TEA PARTY AT THE CAPITOL:"Bury ObamaCare with Kennedy"

The Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Shills out in force to show the ignorance

Calhoun Conservatism Raises Its Ugly Head

One of the people I spent the most time discussing in my book on the history of the American political debate, The Progressive Revolution: How the Best in America Came To Be, was a man named John C. Calhoun. I went so far as to call him the founder of modern conservatism, and the events of this year, including Joe Wilson's offensive outburst on the floor of Congress, Wednesday night, have added strong evidence to my argument.
Although discussions about the relative power of the states and the federal government had been around since the days of the Articles of Confederation in the 1780s, Calhoun was the South Carolina politician who fused a particularly extreme view of states' rights with a patriarchal and violent conservatism. Calhoun argued that states could come and go into and out of the Union, whenever they wanted to; that they could secede from the Union at any time and for any reason; and that even if they stayed in the Union they could nullify any law they wanted, again at any time and for any reason.
He was also violently opposed to the idea of democracy itself, say that they growing population of the North had no power whatsoever over slavery or any other thing the southern states chose to do, and in fact believed that the Bill or Rights only applied to what the federal government couldn't do--that the states were free to eliminate freedom of speech and religion and other civil liberties. (In fact, most southern states had done exactly that by the time of the Civil War.)
Calhoun was ready to start a Civil War in 1832, when he and Andrew Jackson disagreed over a policy that would hurt Calhoun's beloved plantation economy. He resigned as Jackson's vice president, and encouraged the state to secede and raise an army right then and there. It was a protégé of Calhoun who beat abolitionist Charles Sumner almost to death with a cane on the floor of the Senate in 1856, and protégés of Calhoun who led South Carolina to be the first state to secede from the Union in 1861 after Lincoln's election, and be the first state to fire on Union soldiers at Ft. Sumter.
Calhoun's states' rights theories were used to justify Jim Crow in the South and oppose integration after the Civil War all the way into the 1960s. Today, we are seeing Calhoun Conservatism spreading throughout the Republican party and the right wing movement. Joe Wilson's thuggishness on Wednesday night and the conservative movement's embrace of his action yesterday are just the latest examples. Some highlights from the last year:
LinkHere

Is nothing sacred anymore?

Fired Up, Ready To Go,

Fired UP Ready To Go,

to support Rob Miller

Hannity and others have helped Wilson raise upwards of a million bucks so far for his upcoming battle against Democrat Rob Miller in South Carolina's historically Republican-safe 2nd Congressional District. Polls now even show Miller leading Wilson by a point, with 62% of voters disapproving of Wilson's outburst. Democrats need to mobilize and aggressively support Miller now. His website is www.robmillerforcongress.com. (Click here to donate the dollars he's going to need to beat Wilson.)


Joe Wilson, You're A Great American A True Patriot
What Republicans Don't Get About the Joe Wilson MeltdownIn the wake of South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson's very public, very disconcerting hissy-fit during President Obama's health-care-reform address to Congress Wednesday night, only one point matters: the requirement for protocol, decorum and respect for the office of the United States Presidency. Yes, this is America, and yes, as little kids like to often declare, "It's a free country, and I can say what I want!"
But that's just it. Little kids get to do that, not U.S. Congressmen in the hallowed halls of the House Chamber. That's just plain wrong and unacceptable, no matter what political party you belong to. And for Republicans and conservative talk-show hosts to now be waving the Joe Wilson flag as if it's some respectable badge of honor, portraying him as a patriotic hero and using his embarrassing case of political Tourette's as a rallying cry for the GOP, is truly despicable and a stain on America. Is nothing sacred anymore?
Take a quick listen to the right-wing media Axis-of-Evil, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin, and you'll get the typically shameless rhetoric about how Wilson was doing his patriotic duty to speak up and yell, "You Lie!" At that moment, Rep. Wilson just couldn't contain himself, blurting out his colossal dis like a petulant child. And now he has influential talking-heads like Hannity coming to his defense and taking up his 2010 re-election cause, featuring prominent links to the incumbent's website on Hannity.com.
This is the same Hannity who is greeted by and greets his callers with the nauseatingly cultish "You're a great American!" Does being a great American mean shouting down the U.S. president during an address to Congress? Does being a great American mean supporting people who show blatant disrespect and disdain for the office of the presidency, the sanctity of the U.S. House Chamber, and the political protocols that have been respected since the birth of our nation? This makes you a great American? A patriot? A hero? This is someone who deserves conservatives' overwhelming support?
Hannity and others have helped Wilson raise upwards of a million bucks so far for his upcoming battle against Democrat Rob Miller in South Carolina's historically Republican-safe 2nd Congressional District. Polls now even show Miller leading Wilson by a point, with 62% of voters disapproving of Wilson's outburst. Democrats need to mobilize and aggressively support Miller now. His website is www.robmillerforcongress.com. (Click here to donate the dollars he's going to need to beat Wilson.)
The issue is this: Rep. Wilson is not some civilian who shouted his dissent at a truck stop rally. His words were not part of an interview on TV, radio or in the print media. He was not giving a rousing speech to constituents. He was not at a fiery town hall meeting. He was in a holy place to politicians; their equivalent of a church or a temple. His therefore blasphemous remark was truly unconscionable and deserves unified rebuking by those on the right and a Congressional reprimand or censure, as Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) has suggested. House Democrats also intend to initiate a formal resolution chastising Wilson. A very important lesson needs to be made here.
I'm sorry, but some things are just not political. And we all need to be rational about it. I would just as soon excoriate a Democrat as I would Rep. Wilson if that Democrat committed the same reprehensible outburst. And if we as Americans cannot at some point lay down the partisan swords and at least agree that some behavior is simply irresponsible and unacceptable, then we are left with nothing. Then a very important line will have been crossed from which there'll be no return. Civility in politics, what little we know of it in the current climate, will be lost forever. LinkHere

Wilson Voted To Provide Taxpayer Money For Illegal Immigrants' Health Care

Open Congress:
On Wednesday night, Rep. Joe Wilson [R, SC-2], shouted "You lie!" at President Obama when he said that the healthcare bill would not cover illegal immigrants. "The supporters of the government takeover of healthcare and liberals who want to give healthcare to illegals are using my opposition as an excuse to distract from the critical questions being raised about this poorly conceived plan," Wilson said the next day in a campaign fundraising video.
However, in 2003, Wilson voted to provide federal funds for illegal immigrants' healthcare. The vote came on the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, which contained Sec. 1011 authorizing $250 million annually between 2003 and 2008 for government reimbursements to hospitals who provide treatment for uninsured illegal immigrants. The program has been extended through 2009 and there is currently a bipartisan bill in Congress to make it permanent.
Read the whole story: Open Congress

