Comments on: Bitter and Sweet II http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/ Exposing the ugly truths about the Bush Administration. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:27:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1.3 by: Donna http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4801 Sun, 12 Mar 2006 03:28:58 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4801 Steve Nichols, your point is well taken about piling on Allen.....it does seem obvious that Allen has an ideosyncratic psyche problem to have been doing this repeat stealing while pulling down a salary of $160,000. My issue is with the Bush team which is once again demonstrating the opposite of competent leadership. They were supposed to thoroughly vet anyone considered for an appellate judgeship. Seems to me that Allen was nominated for reasons which had nothing to do with prior experience and qualifications. When that judgeship nomination wasn't going to happen.....then Allen was installed within the White House where he drew a hefty salary and was supposed to be responsible for domestic policy. It also turns out that he was the 'person-in-charge-of-White-House-response during the early critical days of Katrina. So, yes...Claude Allen deserves a compassionate response to his particular psych problem.....but that compassionate response should not be extended to the administration team that never properly vetted him for a judgeship, later put him into a position of power where he should not have been, and lastly would try to hide their own ineptness by referring to Allen only as 'an ex-aide'. And good for Alpha House! Steve Nichols, your point is well taken about piling on Allen…..it does seem obvious that Allen has an ideosyncratic psyche problem to have been doing this repeat stealing while pulling down a salary of $160,000.

My issue is with the Bush team which is once again demonstrating the opposite of competent leadership. They were supposed to thoroughly vet anyone considered for an appellate judgeship. Seems to me that Allen was nominated for reasons which had nothing to do with prior experience and qualifications. When that judgeship nomination wasn’t going to happen…..then Allen was installed within the White House where he drew a hefty salary and was supposed to be responsible for domestic policy. It also turns out that he was the ‘person-in-charge-of-White-House-response during the early critical days of Katrina.

So, yes…Claude Allen deserves a compassionate response to his particular psych problem…..but that compassionate response should not be extended to the administration team that never properly vetted him for a judgeship, later put him into a position of power where he should not have been, and lastly would try to hide their own ineptness by referring to Allen only as ‘an ex-aide’.

And good for Alpha House!

]]> by: Steve Nichols http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4797 Sun, 12 Mar 2006 00:17:20 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4797 FWIW, I worked for 8 years at a therapeutic community whose mission was to treat drug addicts with significant involvement in the criminal justice system, including a number of sociopaths. I had several coworkers who worked at one of the most effective sex offender treatment centers in the nation, Alpha House (10% recidivism rate). You should have heard some of the stories they told. FWIW, I worked for 8 years at a therapeutic community whose mission was to treat drug addicts with significant involvement in the criminal justice system, including a number of sociopaths. I had several coworkers who worked at one of the most effective sex offender treatment centers in the nation, Alpha House (10% recidivism rate). You should have heard some of the stories they told.

]]> by: Steve Nichols http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4796 Sun, 12 Mar 2006 00:14:18 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4796 By railing on this guy, we are hurting ourselves. The Abramoff machine was calculated sociopathic theft. Allen is merely a compulsive shoplifter who does it for a thrill. Which version of a criminal justice system makes more sense---one that punishes because a crime is considered immoral (think War on Drugs), or one which seeks to protect society from the predations of criminals? The first theory of criminal justice leads to the death penalty and prison sentences for addicts. Worse, it releases sexual predators after they have been 'punished', so that they rape again. The second theory seeks to minimize the cost to society. Serial rapists and other sex offenders are kept on a tight leash, and when necessary given a mental illness commitment. Allen makes a nice juicy target, but by piling on this guy we are really damaging our belief that government should work effectively. By railing on this guy, we are hurting ourselves.

The Abramoff machine was calculated sociopathic theft. Allen is merely a compulsive shoplifter who does it for a thrill.

Which version of a criminal justice system makes more sense—one that punishes because a crime is considered immoral (think War on Drugs), or one which seeks to protect society from the predations of criminals?

The first theory of criminal justice leads to the death penalty and prison sentences for addicts. Worse, it releases sexual predators after they have been ‘punished’, so that they rape again.

The second theory seeks to minimize the cost to society. Serial rapists and other sex offenders are kept on a tight leash, and when necessary given a mental illness commitment.

