DeMint Brings Up Obama's "Waterloo" Again

If Republicans stop Obama on health care they can derail his entire agenda. LinkHere

Conservative Dems, GOP Senators Lobby To Delay Health Reform
Pat Roberts wants 72 hours for health insurance lobbyists

Defense Contractors Robbing Us Blind

What's New? it's been happening the last 8 years of the Bush Cheney administration.

Washington; During a routine check of a watch tower at a U.S. military base in Kuwait, an Army sergeant found the guard leaning back in a chair, his sunglasses on, apparently sound asleep. When the soldier woke the guard, an employee of a defense contractor named Combat Support Associates, he denied he'd dozed off while on duty.
"It's so weird that I can close my eyes for one second and then you appear out of nowhere," the guard said, according to the sergeant's March 2008 inspection report.
The episode illustrates the problems between the U.S. armed forces and the industrial army supporting military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Demand for contractor services is heavy, while oversight of their work isn't. That means problems often aren't discovered until long after the payments have been made.
A major trouble spot is the business systems and procedures that companies use to bill the government. The numbers are eye-popping. Defense auditors have found at least $6 billion in questionable charges generated by sloppy accounting or, worse, contractors trying to bilk the military.
Yet, the Pentagon has done a poor job of recovering the money and forcing companies to improve, according to the independent Commission on Wartime Contracting. The panel cites dysfunction among auditors and contract managers, a shortage of personnel and a failure to be more confrontational with contractors who don't measure up.
Based in Orange, Calif., Combat Support Associates is a largely unknown enterprise that, since 1999, has held an Army contract worth $2.7 billion to support U.S. troops at bases in Kuwait as they move in and out of Iraq. The company's responsibilities include vehicle maintenance, warehousing, computer repairs and post security.
Between 2003 and 2007, when the U.S. invaded Iraq and then became ensnared in a lengthy counterinsurgency, there was little government scrutiny of the company's business systems, according to interviews and government records obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act.
In late 2007, the military belatedly began paying attention. Numerous contract violations were found, several of them serious, leading to a flood of what contracting officials call corrective action requests. Last fall, the Army Criminal Investigation Command opened an inquiry to determine if Combat Support Associates overbilled the government. The case is ongoing. LinkHere

David Huebner: Obama's First Openly Gay Ambassador Nominated

According to The Washington Blade, Obama is set to nominate his first openly gay ambassador -- David Huebner. Huebner is a lawyer specializing in international mediation who also serves as general counsel for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. He's expected to be nominated to serve as Obama's ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.
This is an exciting development -- and one that adds to the anticipation for Obama's major upcoming gay rights speech (some are calling his "big gay speech") on the even of the National Equality March. LinkHere

Obama To Deliver Major Gay Rights Speech

What should Obama say in what's being called his "big gay speech"?
On the eve of the National Equality March expected to draw thousands to the nation's capital this weekend, President Obama is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at the biggest black-tie, seen-and-be-seen dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, the country's largest gay organization. A leadership award named after the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, a long-time champion of gay rights, will be given to Judy and Dennis Shepard, around the same time their 21-year-old son Matthew lay on his deathbed after being robbed, pistol-whipped and tied to a fence -- the victim of a hate crime. That was 11 years ago.
A lot has changed since, and to many gays, a lot still needs to change. "Change," of course, being the cornerstone of Obama's historic campaign. Though Obama is the second American president to speak at the annual dinner -- now in its 13th year -- he is, as the first black president, the first member of a minority group to address a minority group that's been fighting for changes for many years. Expectations are high. LinkHere

Weeks before election, NYC mayor unveils $1.5 million gunshow sting

Mayor Bloomberg: Gun Show Undercover... NRA Targets Bloomberg In New Ad

Gun Sellers Hand Out Weapons With No Questions Asked
Ever wonder how criminals are able to get guns so easily? It's depressingly simple. On any given weekend, at dozens of gun shows held in states across the country -- criminals can buy guns from "private sellers" who are not required to perform background checks.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has identified gun shows as the source of more than 30% of all illegally trafficked guns in the country. Those are the guns most likely to be used in crimes -- and to kill innocent people, including police officers.
Today, New York City is releasing the results of a multi-state investigation into this activity: "Gun Show Undercover." We sent investigators with hidden cameras to seven gun shows across Ohio, Tennessee and Nevada, and we found out just how easy it is for criminals and the mentally ill to walk in and buy guns -- no questions asked. LinkHere