Look at the numbers: Voters still back Barack Obama

Did you hear that this week would determine the fate of Barack Obama’s first term? Or was it next week?
The political and media establishment has clearly decided that Obama’s presidency is “in trouble.” Even before Obama’s address to Congress was announced, the chattering class decreed that the White House “lost” August to testy town halls. Now, we’re told, the president must save health care reform to save himself.
Obama needs a “game changer,” CNN recently announced, while POLITICO trumpeted Wednesday’s health care address as Obama’s “riskiest effort to date.”
The “honeymoon” is over, according to The New York Times, and Obama is now under pressure to “jump-start his struggling presidency.” The same Times article, however, featured a graph revealing that Obama is actually polling better than President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton did at the same point in their first terms. (Oops.)
While Washington has played up Obama’s 6-point dip in public approval, the president still has most voters’ support. In fact, not only is Obama beating Republicans and Congress at large, his approval ratings also top his share of the electorate from the November election. Add in the greatest financial panic in over a generation, and the sustained public support for the president is actually quite remarkable.
That conclusion simply requires a look at the numbers.
Washington is not, however, a reality-based community. It is a media-based community. And the media have not been very interested in reporting that the electorate still backs Obama.
LinkHere

While the CEO's get richer, we have children going without food and shelter every day."

Eight years of the Bush Regime presiding in the White House

Outpouring Of Concern For Homeless Children From HuffPost Community
On Wednesday, Arianna wrote about the human cost of the millions of foreclosures taking place across America. She focused on the surge in school children whose families have been evicted from their homes - and are struggling to learn while dealing with the instability and inherent distress of homelessness.
Inspired by Erik Eckholm's reporting in the New York Times, Arianna tore up a speech she had prepared for a big education conference and instead talked to the gathered dignitaries about the crisis of homeless school kids.
Arianna's post elicited an outpouring of concern and empathy from the Huffpost community.
"I actually cried while reading this article," wrote BabeLush. "So much of us take for granted what we have. Being a victim of Hurricane Katrina I know how quickly your life can be turned upside down."
And BabeLush was not alone. Dozens of people said the story moved them to tears while others were enraged by the absence of social justice. A commenter by the namePlainsWoman wrote:
"The effect of homelessness/poverty on our children is not only devastating to their academic achievement, it is also a civil rights issue. While the CEO's get richer, we have children going without food and shelter every day."
"To paraphrase a quote that has been attributed to Marcus Borg: 'Charity is about helping victims, justice is about asking why there are victims.' Where is the justice for these children and families?"
Among the outpouring of empathy, some have also contributed their own stories of homeless children in their community. Commenter Eilish wrote:
"My daughter-in-law had nine homeless students in her 1st grade class. The school was in chaos, feeding dozens of students free breakfast - that they hadn't expected. These children slept at their desks, some cried because they were afraid their parents wouldn't be able to find them after school. Some had head lice; some asked if they could wash in the bathroom. More than one sneaked some lunch into a napkin, and if noticed were extremely anxious..."
"Call a school near you and find out if they need help. Call your governor and ask where you can volunteer (that'll get 'em thinking). There are food banks & shelters that are desperate for donations of food and money."
"We've been offering our RV as a temporary stopgap for families who need time to get to a point where they have a secure place to go." LinkHere

.Oldest African-American to vote for Obama during the presidential election.

Baines - who attributed her longevity to her religion and clean-living - attracted worldwide headlines last November when she became the oldest African-American to vote for Obama during the presidential election.
She celebrated her birthday this year by declaring that she hoped to be around to vote for Obama again in 2012.

Gertrude Baines, whose epic life encompassed 21 US presidents, two World Wars, the Wright Brothers' maiden flight in 1903 and Neil Armstrong's first steps on the Moon, has died / APMore

Man did they use him!!!!!! Lie after Lie, he was fair game to the propaganda shills.

Tillman was one of the most potent and misused symbols of post-9/11 patriotism in America

Book: Pat Tillman's First Mission Was Jessica Lynch Rescue

Source: ABC News
Author Jon Krakauer's Revealing New Book About Pat Tillman
U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman's first mission as an elite Army Ranger in Iraq was the rescue of Pvt. Jessica Lynch, a new book reveals.
And although Tillman played only a bit part in Lynch's rescue, he quickly concluded that the mission had motives beyond military strategy.
"We leave tomorrow,'' Tillman wrote in a series of journal entries in Jon Krakauer's 'Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman," a new book about the tragic friendly fire death of the former NFL star who left a lucrative football career behind after 9/11 to serve in the military.
"This mission will be a P.O.W. rescue, a woman named Jessica Lynch. As awful as I feel for the fear she must face, and admire the courage I'm sure she's showing, I do believe this to be a big Public Relations stunt. Do not mistake me, I wish everyone in trouble to be rescued, but sending this many folks for a single low ranking soldier screams of media blitz."
......
The former Arizona Cardinals hitman was highly-suspicious of being used by his superiors to market a war about which he was openly ambivalent, according to Krakauer's book. When the Army asked Tillman to do media interviews, he refused. And soon after arriving in Iraq as an Army Ranger, he shared his wariness with a friend.
"When we were in Baghdad, our cots were next to each other," Spc. Jade Lane told Krakauer. "Pat and I used to talk at night before we'd rack out. I don't know how the conversation got brought up, but one night he said that he was afraid that if something happened to him, they would parade him through the streets. And those were his exact words: 'I don't want them to parade me through the streets.' It just burned into my brain, him saying that."
Under the 'special instructions' section of a standard Army form, Tillman had scrawled in block letters: "I do not want the military having any direct involvement in my funeral."
LinkHere

Republicans Fear "Crackpots" Becoming Face Of Party

Illustration by Matt Wuerker
GOP 'cranks' dominating debate

One veteran GOP official puts it bluntly: “The image of a bunch of white guys booing an African-American president is about as bad as it gets.”

Joe Wilson’s outburst Wednesday night earned more than a personal rebuke from the president and a dagger-eyed gasp from the speaker of the House; it drew winces from Republicans worried that their party is becoming known less for the power of its ideals and more for the pettiness of its vitriol.
“Neither party has an exclusive on wack jobs,” says Republican media consultant Mark McKinnon. “Unfortunately, right now the Democrats generally get defined by President Obama, and Republicans, who have no clear leadership, get defined by crackpots — and then they begin to define the Republican Party in the mind of the general public.”
Turn on the TV, and you see what he means.
Here’s Orly Taitz, insisting that the commander in chief was born in Kenya. There’s a flock of angry protesters chanting “Just say no!” and carrying signs depicting a Democratic congressman with devil’s horns. Former GOP vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin warns darkly that Obama is planning “death panels” for senior citizens. Georgia Rep. Paul Broun equates the president’s plans with “Nazi” policies. Ohio Rep. Jean Schmidt — last heard calling John Murtha a “coward” — tells a birther: “I agree with you, but the courts don’t.”
And then, in the midst of all the catcalls, hand-held signs and “I’m not listening” BlackBerrying, Wilson interrupts Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress by shouting, “You lie!”
“The president was helped more by the optics of House Republicans than by his own speech,” says former Rep. Vin Weber (R-Minn.). “It’s not likely to do any long-term damage, but they need to be very careful how they oppose this president.”
One veteran GOP official puts it bluntly: “The image of a bunch of white guys booing an African-American president is about as bad as it gets.”
Republican leaders were quick to distance themselves from Wilson’s outburst. John McCain said Wilson should apologize, and he did — although he also insisted that he was right about Obama’s lack of candor.
Brian Jones, a former communications director for the Republican National Committee, finds it frustrating when lawmakers like Wilson hijack the party’s public persona.
“You have a little bit of tyranny of the minority with these people,” he says. “It may raise their profile, it may make them more attractive in their district — but does it really help the image of the party in the midst of an important debate? I think no. Obviously, there are some who will be cheering this, but I think the cake is baked with them in terms of how they feel about Obama and health care.” LinkHere

The Cowboys of Kabul

How a pair of bankrupt Texas grandparents cashed in on Afghanistan's contracting bonanza.

