The level of stenography and lack of understanding by the press is revealed has been obvious for a long time.

Fairfield, CT, 13th April, 2011– GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt has informed the Obama administration that the company will be gifting its entire 2010 tax refund, worth $3.2 Billion, to the US Treasury on April 18, Tax Day,

That does it right there if you have a clue about shareholders and boards of directors. Fiduciary responsibility would dictate that Never mind.

Aw… schitt! No problemo until I saw that.

As far as Kludge and its origin(s)
this pretty much agrees with what I know of the word.

Did GM do anything to advance the efficiency rating of the ICE?

Actually they deserve some credit for high compression engines enabled by the use of Tetraethyllead as an additive in gasoline. This was pioneered and patented by Midgley and Kettering at General Motors Research Corporation.

Tetraethyllead was first discovered by a German chemist in 1854, but remained commercially unused for many years.[8] In 1921, TEL was found to be an effective antiknock agent by Thomas Midgley, working under Charles Kettering at General Motors Corporation Research.[9] General Motors patented the use of TEL as a knocking agent and called it “Ethyl” in its marketing materials, thereby avoiding the negative connotation of the word “lead”.[8] By 1923, leaded gasoline was being sold.[10] In 1924, Standard Oil of New Jersey (ESSO/EXXON) and General Motors created the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation to produce and market TEL.

Link

The ambiguity of the ‘advance’ is illustrated by the necessity to coverup the toxicity of the additive. This started almost immediately after it was introduced, as refinery workers began to die and go insane due to brain damage.

Other ‘advances’ included the Vega- which were infinitely efficient while parked waiting for engine and rust repairs.

There might be some other reasons not to farm out defense work to civilians that could not pass proper security scrutiny. Other than quality control issues.

Mortgage Settlement Term Sheet: Bailout as Reward for Institutionalized Fraud at Naked Capitalism.

American Banker posted the 27 page term sheet presented by the 50 state attorneys general and Federal banking regulators to banks with major servicing operations.

Whether they recognize it or not, this deal is a suicide pact for the attorneys general in states that are suffering serious economic damage as a result of the foreclosure crisis. Tom Miller, the Iowa attorney who is serving as lead negotiator for this travesty, is in a state whose unemployment was a mere 6.2% last December. In addition he is reportedly jockeying to become the first head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. So the AGs who are in the firing line and need a tough deal have a leader whose interests are not aligned with theirs.

A link to the 27 page term sheet for this deal is at the Naked Capitalism post.

There is more to this State Farm and Mississippi Katrina policy holders story.

Trent Lott’s brother in law is Dickie Scruggs.

Famed anti-tobacco lawyer Richard “Dickie” Scruggs has been ordered to report to a federal prison in Ashland, Ky., next month to start serving his five-year sentence for attempting to bribe a Mississippi judge.
link

Dickie Scruggs son is Zach Scruggs.

The son of Richard “Dickie” Scruggs, also a federal prisoner, pleaded guilty in March 2008 for his part in a scheme to bribe Circuit Judge Henry Lackey of Calhoun City. Zach Scruggs was sentenced to 14 months in prison and moved to a transition facility so that he could work and prepare for release by mid-August….

Dickie Scruggs was indicted in November along with his son and Backstrom after another attorney wore a wire for the FBI and secretly recorded conversations about the plan to bribe Lafayette County Circuit Judge Henry Lackey.

Prosecutors said the elder Scruggs wanted a favorable ruling in a dispute over $26.5 million in legal fees from a mass settlement of Hurricane Katrina insurance cases.
link

Trent Lott announced his resignation the day before the FBI executed a search warrant at Scruggs Law office. Indictments followed the next day.

(I notice Woodard carefully avoids the word “liar”)

Why waste a word that’s not really needed to make the point?

I didn’t explain the Heinlein quote at 81.

Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.
Robert A. Heinlein

Just search the phrase with the name Che’ Tuber Chet Uber to see where it was used.

Can it also be viewed as “Che’ Tuber”?

Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.
Robert A. Heinlein

Additional link (scribed doc)

Clevelanders Honored for Fugitive Program by AGAG. 16 million in government money for program.

Off topic. An interesting story at Talk To Action

Rise of the Church-Court – “Fugitive Safe Surrender”, Revisited by Bruce Wilson. It begins with:

“[note: update at end of this story] Back in 2006, about a year after Talk To Action was launched, I received a curious news item from Chris Rodda, now head researcher for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. It was an article from New Jersey Lawyer which described “a rather extraordinary exchange between Chief Justice Deborah T. Poritz and U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie…. The U.S. attorney requested — seemingly demanded — that the state judges, in effect, set up court in churches for the purpose of arraigning fugitives. “…

Multiple links and stories on this at the first link.

In the first report on this Return Of Church Courts: an “Extraordinary Exchange” by Bruce Wilson May 1 2007 the editorial from New Jersey Lawyer which described the exchange Between Chris Christie and Chief Justice Deborah T. Poritz (originally published September 25, 2006) is reprinted in full.

What exactly does this mean?

“Sarah Palin’s coming south to hunt some skunk”

I think this is a racist phrase referring to the president.

If that’s who it refers to; then the hunting part is problematic too.