Tsunami warning in south Pacific

Source: BBC News
A tsunami warning has been issued for Papua New Guinea and island nations in the south-west Pacific after an 8.1-magnitude earthquake off Vanuatu.
The epicentre was 373 km (232 miles) north of Santo, Vanuatu's largest island, at a depth of 33km (20.5 miles), the US Geological Survey said.
There have so far been no immediate reports of injuries of damage.
More than 170 people died last week when a tsunami triggered by an quake hit Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.
Earlier on Wednesday, a 6.7-magnitude quake struck off the Philippines, but no tsunami warning was issued. LinkHere

Major breast cancer breakthrough announced at BC Cancer Agency

Source: PR Newswire
For the first time in history, BC Cancer Agency scientists in British Columbia, Canada have decoded all of the three billion letters in the DNA sequence of a metastatic lobular breast cancer tumour, a type of breast cancer which accounts for about 10 per cent of all breast cancers, and have found all of the mutations, or "spelling" mistakes that caused the cancer to spread.
The landmark study, which will be published October 8th as the cover story in the prestigious international science journal Nature, helps unlock the secrets of how cancer begins and spreads, thus pointing the way to the development of new breast cancer treatment targets and therapies. LinkHere

Senate approves apology to American Indians

Source: USA Today
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has approved a resolution apologizing to American Indians for years of "ill-conceived policies" and acts of violence by U.S. citizens.
Lawmakers said the resolution, included in a defense spending bill approved late Tuesday, was a symbolic gesture meant to promote a renewed commitment to tribal communities. The resolution was introduced by Republican Sam Brownback of Kansas and Democrat Byron Dorgan of North Dakota.
Brownback has pushed for the measure since 2004. The Senate approved a similar resolution in 2008 as part of a bill to increase funding for Indian health care, but the measure failed to advance in the House. Lawmakers are also developing legislation to improve health care and bolster public safety on reservations. LinkHere

Car Full of Explosives Stopped in New Haven (CT); Area Cordoned Off

Ian David

Teabagger?


Source: Associated Press (via WTIC)
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) _ New Haven police say they've arrested a man after stopping a car full of explosives last night.
Police say the car was carrying pipe bombs, rifles and a propane tank.
They say they closed off a four-block area because of the danger posed by the explosives but didn't evacuated it.
Police have not released the name of the man they arrested. The bomb squad was called in. There are no reports of injuries. LinkHere

update... two arrested..

Police in Connecticut say they have arrested two people after stopping a car full of explosives in a New Haven residential neighborhood.
New Haven Officer Joseph Avery says police don't know if the suspects planned to use the explosives, because they're not talking much to investigators. Police haven't released their names yet.
Officers say they stopped the car Tuesday night and found pipe bombs, rifles and a propane tank.
Authorities closed off a four-block area, but didn't order an evacuation. A bomb squad detonated the explosives without incident. LinkHere

FBI Joins Investigation

Two people were arrested after authorities in Connecticut stopped a car full of explosives in a New Haven residential neighborhood.
Police charged 38-year-old John Iannucci of Branford and 27-year-old Jessup Bollinger of New Haven with manufacture of bombs, illegal possession of explosives and other charges.
Both men were being held on $500,000 bond. It was unclear if they had attorneys.
New Haven Officer Joseph Avery says police don't know if the suspects planned to use the explosives, because they're not talking much to investigators.
FBI New Haven spokesman William Reiner told FOXNews.com that the bureau is now helping local police in the probe, but declined to elaborate. LinkHere

Fox Pats Itself On The Back For Being ‘Enemy Number One’ Of The Obama White House

