 pm

       Yeah, even a tropical paradise is a prison if you aren’t allowed to leave it.  

       Personally I think being put on a tropical island would be hell – I have to stay out of the sun.

2. 

   Quentin on June 10, 2009 at 12:09 pm

   How much is the U.S. paying Palau for the service? It’s so obnoxious that a big bunch of U.S. power addicts think that other countries have to clean up their Gitmo mess for them while they go their merry way and wash their hands clean of the whole filthy business. It’s a lot like the banksters who will now be free to move on to their next bonus splash.

3. 

   MNPundit on June 10, 2009 at 12:48 pm

   I posted on DKos but…. Mark Ambiner said McCain is in Obama’s head when it comes to questions of Nat’l Sec. torture and the photos. And Obama likes it that way.

4. 

   MikeInOhio on June 10, 2009 at 12:55 pm

   Now where was that path to the moral high ground?  I know it was right around here somewhere???

   The United States is pursuing “every possible channel” to secure the release of two American journalists imprisoned in North Korea, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday, expressing deep concerns about the secrecy of their trial and the severity of their sentences.
   …

   “Obviously we are deeply concerned about the length of the sentences and the fact that this trial was conducted totally in secret,” Clinton said.
   …

   Yep, those secret trials with no oversight which result in long sentences are a real bitch, aren’t they?

   Karma???

5. 

   boran2 on June 10, 2009 at 1:59 pm

   Following in the steps of the recent Survivor Palau, no doubt.  But will they be voted off the island?

6. 

   americanforliberty on June 10, 2009 at 2:00 pm

   Here we go again..

   As U.S. currency has lost value over the past several months, crude prices have doubled largely from the influx of cash from Wall Street. Investors have used oil and other commodities as a hedge against a weak dollar.

   http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Oil-prices-near-72-strike-new-apf-15490655.html?sec=topStories&pos
   4&asset&ccode=

   Has the TARP money gone to raise the price you pay at the pump? Sheer speculation is the sole purpose the run-up in the price of oil and ruin the economy that is still in a recession.

7. 

   Oui on June 10, 2009 at 2:11 pm

   .
   Convinced it will be temporary:

   Palau Island and Climate Change

   “Palau as a Pacific Island Nation, is proud of and humbled by the splendor with which we have been graced. However, we find ourselves increasingly isolated and vulnerable to the impacts of globalization. Like most small developing island nations, we are working diligently to take our place as a member of the global economy. However, we lack the tools and the capacity that larger nations have to bridge the gap from developing to developed status. This vulnerability is further intensified by the adverse impacts of climate change. As an additional challenge, we are, by our very nature, economically isolated from the global community and have limited access to the resources needed to bridge this gap.”

   "But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

8. 

   sjct on June 10, 2009 at 3:14 pm

   Rachel Maddow had a bit about this last night and the US is giving an absurb amount of “aid” money to Palau in exchange for accepting these people. It worked out to something like MULTI-MILLION DOLLARS per prisoner or $100K to each citizen of Palau. Rachel said she and her crew would accept one of them for that kind of money.