Allen makes a nice juicy target, but by piling on this guy we are really damaging our belief that government should work effectively.

]]> by: Donna http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4785 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 21:44:53 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4785 Went looking and found no 'rightie' site willing to remember that Bush nominated this Claude Allen to sit as an appellate judge....the references to Allen, now in trouble for thieving, are all about a 'former white house aide'. One of today's commenters at NRO [home of C.Boyden Gray's screed] went so far as to give his reaction to the Allen story as, "WHO?", as though Allen was just some unknown minor player at the White House. Went looking and found no ‘rightie’ site willing to remember that Bush nominated this Claude Allen to sit as an appellate judge….the references to Allen, now in trouble for thieving, are all about a ‘former white house aide’.

One of today’s commenters at NRO [home of C.Boyden Gray’s screed] went so far as to give his reaction to the Allen story as, “WHO?”, as though Allen was just some unknown minor player at the White House.

]]> by: Donna http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4780 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 20:11:14 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4780 ?Wonder if C. Boyden Gray has any updated comments to say about Claude Allen......Gray, in July of '04 said 'Allen will be the type of judge who buttresses the foundation of American government'.......do you suppose Gray was tongue-in-cheek hinting that the foundation of American government is a matter of continuous thieving....and that Bush nominated Allen to help shore up that thieving? ?Wonder if C. Boyden Gray has any updated comments to say about Claude Allen……Gray, in July of ‘04 said ‘Allen will be the type of judge who buttresses the foundation of American government’…….do you suppose Gray was tongue-in-cheek hinting that the foundation of American government is a matter of continuous thieving….and that Bush nominated Allen to help shore up that thieving?

]]> by: Bonnie http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4772 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 17:48:09 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4772 Beware of the born again Christian, nine times out of ten, they have become born again so that they can go out and sin to the little heart's content and then be forgiven. It's just another scam like the one Allen got caught for. Beware of the born again Christian, nine times out of ten, they have become born again so that they can go out and sin to the little heart’s content and then be forgiven. It’s just another scam like the one Allen got caught for.

]]> by: alyosha http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4769 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 16:22:55 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4769 This story made my day. I'm reminded of a far right co-worker, whose 300 pound wife (no exaggeration) enabled them to chisel a new car seat out of Honda, because the car's original seat wasn't designed for the wife's excessive load, and so failed while under warranty. This coup - getting a free seat from Honda - brought immense delight to their hearts. Small things for small people. This approaches, but really doesn't come close to a high government official drawing six figures, whose hobby is scamming Target. And that's just the scam we know about. This story made my day. I’m reminded of a far right co-worker, whose 300 pound wife (no exaggeration) enabled them to chisel a new car seat out of Honda, because the car’s original seat wasn’t designed for the wife’s excessive load, and so failed while under warranty. This coup - getting a free seat from Honda - brought immense delight to their hearts. Small things for small people.

This approaches, but really doesn’t come close to a high government official drawing six figures, whose hobby is scamming Target. And that’s just the scam we know about.

]]> by: Winston Smith http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4767 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 15:34:14 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4767 If this ever gets before the distracted amnesia prone US public, which is very unlikely, Rove could spin it as the racist Democrats fault for not confirming him to the high federal court. His shoplifting was a form of therapy. If this ever gets before the distracted amnesia prone US public, which is very unlikely, Rove could spin it as the racist Democrats fault for not confirming him to the high federal court. His shoplifting was a form of therapy.

]]> by: Edward Deevy http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4763 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 15:01:34 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/03/11/bitter-and-sweet-ii/#comment-4763 It is the hyprociscy of people like Ralph Reed and Claude Allen that is such a big turn-off. The same is true for Bill O'Reilly...a bona fide sex pervert who presumes to preach to the American people every weekday night on Fox Cable News. And what about "oxycontin" Rush Limbough? I keep wondering when the American people will see through these scumbags. It is the hyprociscy of people like Ralph Reed and Claude Allen that is such a big turn-off. The same is true for Bill O’Reilly…a bona fide sex pervert who presumes to preach to the American people every weekday night on Fox Cable News. And what about “oxycontin” Rush Limbough? I keep wondering when the American people will see through these scumbags.

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