Kangaroo Down Under

100 Days of "Fair & Balanced"

FOX Attacks! Obama - Part 2

Fox is patting itself on the back over a job well done, according to a new Time magazine article. “The fact that our numbers are up 30 plus in the news arena on basic cable I’d like to think is a sign that we are just putting what we believe to be the facts out on the table,” said Michael Clemente, Fox’s senior vice president for news. He then compared the network to veteran journalist Sam Donaldson, who was doing a good job because he was “enemy number one” to both the Carter and Reagan White Houses:
As for Fox’s journalism, Clemente said the White House criticism was typical of other administrations who have been critical of certain reporters. “It reminds me a little bit about what happened to Sam Donaldson when he was covering the White House,” said Clemente. “The Reagan White House thought he was enemy number one. He had the same relationship with the Carter White House. They thought he was enemy number one. He thought he was doing his job.” Of course, the difference is that Fox News hasn’t met a Republican administration it didn’t love. While it may be out of favor with the Obama administration, it was the best friend of the Bush White House. Remember, Fox was the network: LinkHere

Rep. Ryan admits GOP was negligent on health care for 12 years: ‘We should have fixed this under our watch.’

In an CNBC debate with Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) today, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) railed against a government takeover of health care until CNBC host John Harwood interjected and asked him, “Congressman, do you not agree that the private market is failing the American patient right now?” Paul agreed that we “do not have a market system working in health care today,” and said, “Let’s fix health care, let’s fix insurance, let’s make sure the uninsured get insured, let’s make sure we have a fix for people with pre-existing conditions.” Frank then interjected and called Ryan out: LinkHere

Barney Frank vs. Paul Ryan

Coburn Ignores His Own Committee, Says We ‘Don’t… Have The Answer Yet’ On Legality Of Obama’s ‘Czars’

For the past few months, many conservatives, led by Glenn Beck and Fox News, have been on a witch-hunt against the Obama administration’s so-called “czars,” accusing the White House of a power grab because they “are not subjected to congressional oversight” (despite the fact that a Fox News reporter noted that “there is no constitutional issue”).
The Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, led by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), held a hearing on these “czars” yesterday to determine their constitutionality. During an interview sometime after the hearing with Fox’s Greta Van Susteren, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) — the subcommittee’s Ranking Member — cited “18 different” czars that are “supposedly” of concern (meanwhile, Fox ran an on-screen graphic showing 30 supposed “czars”). But later in the interview, Coburn said that even after the hearing, the constitutional question on these “czars” is still open:
COBURN: So I think we don’t know, and I think the general, fair inquiry into what is going on without partisan sniping and to say what is really going on, is there any violation of the constitutional — any intended violation of the constitutional prerogatives of the legislative branch over advice and consent. And I don’t think we have the answer yet. LinkHere

Coburn forgets that his own committee ruled Obama 'czars' constitutional
Coburn must not have been paying any attention to his own committee’s hearing. In fact, all five constitutional experts that testified during yesterday’s hearing concluded that these “czars” are legal:

GOP In Bind Over Scandal-Plagued Ensign's Reelection Prospects

Weighed down by ethical controversy and marital scandal, Sen. John Ensign has gone from GOP rising star to pariah. Once tasked with getting more Republicans elected to the Senate, he now is struggling to find members of his own party who are willing to support his own efforts to stay in office.
Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) refused to provide a vote of confidence for his Republican colleague, who has been accused of improperly using his office to advance the career of a former aide whose wife was Ensign's mistress. And as a Democratic source pointed out, it now seems that the same organization that Ensign once headed - the National Republican Senatorial Committee - is also distancing itself from the scandal-plagued pol. LinkHere

Rachel Maddow Confronts Notorious Corporate Lobbyist Rick Berman

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On Whos friking watch was 9/11? Dumb Ass

McCain laughs at Imus joke comparing President Obama to 9/11.

On Monday, during his Fox Business Network debut, Don Imus hosted Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who tweeted that it was “great to be back on with Don Imus again.” Contemplating the prospects for Imus’ return to boost the Fox network, the Daily Beast’s Lloyd Grove writes today about an exchange between Imus and McCain, in which McCain laughed at an Imus joke comparing President Obama to the 9/11 attacks: LinkHere

"In Washington, the Big Lie works,"

Tax Haven Loophole In Senate Bill... "Set Up A Chair On The Beach...And Call It Your Headquarters"
CONGRATULATIONS TO TAX-DODGING CORPORATIONS!
Chamber Of Commerce Gets What It Wants On Tax Dodger Ban From Senate Committee

"In Washington, the Big Lie works," wrote Mierzwinski in a blog post. "You make a claim that is so outrageous, no one will think you are making it up. In this case, the U.S. Chamber is claiming that unless we encourage offshore tax cheats by widening a loophole that encourages companies to set up a chair on the beach of a tax haven country and call it your headquarters, we will be in violation of our treaties and other trade agreements." LinkHere

Still chasing shadows?