Jul 27, 2009
It was March 2002, and Del and Barbara Spier were flat broke. The Texas couple, grandparents of five and owners of a small, Houston-based private investigations firm, were more than $260,000 in debt. They carried balances as high as $18,600 on more than a dozen credit cards and were saddled with $80,000 in outstanding bank loans and a $95,000 mortgage. In their bankruptcy filing, the Spiers' company, which they founded in 1987 and named the Agency for Investigation and Protective Services, was deemed of "no marketable value."
Although their circumstances looked dire, the Spiers were about to become millionaires. By May, Barbara Spier had filed the paperwork to form a new corporation called US Protection and Investigations. Soon, thanks to the contracting sweepstakes that was the war in Afghanistan, she was signing an $8.4 million deal with the Louis Berger Group. The multinational construction and engineering company had landed a $214 million contract to rebuild Afghanistan's infrastructure—roads, water and sanitation, power and dams—from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USPI's job was to provide security for contractors repairing a 300-mile road stretching from Kabul to Kandahar.
Much of the work was to be done in remote and dangerous territory, prone to sporadic Taliban assaults and blighted with unexploded Soviet-era ordnance and land mines. "Sections of the Road are subject to hijackings, robberies, and killings," Berger acknowledged in its contract with USPI. "Organized terrorist groups are operating within the Road corridor environs, and expatriates have been intentionally targeted in recent incidents." Safeguarding the hundreds of contractors working on the road, the construction conglomerate warned, would be "challenging."
Given the stakes of the project—key to the effort to stabilize Afghanistan—USPI was a strange choice. Berger could have turned to a well-established security outfit with deep experience in conflict zones. Instead, it handed a noncompete contract to a firm with no reputation to speak of and a freshly bankrupted management team.
For the Spiers, the Berger windfall engineered a life-changing turnaround. And they might have lived happily ever after, too, except for one thing: They were defrauding the government, according to the Justice Department, filing phony receipts and billing for ghost employees to bilk millions of dollars from programs aimed at rebuilding the country's war-ravaged infrastructure. (The case will go to trial in September.) Their alleged exploits, many of which have not previously been reported, offer one of the most vivid pictures yet to emerge from Afghanistan's Wild West contracting bonanza. LinkHere
September 11, 2009
LOBBYBLOG EXCLUSIVE:

TEXAS COUPLE GAVE $16,000 TO GOP WHILE DEFRAUDING AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTION

Delmar and Barbara Spier, owners of Texas-based security firm United States Protection and Investigations, LLC, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to defrauding the Afghanistan reconstruction effort. According to the Department of Justice, the Spiers admitted that, from June 2003 to July 2007, they defrauded the United States with inflated expense reports for vehicles and security personnel and with fabricated subcontractor invoices. They'll have to fork over $3 million in proceeds that can be traced to the fraud and they could face prison time.
While they were soaking the federal government, the Spiers were shoveling cash to the GOP. According to filings from the Federal Election Commission, Barbara Spier donated $16,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee from May 2003 to July 2007.
An NRCC spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Huffington Post. LinkHere

Glenn Beck: The Louse That Roared

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
"The Rant" by Tom Degan

Deep in their hearts
They do believe
That they shall undermine someday....

It always saddens me to see a "Child Left Behind" - all grown up. Glenn Beck would be a text book case. Back in the spring on his unintentionally uproarious FOX Noise program, Beck told his television audience:
"First they came for the bankers, and I did not speak up because I was not a banker. Then they came for the A.I.G. executives, and I did not speak up because I was not an A.I.G executive."
He then looked the camera dead in the eye and ominously told his clueless viewers that eventually "they" (He never specified exactly who "they" were) would be coming for them. It was a gross perversion of the famous Martin Niemoller poem. It was a none-too-subtle effort to compare the Obama Justice Department's prosecution of corporate criminals to Hitler's persecution of the Jews seventy years ago. Nice.
Recently he has been trying to pump up his brain dead masses by flatly stating that Barack Obama is a racist who hates white people. The fact that our president's lineage is fifty percent European and that he was raised by his very white mother and grandparents apparently never occurred to this jackass. Fill the people's minds with hate and fear; that's all that matters. Incredibly, it's working. An alarming percentage of the American people actually believe that Obama's goal is to turn the United States into a Socialist police state.
MEMO TO THE REST OF THE PLANET EARTH:
Most of us here in the states have an I.Q. higher than that of your average half-eaten box of Milk Duds - Really, I promise!
A few months ago I wrote on this site that, being a tad crazy myself (in a lovable and endearing way, I assure you) I have the ability to pick up on the crazy vibe of others. Some people have a subtle, barely perceptible form of craziness - others have crazy to spare. Our boy Glenn is in the latter category. He likes to describe himself as the modern day equivalent of Howard Beale, the character played by the late actor Peter Finch in the 1976 film "Network". It's an apt comparison when you think about it:
He's mad as hell.
The first fact that struck me when researching the Beck biography was the day of his birth - February 10, 1964 - the day before his ideological soul mate, Sarah Palin, was born. Isn't that interesting! Just what the hell were they feeding those kids in the maternity wards of American hospitals forty-five years ago? Later on that same year, the GOP would nominate Barry "In your guts you know he's nuts" Goldwater as their standard bearer. Coincidence? I wonder....
And now the Beckster is positioning himself to become the Martin Loony King of the modern-day, Right Wing movement. He is organizing his very own March on Washington on September 12 at the Lincoln Memorial - the 9/12 Movement, he's calling it. Just imagine Glenn Beck standing under the statue if the Great Emancipator, bloviating in front of a sea of his intellectually-challenged masses. I can see it now....
"I have a scheme that one day my children will be judged not by the color of their white collars but the content of their country club....That one day ALL of God's children - Christians and CEO's; Republicans and John Birchers; right-wingers and MasterCard holders - will join hands and sing in the words of the old Harry Barris spiritual:
"WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN AND THE TIDE GOES OUT
THE DARKIES GATHER 'ROUND AND THEY ALL BEGIN TO SHOUT
IT'S A TREAT TO BEAT YOUR FEET ON THE MISSISSIPPI MUD
I have a scheme today...."
LinkHere