This article on the continued troubles in credit markets was informative. But it raised a puzzle. Call me naive, but why does Fed policy seem to assume that the only way to repair credit markets is to return to the status quo ante, circa January 2007?
Here’s how I think about what has happened these past 2+ years. I think in terms of a sort of flow chart, showing ways that savers can connect with borrowers:

Traditionally — i.e., before the 1980s — the public put its money in banks, and banks made loans to borrowers: thus the diagonal arrow from banks to borrowers represents traditional banking.

By 2007, however, much of this traditional channel had been supplanted by shadow banking: debt was securitized, and the securities sold to the public — the straight arrow across the bottom of the figure.
Then the crisis came. The public rushed for safety, which basically meant guaranteed deposits. One rough indicator is holdings of MZM — money of zero maturity — which is the sum of bank deposits and money-market deposits: LinkHere

"MEDICAL DISASTER":

Columbia University Study May Have Caused Severe Harm To Heart Patients
Government Orders Columbia to Tell Patients 'True Nature' of Drug Study

NEW YORK -- The man who would be known as Patient No. 1 emerged from routine open-heart surgery at Columbia University Medical Center in stable condition. Then he began to bleed uncontrollably. Surgeons rushed him back to the operating room to reopen his chest, but by the time they could stop the hemorrhaging, Patient No. 1 was barely breathing and in a coma.
On Aug. 15, 2000, shortly before he was discharged on his way to a nursing home, a physician wrote a terse final diagnosis in his chart: "Medical disaster."
Patient No. 1, along with more than 200 other open-heart surgery patients, was part of a two-year medical study at Columbia that government regulators now say was carried out with ethical and regulatory mistakes and may have caused harm to some patients. The study was testing a commonly used intravenous surgical fluid that previous studies had shown could cause hemorrhaging at high doses. At least two patients in the study died shortly after receiving the fluid and more than two dozen others required transfusions, according to documents submitted to the federal government by the hospital and obtained by the Huffington Post Investigative Fund.
In the past decade, Columbia has conducted three separate internal reviews of the study. The reviews raised serious questions about the drug trial's design, management and oversight. But they concluded that there was no evidence that the fluid caused deaths or other medical problems for the patients and that there was no need to provide the patients with additional information about the study.
Now federal regulators have decided not to accept that conclusion. They have taken the rare action of demanding that Columbia track down the patients and their families, and acknowledge that they never were informed about the "true nature" of the drug study, the risks they faced or the consequences of their participation.
New information shows that "at least some of the subjects appear to have suffered harms that were a function of the design and procedures of the study," the federal Office of Human Research Protections wrote to the hospital in a June 8, 2009, letter obtained by the Investigative Fund.
Federal officials also demanded that Columbia turn over a newly completed internal analysis of how the patients fared in the study. LinkHere

Franken Gets His First Amendment Passed By Roll Call Vote

The Drugging And Gang Rape Of A KBR Employee! Senator Al Franken

Darn, good for you, you are surprising me, Liking you much more as a Senator than a Comedian

jimfl
How can the 30 republicants justify voteing for gang rape?

After operating largely under the radar during his first few months in office, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) is slowly beginning to make political ripples.
On Tuesday night, the Minnesota Democrat got his first piece of legislation passed by the United States Senate via roll call vote. The amendment stopped federal funding for those defense contractors who used mandatory arbitration clauses to deny victims of assault the right to bring their case to court. It passed by a 68-30 margin with nine Republicans joining each voting Democrat. And in the immediate aftermath, Franken was granted the chance to revel, ever so slightly, in his victory.
"The story came to my attention of Jamie Leigh Jones who, when she was 19, went to Iraq to work for [defense contractor] KBR and she was put in the barracks with 400 men and was sexually harassed," Franken told the Huffington Post in a brief interview shortly after the vote. "She complained. But they didn't do anything about it. She was drugged and gang raped and they locked her up in a shipping container. She tried to sue KBR and they said you have a mandatory arbitration clause in your contract. She tried to fight back and said this is ridiculous. She took it to court and they have been fighting her for three years."
"This bill would make it so that anybody in business with the Department of the Defense can't do this," he concluded emphatically. "They can't have mandatory arbitration on issues like assault and battery."
Franken's amendment, which was added to the FY2010 Defense Appropriations Bill, didn't steal the headlines from the other news of the day: the ongoing debate over the war in Afghanistan. But it did add another notch in his belt as he makes the transition from popular comedian to serious politician. The senator has largely avoided the national spotlight in favor of pursuing a behind-the-scenes yeoman-like approach. Indeed, when asked to discuss what role congressional Democrats would play in adding conditions to any potential troop increase in Afghanistan, he demurred, saying there wasn't enough time in the brief interview to address such a weighty topic.
Since winning election, the senator has had several memorable moments and achievements. He was praised for strong questioning -- and a solid Perry Mason joke -- during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. And, in mid July, a bill he authored to provide more service dog services to wounded veterans was adopted by the Senate through unanimous consent.
That piece of legislation, like the one passed on Tuesday night, was a low-risk but eminently logical effort -- something that could engender bipartisan support by addressing a plain and evident problem. But in his conversation with the Huffington Post, Franken indicated that his eyes were set on a broader topic, one that his amendment only began to address. LinkHere

Bears reposting by Sabela .....
Republican's in favor of rape.
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS

rudolfhern

WOW! 22 of the 30 republicans who voted in favor of rape represent Southern states. (I include Arizona as a Southern state since as a territory it sided with the Confederacy.)

Kangaroo Down Under

Your Surprised?

Appearing with Franken after the vote, an elated Jones expressed her deep appreciation. “It means the world to me,” she said of the amendment’s passage. “It means that every tear shed to go public and repeat my story over and over again to make a difference for other women was worth it.” LinkHere

A bad day to oppose Health Reform

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Grayson: the New Face of the Democratic Party?

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Whether Grayson turns out to be a flash in the pan or a guiding light is a story yet to be told but either way, I'm glad I was around to witness one of the very first chapters.

Six-Foot Four Inches, an eighth of a ton, lump-jawed, glowering, menacing and with a hint of elfin twinkle in the eyes. Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson is on the job. Sticking it to the Republicans as no one else has been able or willing to do in recent memory. On the floor of the House last week using charts on an easel, Republican Style, accusing the Republican Health Care Reform Obstructionists of negligent homicide in the deaths of over 40,000 Americans per year who would be alive if only they had been covered by Health Insurance. He must have hit a very healthy nerve because oh how the little piggies did squeal! Rep. Tom Price of “Geowjiah” proclaimed an apology was due the People's House for such a vicious and undeserved attack; likening it to his Republican Colleague's outburst at President Obama, for which HE apologized... Actually he didn't. Rep. Joe Wilson apologized over the phone in a private call to a White House Staffer, not to President Obama, and never apologized to his Congressional Colleagues for embarrassing them and the Body for his rude and unprecedented outburst in the midst of a live broadcast, prime time, during a Presidential Speech to a Joint Session of Congress. Rep. Grayson's comments were broadcast only by C-Span, around midnight, to, essentially no one, except EXTREME political junkies and insomniacs.
The Right-Wing Echo Chamber picked up the banner and ran with it labeling Grayson's presentation “unprecedented” and “groundless”. Interesting charges considering several Republicans had recently accused non-existent “Death Panels” and “Medical Rationing” within the Democratic Reform Plans would result in seniors and others being essentially sent to an early grave. Grayson also cited as the source of his statistics a recently released Harvard Study, not a Health Insurance Wholly-Owned Subsidiary (Lewan Group) organization. Appearing again on the House floor in response to the demand for an apology, Grayson promptly poked his finger into the OTHER Republican eye by apologizing, not to the House, but to the American People, for CONGRESS not doing more, sooner, to provide healthcare for all Americans, thereby allowing untold thousands of unnecessary deaths.
It is worth noting that Grayson, a first-term congressman from Orlando, Florida (somehow fittingly, home to Disney World) is a Harvard educated Attorney, a successful businessman and one of the wealthiest men in either Body of Congress; having acquired a net worth of over 31 Million Dollars WITHOUT the assistance of Congressional connections. LinkHere