Survey: Miller, Wilson In Dead Heat

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) finds himself electorally vulnerable in the wake of his "You lie!" outburst during President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress, according to the latest numbers from Public Policy Polling.
Rep. Wilson (R-S.C.) trails challenger Rob Miller 44 to 43 percent in the poll. Wilson defeated Miller 54-46 in the 2008 election.
62% of voters in his district say they disapprove of Wilson's actions while just 29% think
they were okay. Overall, 49% of voters say that Wednesday's incident made them less likely to vote for Wilson in the future, while 35% said it made them more likely to do so.
"In a matter of seconds Joe Wilson turned himself from a safe incumbent into one of the
most vulnerable Republicans in the country for 2010," said Dean Debnam, president of
Public Policy Polling.
PPP surveyed 747 South Carolina 2nd Congressional District voters on September 10th and 11th. The survey's margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percent. LinkHere
Miller has raised over $750,000 since the incident.

Jamchinadian Now at $810,000+ - it's been rapidly climbing all day!

Bradley Schlozman Won't Face Criminal Charges For Lying Under Oath

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder has decided not to bring any criminal charges against a former Bush administration official who lawmakers said lied to them in sworn testimony.
An inspector general's report found that Bradley Schlozman, the former head of the civil rights division, misled lawmakers in sworn testimony about whether he politicized hiring decisions.
At his February confirmation hearing, Holder pledged he would review that decision to prosescute Schlozman when he took over the department and promised to strengthen and rebuild the civil rights division.
Holder's decision was revealed in a letter sent to lawmakers on Friday. LinkHere

The Racial Context for Joe Wilson's Outburst

South Carolina Republican Congressman Joe Wilson shouted “you lie” at the president during his address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night. Few would doubt this was a sign of disrespect that most Americans would find objectionable. But beyond Wilson's callous disdain for the office of President, it is important to understand the racial connotations involved, and the climate that gave rise to them.
We do not assert that Joe Wilson is a bigot; his personal racial attitudes are, perhaps ironically, beyond the scope of this incident. Rather, the consistent branding of President Obama as “other” by his opponents has created a context within which it is perceived that Obama need not be treated as other presidents have been treated. The creation of that “otherness,” while possibly motivated by racial animosity, is certainly rendered more effective as a result of deeply held negative predispositions about African Americans.
For at least two years, his political opponents – including Democratic opponents during the primary – have attempted to portray Barack Obama as “not one of us.” He has been, at various times, referred to as communist/socialist/Marxist, elitist, corrupt, a terrorist sympathizer, foreign-born, a thug, fascist and even racist. In short, he is everything that we believe America is not. He is not “one of us.” He is “other.”
It is no surprise, then, that some parents felt it dangerous to let this stranger talk to their children on Tuesday, and it is no surprise that at least one member of Congress believed that it was appropriate to hurl an insult at him during a formal address. Keeping in mind that there is a small but vocal group of Americans and conservative leaders who continue to perpetuate the story that Obama is not a legitimate president because of his birth status, perhaps we should not be surprised that this president, then, does not command even the most minimal level of respect from some of his elected political opponents.
By and large, Whites in America go out of their way to excuse such behavior as being impolite or unfortunate, but not at all related to race. If one believes that the threshold of what is to be considered to be “racist” is that an epithet must be hurled (e.g., if Wilson would have yelled, “You lying nigger!”), it is comfortable to believe that in a “post-racial” nation, such behavior is divorced from the nation's rich history of oppression and White supremacy.
A more sophisticated understanding of the way racism works systemically and psychologically renders such comforting dismissals to be inappropriate. Contemporary racism is not largely about lynching or legalized segregation. Rather, we must be reflective about the myriad ways in which we are tacitly socialized to believe stereotypes about persons of color. Those beliefs reside in our subconscious and affect our attitudes and behaviors in ways that we often do not recognize. All Americans who are attentive to our potential for prejudice have been in situations where we “catch” ourselves with a racially insensitive thought that surprises and horrifies us. Other times, those thoughts drive our actions without our knowledge. If we only define “racism” as overt bigotry, we ignore the most important elements of a system that continues to perpetuate privilege for Whites. LinkHere

Treason, Betrayal and Deceit: 9/11 and Beyond

By Alan Sabrosky.
September 10, 2009 "Information Clearing House' -- The attacks on September 11, 2001 have been a defining moment for America. The political and psychological impact on Americans of a concerted and visible attack in America was enormous -- indeed, it is an interesting "coincidence" that the attacks occurred on the one day of the year whose mention reinforces a public sense here of danger and emergency: 9-1-1.
A significant development in the 1990s was the formation of the neo-conservative think tank known as PNAC (Project for a New American Century), whose members prepared position papers for the Israeli government and for a future US Administration sharing their views. That happened in 2000 with the election of George W. Bush, and a contemporary writer summarized the tip of the neo-conservative iceberg in his first Administration this way:
The "outsiders" from PNAC were now powerful "insiders," placed in important positions from which they could exert maximum pressure on US policy…PNAC had a lock on military policy-creation in the Bush Administration.
Especially significant in terms of subsequent events was the acknowledgement in one of PNAC's own documents that their program for America (and Israel) would not readily be accepted by the American people. What this meant, PNAC opined in 2000, was that "the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event -- like a new Pearl Harbor."
9/11 Reconsidered LinkHere

September 11th anniversary: We must realize wars without end is not the answer

On both my Twitter page and my Facebook.com page, I wrote this entry concerning the of eighth-year anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 attacks upon this country: “With reverence to the victims who died on September 11, 2001, we must realize a war without end is not the answer!”
At this point, hearing or reading upon death upon death, I do not care what your belief of how so many died on that day. All I care of is how many took place because a government dropped the ball and how many lives were lost due to those circumstances. Each life lost on that day was precious and most importantly we must realize that fact.
According to Anti-War.com, they have listed every single name of one of OUR soldiers who have died since May 1st, 2003 in Iraq without bringing those who lost their lives in Afghanistan. As we concentrate on beefing up the forces in that country, many more will die as we have seen with increased military deaths in the past few months. We must NOT forget of the civilian deaths in both Afghanistan and Iraq. What crime did they commit to die by the hands of our country? Nothing!
As many have concentrated solely on military deaths, I have taken important notice of the civilian deaths, especially babies. I have seen their photos and it sickens me to death. I have seen the photos of our soldiers whose faces and bodies have been ripped to shreds realizing there is NO purpose to these endless wars. Oh God, stop these wars!
Last night as our President, Barack Obama was discussing healthcare before a joint congressional message to both houses of congress, a South Carolina congressman, Joe Wilson called him a liar when it came to the question of coverage for undocumented immigrants of this country. According to the AP, he shouted out with finger pointed: “You liar”. At that point, I wanted to smack him across the face! I still do as he was forced by the Republican leadership to apologize to the president.
It galls me that if someone had done the same thing and directed it at former President, George W. Bush, he or she would have been scorned for a life-time and thrown out of either the senate or congress. Most likely, he or she would have been branded un-patriotic and thrown into GITMO.
Here we have a president who is trying to save lives through better healthcare as opposed to a former president who lied through his teeth to end lives. I would call that unforgiveable.
Looking back and remembering that bright-sunny day where over 3,000 lives were lost: one of the most memorable visual imageries I will take away from that day is of how many leapt to their deaths from the Twin Towers or the first-responders who climbed their own stair ways to Heaven in order to save lives. We must not forget their selfless sacrifice to our country and their fellow human beings. LinkHere

Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In US War And Occupation Of Iraq "1,339,771"

Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In U.S. War And Occupation Of Iraq 4,661

U.S. MILITARY WOUNDED (IRAQ): 31483 and the rest of the uncounted.

Number Of International Occupation Force Troops Slaughtered In Afghanistan : 1374

Cost of U.S. War and Occupation of Iraq

$681,115,830,380
For more details, click here.

If You Think Corporations Run The Government Now…

Top 1 Percent of Americans Reaped Two-Thirds of Income Gains in Last Economic Expansion
Income Concentration in 2007 Was at Highest Level Since 1928, New Analysis Shows
PDF of this Report (3pp.)

September 10, 2009 "Open Left" -- Then just wait and see what happens after, as expected, the Supreme Court allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on behalf of their favored candidates:
The Supreme Court signaled Wednesday it may let businesses and unions spend freely to help their favored candidates in time for next year's elections. Such a step could roll back a century of attempts to restrain the power of corporate treasuries in American politics.
The justices cut short their summer recess for a lively special argument that indicated the court's conservative skeptics of campaign finance laws have the upper hand over its liberals, including new Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, often the high court's swing vote, but a firm opponent of many campaign restrictions, at one point told the government's lawyer, "Corporations have lots of knowledge about environment, transportation issues, and you are silencing them during the election."
To a certain extent, it is hard to even conceptualize why this matters. To paraphrase Dick Durbin, powerful moneyed interests already run the government. From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, check out the gains made by of wealthy interests over the past 30-35 years: LinkHere

Man with shotgun arrested outside Obama speech

U.S. Capitol Police have arrested a Virginia man they say tried to get into a secure area near the Capitol with a gun in his car as the president gave his health care address to Congress.
Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said Thursday that 28-year-old Joshua Bowman of Falls Church, Va., was arrested around 8 p.m. Wednesday. Bowman's intentions were unclear, police said.
Schneider says Bowman approached a security checkpoint near the Cannon House Office Building in a 4-door Honda Civic and told officers he wanted to park.
People who want to get into the area must have a permit and have their vehicles searched. The timing of the request raised an officer's suspicion, Schneider said, and Bowman consented to a vehicle search.
Schneider said a shotgun and ammunition were found in Bowman's trunk. Bowman was charged with having an unregistered firearm and ammunition, she said.
A telephone directory lists a Joshua Bowman in Falls Church, but the telephone rang unanswered Thursday afternoon. LinkHere

President Obama on Sunday's 60 Minutes

Source: CBS News
(CBS) President Barack Obama will sit down with 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft for an interview at an important moment in his presidency.
The interview, his first since his televised address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday night about his health care plan, will take place Friday in Washington.
It will be broadcast on this Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
Kroft last interviewed Obama -- just two months into his presidency -- in March at the White House. The president talked about the AIG debacle, the economy, and the challenges he faced in the then-new job. LinkHere

Dem leadership wants formal apology from Wilson (refused to make an apology on House floor)

Source: The Hill
Despite Joe Wilson's personal apology to the president for heckling him as a liar during his address to Congress last night, there is growing discontent within House Democratic leadership ranks over Wilson's refusal to officially apologize on the House floor.
According to officials sitting in on a leadership meeting in Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office Thursday afternoon, Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn (S.C.) told his colleagues that he approached Wilson - a fellow South Carolinian - three times during a vote earlier today asking Wilson to formally apologize for calling out "You Lie!" as Obama spoke in the House Chamber on healthcare reform. It is against the House rules to impugn the integrity of the president when speaking on the floor or in committee meetings.
House leadership, including GOP leader John Boehner (Ohio), talked to Wilson during today's vote, which was kept open for a longer than normal period of time so that Wilson would have a chance to say "I'm sorry."
Despite Clyburn's efforts, Wilson refused to make an apology on the floor.
...
Clyburn's office is currently reviewing various action to take when a member of Congress breaks the House's code of conduct and may either draft a "resolution of disapproval" or pursue a reprimand of Wilson. LinkHere

'Race-hate' gang beats devout Muslim to brink of death in front of his granddaughter

Devout Muslim dies after savage beating by 'race-hate' gang

Source: Daily Mail Online
A Muslim pensioner was on the brink of death last night after an appalling race-hate attack by a gang of schoolboys.
Retired care worker Ekram Haque, 67, was battered to the ground in front of his three-year- old granddaughter Marian.
Doctors have told his family he has no chance of survival. Last night he was on a ventilator as friends and relatives paid their last respects.
Police are linking the attack to other assaults on elderly Asians. The attackers, who were black and wore hooded tops, are believed to be as young as 12. LinkHere

McCain Calls Out Chief Justice Roberts Over Campaign Finance Case

McCain calls out Chief Justice Roberts over campaign finance case

Yesterday marked the first case in front of newly-minted Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and the Court spared no controversy. The case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, gives the Court a stab at overturning two decisions (Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce and McConnell v. FEC) which have upheld the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law of 2003.
Three of the Court’s most conservative Justices — Scalia, Thomas and Kennedy — have all made clear that they’d want nothing more than to overturn the case law supporting McCain-Feingold. But, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Sam Alito have waited to address the issue — until yesterday. And while not necessarily indicative of how the Court will vote, yesterday’s arguments seemed particularly harsh against the FEC — indicating that the Court will indeed change its rulings on campaign finance law.
How broad the Courts decision will be in altering the election finance laws is anyone’s guess, but Sen. John McCain, who has a clear dog in this fight, wasted no time in pouncing on Roberts’ predicted ruling in a joint statement with Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold:
It was just six years ago that the Supreme Court upheld the electioneering communications provision in McCain-Feingold and nothing has happened in that time to warrant the drastic step of overruling that decision. During his confirmation hearing, Chief Justice Roberts, whom we both voted for, promised to respect precedent. If he casts the deciding vote to overrule Austin and McConnell, it would completely contradict that promise, and could have serious consequences for our democracy.
Those are harsh words coming from a Republican to the Republican-appointed Chief Justice, and indicative perhaps of just how radical the Roberts’ Court is becoming. LinkHere