Study: Bush Administration Blocked Efforts to Prevent Housing Crisis

Federal regulators in the Bush administration blocked attempts by state governments to prevent predatory lending practices that resulted in the financial crisis now stalking the American economy, a new study from the University of North Carolina says.
In 2004, the Office of the Currency Comptroller, an obscure regulatory agency tasked with ensuring the fiscal soundness of America's banks, invoked an 1863 law to give itself the power to override state laws against predatory lending. The OCC told states they could not enforce predatory-lending laws, and all banks would be subject only to less-strict federal laws.
Now, a research paper (PDF) from UNC-Chapel Hill's Center for Community Capital shows that those anti-predatory lending laws had actually worked. States that had stricter regulations on issuing mortgages were found to have fewer foreclosures. "We believe that these findings are remarkable, since they suggest an important and yet unexplored link between and foreclosures," the study's authors state.
The study may be the first scientific evidence to back up claims made by many critics that the Bush administration and earlier administrations allowed last year's financial crisis to happen by not enforcing common-sense regulations on lenders. LinkHere

North Dakota Dems Pass Resolution Backing Public Plan, Alert Sen. Conrad

In a move that seems designed to push Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) on health care reform, the North Dakota Democratic Party voted two weeks ago to make the public option for insurance coverage a stated objective of its platform.
At a little-noticed policy committee meeting on September 19, state Democratic officials passed a resolution affirming their commitment to "universal single payer health care legislation." As a fallback option, the resolution read, the officials supported the creation of a government-run plan for insurance.
In an effort to apply the pressure to their representatives in Congress, the party also sent letters to the offices of Democratic Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan, as well as Rep. Earl Porneroy, alerting them to the passed resolution.
The letter from Joe Aronson, executive director of the North Dakota Democrats, reads as follows: LinkHere

Texas GOP Lawmakers Who Voted Against Recovery Act Now Beg For Stimulus Funds..

Every single Republican in the House voted against the $819 billion Recovery Act in January. Among the Republican senators who voted against the stimulus were Texas’ Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. Both of them complained that they wanted to see more tax cuts rather than government spending.
But now, both Hutchison and Cornyn are pressuring the Obama administration to give Texas $3 billion in stimulus funds. The co-signers on the letter are a bipartisan group of the Texas delegation in the House, including 19 Republicans, all of whom also voted against the funds for which they’re now begging. The letter was drafted and circulated by GOP Rep. Pete Olson. From the letter: LinkHere

NY Post Fires Editor Critical Of Racist Obama-Stimulus Cartoon

A New York Post editor who spoke out against a controversial cartoon the paper ran comparing the author of the president's stimulus package to a dead chimpanzee has been fired from her job, the paper confirmed.
Sandra Guzman was quietly dismissed from her position as associate editor last week for reasons that are being hotly debated by personnel inside the company. An official statement from the New York Post, provided to the Huffington Post, said that her job was terminated once the paper ended the section she was editing.
"Sandra is no longer with The Post because the monthly in-paper insert, Tempo, of which she was the editor, has been discontinued."
Employees at the paper -- which is one of media mogul's Rupert Murdoch's crown jewels -- said the firing, which took place last Tuesday, seemed retributive.
Guzman was the most high-profile Post employee to publicly speak out against a cartoon that likened the author of the stimulus bill (whom nearly everyone associated with President Barack Obama) with a rabid primate. Drawn by famed cartoonist Sean Delonas, the illustration pictured two befuddled policeman -- having just shot the chimp twice in the chest -- saying: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."
"I neither commissioned or approved it," Guzman wrote to a list of journalist colleagues shortly thereafter. "I saw it in the paper yesterday with the rest of the world. And, I have raised my objections to management."
The remark from Guzman was a rare instance of dissension within the halls of the paper making its way into the public domain. And sources at the Post now say it cost her a job.
"I think ever since then, she has been on their shit list and they were trying to look for a reason to get rid of her," said a Post employee who was granted anonymity in exchange for speaking freely. The problem at the Post is a revenue problem, the employee said. "My whole thing is, she is not in charge of advertising. She is an associate editor. Whoever is in accounting or advertising should have been held accountable." LinkHere

Fox News's Shepard Smith Goes After Sen. John Barrasso On Public Option

Earlier this afternoon, Fox News's Shepard Smith demonstrated some of that trademarked independent thinking that so often gets him in dutch with the cable network's most dedicated viewers, when he took on Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and offered up some serious-minded and well-informed pushback on the public option. His initial response, for my money, is rich with substance and exceedingly well-expressed: LinkHere

Keith Olbermann: The 'Public Option' Needs Critical Care

Freed Texas inmate dies in crash - one month after leaving death row

Source: Stdney Morning Herald
A former US prison inmate who spent a decade on death row has died barely a month after being released from jail after a car accident, Texas police said on Monday.
Michael Toney, 43, died when he lost control of the car he was driving on a Texas road on Saturday and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Toney received a death sentence in 1999 for his conviction in a 1985 car bombing which left three people dead. He maintained his innocence over the years and was finally freed after a key prosecution witness in the case recanted.
A Texas Appeals Court ultimately overturned Toney's conviction, ruling that prosecutors had improperly withheld evidence, and he finally won his freedom on September 2, barely a month before the fatal accident.
LinkHere

Outspoken Australian scientist dropped by Bush wins Nobel

AUSTRALIAN Elizabeth Blackburn has won the Nobel Prize for medicine, setting a landmark for the nation's scientists.
The Tasmanian-born molecular biologist's Nobel is the first for an Australian woman.
Professor Blackburn, 60, who now works in San Francisco, pioneered the study of telomeres, caps that protect chromosomes in cells, and is a discoverer of telomerase, an enzyme that does the protecting.
Her work has opened a new field of science, raising the prospects of such medical breakthroughs as interfering with cancerous cells.
Professor Blackburn won with her long-time US collaborators Jack Szostak, who worked on the telemores unique DNA sequence, and Carol Greider, who co-identified the telomerase.
Australia's 11th Nobel laureate, Professor Blackburn is a vocal advocate of independent scientific thought who fell out with the Bush administration over cloning and stem cells.
She was dropped from George Bush's Council on Bioethics in 2004 after questioning its bias.

LinkHere

The demise of the dollar

Iraq's Saddam Hussein was waged war on, hunted down, and hung for attempting to sell oil in denominations other than US dollars. ...
Saddam Hussein switched from US Petro dollars in 2000 to the

Euro,

Iraq nets handsome profit by dumping dollar for euro
A bizarre political statement by Saddam Hussein has earned Iraq a windfall of hundreds of million of euros. In October 2000 Iraq insisted on dumping the US dollar - 'the currency of the enemy' - for the more multilateral euro.

Source: Guardian UK
Exclusive report by Robert Fisk
In a graphic illustration of the new world order, Arab states have launched secret moves with China, Russia and France to stop using the US currency for oil trading
Dollar Collapse Warning

In the most profound financial change in recent Middle East history, Gulf Arabs are planning – along with China, Russia, Japan and France – to end dollar dealings for oil, moving instead to a basket of currencies including the Japanese yen and Chinese yuan, the euro, gold and a new, unified currency planned for nations in the Gulf Co-operation Council, including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Qatar.
Secret meetings have already been held by finance ministers and central bank governors in Russia, China, Japan and Brazil to work on the scheme, which will mean that oil will no longer be priced in dollars.
The plans, confirmed to The Independent by both Gulf Arab and Chinese banking sources in Hong Kong, may help to explain the sudden rise in gold prices, but it also augurs an extraordinary transition from dollar markets within nine years.
The Americans, who are aware the meetings have taken place – although they have not discovered the details – are sure to fight this international cabal which will include hitherto loyal allies Japan and the Gulf Arabs. Against the background to these currency meetings, Sun Bigan, China's former special envoy to the Middle East, has warned there is a risk of deepening divisions between China and the US over influence and oil in the Middle East. "Bilateral quarrels and clashes are unavoidable," he told the Asia and Africa Review. "We cannot lower vigilance against hostility in the Middle East over energy interests and security." LinkHere