Wells Fargo Exec Moved Into Bank-Owned $12M Beach House, Neighbors Say

MALIBU, Calif. � A Wells Fargo & Co. executive who oversees foreclosed properties hosted parties and spent long summer weekends in a $12 million Malibu beach house, moving into the home just after it had been surrendered to Wells Fargo to satisfy debts, neighbors said.
The previous owners of the beachfront home in Malibu Colony � a densely built stretch of luxury homes that has been a favorite of celebrities over the years � were financially devastated in Bernard Madoff's massive fraud scheme, real estate agent Irene Dazzan-Palmer said.
The couple signed the property over to Wells Fargo last spring, and the bank subsequently denied requests to show the house to prospective buyers, Dazzan-Palmer said.
Residents in the gated community told the Los Angeles Times that a woman they believe was Cheronda Guyton took up occupancy at the home in May. Residents said they obtained Guyton's name from the community's guards, who had issued her a homeowner's parking pass.
Residents also wrote down the license plate number of a 2007 Volvo sport-utility vehicle they say was parked in the home's garage. A check of state motor vehicle license plates by the Times found the vehicle was registered to Guyton.
Guyton is a Wells Fargo senior vice president responsible for foreclosed commercial properties, resident Phillip Roman said.
"It's outrageous to take over a property like that, not make it available and then put someone from the bank in it," said Roman, who lives a few homes away from the property.
Residents said Guyton, along with her husband and two children, often hosted guests at the home, including a large party the last weekend of August. Malibu Colony is about 25 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
Wells Fargo said in a written statement that it would conduct a thorough investigation of the allegations by neighbors, but said it wouldn't "discuss specific team member situations/issues for privacy reasons."
Guyton's home number is unlisted, and attempts to reach her at her Los Angeles office after work hours were unsuccessful. Link Here

Olbermann Offers "Special Comment" On Joe Wilson: 'You've Embarrassed The Nation'

On "Countdown" tonight host Keith Olbermann offered a "Special Comment" about Republican Congressman Joe Wilson yelling out "you lie" during President Obama's speech last night to a joint session of Congress. Olbermann concludes that the only thing more offensive and embarrassing than the lack of civility Wilson displayed in "shouting at the President like he was a referee at a ball game and you were a drunk in the stands," is that Wilson was glaringly wrong in a comment that has "embarrassed the nation."
Olbermann digs deeper to uncover Wilson's sometimes tumultuous relationship with the truth.
LinkHere

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Joe Wilson Explains His Actions, Asks For Campaign Cash

Joe Wilson is not letting his notoriety go to waste.
Not to be outdone by his potential opponent for Congress in 2010, Rob Miller, who has raised more than $350,000 since Wilson's now infamous "You Lie" outburst, the congressman has a new video in which he explains his behavior and then goes on to ask for... campaign cash.
"Last night I let my emotions get the best of me on the critical issue of health care," Wilson said in the video. He was sorry for what he did, he explained, but he was also a victim for speaking out against the health care plan and is thus asking people to "Stand with Joe."
"They want to silence anyone who speaks out against it. They made it clear they want to defeat me and pass the plan. I need your help now... Contribute to my effort to defeat the proponents of government-run health care. "
Stand with Joe at JoeWilsonforCongress.com LinkHere

17ladyslippers
At 1:30 AM on Friday, September 11th
Rob Miller Democratic candidate opposing Wilson has raised $690,328.00 since Joe's outburst during President Obama's speech.

Wilson Is the Poster "Child" for the New Republican Party

When Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) yelled out that President Obama was a "liar" in the middle of Obama's nationally televised address to a joint session of Congress, he became the poster child for the new Republican Party.
I definitely mean poster "child." Since President Obama took office, the language of the Republican Party has become more childish and irresponsible by the day.
President Obama's powerful speech to the nation last night could not have contrasted more sharply. He was the adult in the room, calling on Congress to take responsibility for our future -- for stepping up to solve the health care crisis that worsens every day, for making the changes necessary to allow America to live up to its own democratic values -- to acknowledge that no one should be denied the health care he needs because he can't afford it.
By contrast, the Republicans have careened into schoolyard name-calling; Obama the Nazi, Obama the "Joker" from Batman.
They have begun to act like a gang of juvenile delinquents, doing everything they can to frighten senior citizens -- attempting to convince them that health care reform would jeopardize their Medicare and that the Government would set up "death panels" with the power to pull the plug on Grandma, when both were patently untrue.
There has been a brazen, bullying quality to their rhetoric -- shouting down and intimidating opponents -- a willingness to break the rules and say anything that serves their purposes with a complete disregard for consistency or intellectual honesty. Take their "defense" of Medicare: Remember that the Republicans opposed Medicare from its inception. They said that Medicare would lead to "socialism" the same way they claim that health insurance reform and a public option will lead to "socialism" today. As recently as yesterday some Republicans proposed eliminating Medicare and replacing it with a privatized "voucher" system. Yet they have the gall to pretend to defend it against the Democrats who created it. LinkHere

DNC contributions come pouring in

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The Democratic National Committee says it has raised online about $1.1 million since President Obama's speech last night, according to Communications Director Brad Woodhouse.
In addition to the dollar figure, Woodhouse said 381,000 people had signed a letter in support of health reform to members of Congress.
Woodhouse said the money figure and letter were evidence of "momentum for health reform."
"We expect both numbers to continue to grow," Woodhouse said. "We are particularly pleased at the number of people who are signing the letter to demonstrate their support for the President's plan." LinkHere

Number Of Uninsured Rises To 46.3 Million

Source: AP
Poverty Rate Hits 11-Year High

10:15 am EDT September 10, 2009
WASHINGTON -- The number of Americans without health insurance rose to 46.3 million last year as people began losing jobs and coverage in the current recession. The poverty rate hit 13.2 percent, an 11-year high.
The Census Bureau's annual report released Thursday offers a snapshot of the economic well-being of American households for 2008, the first full year of the recession. It comes as Congress engages in its high-stakes debate over health care overhaul, following a renewed plea Wednesday night by President Barack Obama to pass sweeping legislation.
The numbers for 2008 do not capture the economic impact in the first half of 2009 as hundreds of thousands of Americans lost their jobs and likely their health insurance. Speaking at the White House, Obama acknowledged that the number of those without coverage may be higher than the Census figures.
"The situation's grown worse over the last 12 months," he said. "Its estimated that the ranks of the uninsured have swelled by at least 6 million." LinkHere

SC voters surprised by Wilson's 'You lie' outburst

Excuse me Southern Sensibilties?

Source: AP
By SEANNA ADCOX, Associated Press Writer
WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. – Rep. Joe Wilson is known as a mild-mannered congressman fond of making short speeches. His shortest got the most attention. "You lie!" Wilson blurted out during President Barack Obama's health care address to a joint session Wednesday night, an outburst that made some supporters shudder even as others believed it could give Wilson a political boost in his conservative hometown.
"He's the only one who has guts in that whole place. He'll get re-elected in a landslide," said John Roper, an insurance agent, as he sat among patrons at a diner near Columbia.
Still, Southern sensibilities reign in the district Wilson has represented for the past eight years. Added Roper, "He probably shouldn't have said it in that context."
LinkHere

Mayo Clinic Reaction to President Obama’s Speech (strongly supports President Obama)

Source: Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center
September 9, 2009 – 7:43 pm
Mayo Clinic strongly supports President Obama’s call for health insurance reform and health care delivery reform, and agrees with the President’s position that the status quo is not acceptable. We believe that a bipartisan, collaborative approach is essential to achieving significant, patient-centered health care reform.
Mayo Clinic and the many organizations and individuals working with us in the Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center are strongly in favor of reform of both health care delivery and health insurance. True health care reform is getting better results for the money spent. Better results for money spent is what we meant by high value health care: better outcomes, safer care, better service and at lower costs over time. And this will translate to better access to medical services for all Americans.
We agree with President Obama’s focus on insuring all Americans and reforming the health care payment reform.
LinkHere

A Turning Point For Obama

CTtransplant

Keep up the pressure until a health care bill is signed !
Do not forget the marches on September 13th!!!
http://marchforhealthcare.com/events/
If not now, when? If not us, who?

President Obama showed the nation who he is and what he believes in last night.
His speech to a joint session of Congress wasn't the partisan declaration of war that many of his fellow Democrats had been yearning for, but it was nevertheless a bold and confident declaration of basic principles, and a powerful and emotional attempt to recapture the public debate from the unhinged zealots who dominated it during August.
What is now more obvious than ever is that Obama is not a traditional liberal. Yes, he shares a lot of liberal values -- and he expressed that more clearly and passionately last night than perhaps ever before -- but when push comes to shove, he cares more about finding common ground than pretty much anything else. Despite all the calls to issue an ultimatum about the public option -- which seems absolutely critical to achieving fundamental change -- Obama simply will not draw lines in the sand. He still wants to get as many people into the tent as possible.
The speech did mark a turning point, however. The president we saw last night was not the high-minded pushover we'd seen so much of lately. He was inspirational, forceful -- presidential. The ending of his speech was one for the ages:
We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it. I still believe we can act even when it's hard. I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress. I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet history's test. Because that is who we are. That is our calling. That is our character.
And to his great credit, Obama robustly addressed what had been the biggest flaw of his strategy so far. The problem with his consensus-building, community-organizer approach to making policy -- whether you like it or not -- is that it simply doesn't work if there isn't even an agreement about basic facts, or if some of the people in the room aren't negotiating in good faith. And on this topic, Obama came out fighting:
Some of people's concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but by prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Now, such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple. LinkHere

Wilson Censure Considered By Dem Leadership

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) has refused to apologize to the House of Representatives for his conduct Wednesday night, prompting Democratic leadership to consider censuring the heckling lawmaker.
Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) approached Wilson on the floor of the House and asked him to give his regrets from the well. Wilson balked.
LinkHere
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee has put out a petition asking Congress to censure Rep. Wilson. Thousands of people have already signed.

Vote in our poll!
Should Joe Wilson Be Censured?
Absolutely -- He dishonored the House and deserves to be punished 72.4%

No way -- He's been embarrassed enough, it's time to move on 27.6%

Bad Behavior: Republicans Laughed, Yelled, Held Up Signs Through Obama Speech

House GOP "Insolence" Was "Appalling"

The Republican Response, Arriving a Little Early

As President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, the nation's rapidly deteriorating discourse hit yet another low.
It happened at 8:40 pm, just after the president vowed to lawmakers that his health-care reform proposals would not provide benefits to illegal immigrants. As millions of Americans watched from home, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted at the president from his fifth-row seat: "You lie!"
Murmurs of "ooh" filled the stunned chamber. Nancy Pelosi's chin dropped. Obama moved on to the next sentence in his speech, about how no federal money would be used to fund abortion. "Not true!" came another shout.
The national debate, already raw for years, had coarsened over the summer as town hall meetings across the country dissolved into protests about "death panels" and granny-killing. Guns were brought to Obama appearances. A pastor in Arizona said he was praying for Obama to die.
But even by that standard, there was something appalling about the display on the House floor for what was supposed to be a sacred ritual of American democracy: the nation watching while Cabinet members, lawmakers from both chambers and the diplomatic corps assembled.
Wilson was only the most flagrant. There was booing from House Republicans when the president caricatured a conservative argument by saying they would "leave individuals to buy health insurance on their own." They hissed when he protested their "scare tactics." They grumbled as they do in Britain's House of Commons when Obama spoke of the "blizzard of charges and countercharges."
When he asserted that "nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have," there was scoffing and outright laughter on the GOP side. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (Tex.) shook his head in disbelief. Several Republicans shouted "What plan?" and Rep. Louis Gohmert (Tex.) waved at Obama a handwritten poster he made on a letter-size piece of paper: "WHAT PLAN?" Gohmert then took that down and replaced it with another handmade poster that said "WHAT BILL?"
The irony was that Obama had used his speech to offer a significant concession to Republicans and to break with liberals in his own party. There was a cool silence in the chamber as the president told "my progressive friends" that the "public option" they treasure as part of health-care reform could be sacrificed in favor of other ideas.
And, in truth, there were provocations from the Democratic side. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), sitting on the Republican side, insisted on making a victory sign with his hand and waving it at Obama. Rep. Al Green (D-Tex.), also on the GOP side of the aisle, felt the need to pound his fist in the air and make what looked, awkwardly, like a fascist salute.
Scolding Republicans for scoring "short-term political points," Obama wasn't subtle in his effort to make his foes look cruel. The White House stocked the first lady's box at the speech with a virtual medical ward: a woman with sarcoidosis, a colon cancer patient, a recurrent cancer survivor, a double amputee, two women with breast tumors, a woman with eye problems, a man with high cholesterol, two brain tumor survivors, the son of a brain cancer victim and the fathers of children who have seizures and hemophilia.
But while the majority of both parties' lawmakers behaved as adults, the insolence by House Republicans stole the show. There was derisive laughter on that side of the chamber when Obama noted that "there remain some significant details to be ironed out." They applauded as he spoke of "all the misinformation that's been spread over the past few months." They laughed again when he said that "many Americans have grown nervous about reform."
When Obama addressed the charge that he plans "panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens," someone on the GOP side shouted out "shame!" The president went on: "Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical." "Read the bill!" someone shouted back. Obama mentioned those who accuse him of a government takeover of health care. "It's true," someone shouted back. LinkHere

False for Wilson. You Lie

Over at Media Matters, Eric Boehlert calls out the media for covering Rep. Joe Wilson's interjectory fireworks during President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night without delving into whether Wilson was correct in his assertion -- that Obama was lying when he said that illegal immigrants would not qualify for credits for the proposed health care exchanges:
What's been completely glossed over by the press is the fact that the "You Lie!" was itself built upon a lie. That the rude outburst was yet more GOP misinformation. Instead, too many in the press treat the exchange as a he said/he said. i.e. Obama claimed illegal immigrants won't be covered, and Wilson called him a liar. What are the facts? Which man was telling the truth? The press won't say.
In an update, Boehlert credits Michael Scherer at Time Magazine for digging into Wilson's claim. But he should also dole out a kudo to MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan, who invited Politifact's Bill Adair on the show to provide fact-checking of the speech. Ratigan got right to it, leading off the segment by asking Adair to rate the accuracy of Wilson's outburst, citing it as "the obvious [item] to fact check." Adair, noting that it was the first time he'd ever "fact-checked a heckler," said that he rated Wilson's assertion "false."
ADAIR: Obama is right. When you look at the bill, it does go to some lengths to make sure that illegal immigrants do not get the credits for the health care exchange that would allow them to get free care. They'd have to pay for it, like everybody else. False for Wilson. LinkHere

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A MUZZLE FOR OLD YELLER
Joe Wilson Denounced By Lawmakers On Both Sides Of Aisle

Breach of Discipline

Retired Colonel (Representative) Joe Wilson's conduct last night is a breach of military protocol and represents a further departure from the historic good order and discipline I expected, in the past, to see from the GOP, pre-conservative talk show entertainers. Recent GOP performers have proven embarrassing to the New Republican Party.
As a retired Soldier I expect better from our Soldiers, to include South Carolina National Guardsmen. But, those rallying in the blogosphere to Wilson's defense claim that he has reason 'to be stressed out' because he has children in the military. Interesting defense. LinkHere

Andrew Card Says He Is Considering Run for Kennedy's Seat

Source: Associated Press
By STEVE LEBLANC (AP) – 5 hours ago
NEWTON, Mass. — Former Bush White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said Wednesday he is "thinking very seriously" about launching a campaign for the Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy."I would like very much to run for the U.S. Senate," said the longtime Republican stalwart, who said he won't make a final decision until he can discuss it further with his wife.
- snip -
Card's years serving in the White House under former President George W. Bush could prove to be a dicey political hurdle in heavily Democratic Massachusetts.
Card said his stint in the White House would both help and hurt him with Massachusetts voters if he decided to run. But he defended his time in Washington, saying that while he didn't always agree with Bush, he respected the way he made decisions and was proud to serve his country.
- snip -
At the same time, Card tried to distance himself a little from Bush, saying he should not be tied to every decision Bush made while president. LinkHere

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We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it

Extraordinary watch the GOP

LinkHere
Rep. Wilson shouts to Obama during speech: 'You lie'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Republican House member shouted "You lie" during President Obama's health care speech to Congress on Wednesday, and members of both parties condemned the heckling.
After the speech, South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson issued a statement apologizing for his outburst. "This evening, I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the president's remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill," the statement said. "While I disagree with the president's statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility."
Wilson also called the White House to apologize and spoke with Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who accepted the apology on the president's behalf, according to a senior administration official.
"We can disagree without being disagreeable," Emanuel said to Wilson, according to the official. "That was the point of the president's speech."
The outburst came when Obama denied that proposed health care legislation would provide free health coverage for illegal immigrants. Immediately, Wilson shouted, "You lie!" LinkHere

Son of Joe Wilson Launches Attorney General Campaign

xultar
WOW. Let's just take his career out now and get a 2fer everyone.
I wonder how he feels about his dad's outburst and how it impacts his own career. Source: The Palmetto Scoop!
Alan Wilson made it official Tuesday: He’s running for South Carolina Attorney General.
Wilson kicked off his campaign at the Columbia Chamber of Commerce building in Columbia with his wife Jennifer, one-year-old son Michael, parents Joe and Roxanne, and other family members at his side.
“The reason I am standing here at this moment can be wrapped up in one word, and that word is ‘family,’” Wilson said. LinkHere

Opponent Of Obama Heckler Raises $350,000 Since Speech
daytimesky2000 I just contributed, and here are the updated totals:
Supporters: 10,494
Raised: $380,026

The American hero of Faux new and the GOP set.

Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-S.C.) untoward outburst Wednesday night has had a positive effect for at least one person. Rob Miller, a Democrat planning to run against Wilson in 2010, has taken in more than $350,000 from over 5,000 people through the website ActBlue.com since his opponent heckled the president.
A sizable chunk of the money has come from Daily Kos readers through a group called "Defeating the man who yelled 'liar' at Obama."
Miller ran against Wilson in 2008; National Journal called it the congressman's "first serious challenge." A retired Marine and an Iraq veteran, Miller ran without any help from national Democrats as a social conservative and critic of the Bush administration. During that campaign, he blogged for the Huffington Post about his reasons for running:
I never thought I would run for Congress -- or feel like I had to. I have always thought of myself as a Marine. I started thinking that way not long after my father died when I was 14 years old. Since I enlisted at the age of 20, the Marine Corps has been my extended family and I couldn't imagine that would ever change.
But it did after my second tour of duty in Iraq -- where I fought to maintain the peace, but also to enable Iraqis to build better schools, improved hospitals, to help create jobs and, where possible, a stable economy and civil society.
When I returned home to my wife and six year old son, I saw that the politicians in Washington were not fighting for these same things at home. Worse, the congressman who represented the second district where I live -- Rep. Joe Wilson -- was part of that elite circle of George Bush loyalists who chose to enact a radical agenda, never mind the lives and wellbeing of the constituents he was pledged to represent.
LinkHere

Paul Broun Walks Away After He Cannot Answer A Direct Question

Rep. Broun walks away from man asking for plan to lower health care costs: ‘If you have a suggestion, send it.’
Yesterday, Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) held a town hall in Watkinsville, GA, where he fielded questions about health care legislation before Congress. At the conclusion of the town hall, Ryan Lewis, an Athens, GA, resident, approached the congressman and politely explained to him about how his health insurance company refuses to pay for his treatment. In response, Broun told Lewis, “We need to make insurance affordable.” Lewis then asked, “How do we do that?” Rather than offering a GOP solution to skyrocketing health care costs, Broun simply told him, “If you have a suggestion, send it to me” and quickly walked away. LinkHere

"10 Missing Republican Talking Points on Health Care."
50 Million Uninsured in America
Another 25 Million Underinsured
Employer-Based Coverage Plummets Below 60%
Employer Health Costs to Jump by 9% in 2010
One in Five Americans Forced to Postpone Care
62% of U.S. Bankruptcies Involve Medical Bills
Current Health Care Costs Already Fueling Job Losses
94% of Health Insurance Markets in U.S Nearing Monopolization
Dramatic Decline in Emergency Room Capacity
Perpetuating Red State Health Care Failure