The end of the dollar spells the rise of a new order
This radical proposal is a reflection of a changing economic world

Last autumn's global financial crisis set off an economic earthquake. And we are still feeling the tremors. The latest sign of the ground shifting beneath our feet is our report today of plans by Gulf states, China, Russia, France and Japan to end their practice of conducting oil deals in US dollars, switching instead to a diverse basket of currencies.
It is not hard to see the motivation for oil exporters to move away from the dollar. The value of the US currency has fallen sharply since last year's meltdown. And fears are growing, in the light of a spiralling US government deficit, that a further depreciation is likely. They do not want to sell their wares in return for a currency with an uncertain future.
It is also easy to see why China would like a world trading system that is underpinned by other currencies as well as the dollar. For the past decade Beijing has been recycling the proceeds of its giant national trade surplus into purchases of US government bonds and other dollar-denominated assets. China too stands to make a significant loss if the value of the dollar falls. For China, however, the timing is much more sensitive. Beijing needs to reduce its dollar holdings, but if it does so too quickly it will bring about the very devaluation it fears. This explains why Chinese officials appear to want this transition to take place gradually over the next decade.
But the significance of this development goes much further. Since the end of the Second World War the dollar has been the bedrock of world trade. The pre-eminence of the American currency flowed naturally from the economic dominance of the US. Virtually everyone traded with America so it made sense to use their currency.
But the US is not the dominant power that it once was. The financial crisis has left it hobbled with significant government and household debts and sharply reduced prospects for growth. Developing nations such as China, Brazil and India, on the other hand, have weathered the economic storm significantly better. So while this latest proposal is born of financial calculation, it is also a reflection of a new economic world order. LinkHere

Saudi central bank: report on replacing dollar is wrong

Source: Reuters
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A newspaper report that Gulf Arab states are in secret talks to replace the U.S. dollar in the trading of oil is wrong, Saudi Arabia's central bank chief said on Tuesday.
Asked by reporters about the story in Britain's The Independent, Muhammad al-Jasser said: "Absolutely incorrect."
Asked whether Saudi Arabia was in such talks, he replied: "Absolutely not."
Asked whether Saudi Arabia was committed to the dollar, he said: "You asked the question, I answered it. You asked about the story." LinkHere

Dollar trims losses after UK media report denial

Tue Oct 6, 2009 2:59am EDT
LONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The dollar jumped across the board on Tuesday, trimming losses after Saudi and Russian authorities denied a media report saying Gulf Arab states were considering using currencies other than the dollar to trade oil.
The euro EUR= slipped to around $1.4705 compared with around $1.4730 before the comments .
Still, the pair traded 0.4 percent higher on the day, after traders initially sold the U.S. currency in reaction to the report in the UK's Independent newspaper.
The dollar index .DXY jumped to around 76.445 from around 76.3 before the comments. LinkHere

Top court rejects U.S. govt's oil royalty appeal

Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The Supreme Court rejected on Monday an Interior Department appeal of a ruling that the government says will likely cost it at least $19 billion in lost oil royalties from energy companies.
The justices declined to review a ruling by a U.S. appeals court that Anadarko Petroleum Corp (APC.N) did not have to pay about $350 million in royalties for drilling on federal leases in the Gulf of Mexico issued between 1996 and 2000.
The decision in Anadarko's favor could lead other energy companies to forego paying royalties and cost the United States at least $19 billion in foregone or refunded royalties, the Justice Department said in its appeal on behalf of the Interior Department.
Justice Department attorneys argued that the appeals court incorrectly interpreted the royalty relief law and said the amount of money at stake makes the case worthy of Supreme Court review.
"Whatever the precise amount of forgone future royalties proves to be, the total cost will be huge and it will have a direct adverse affect on the Treasury," Solicitor General Elena Kagan said in the appeal, adding that the companies would get "unjustified windfalls."
The Supreme Court rejected the appeal without comment LinkHere

Bill highlights the rediculousness of anti Acorn of funds

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Republicans root against America.

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The Roots of Astroturfing

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DeMint awarded for undermining the USA

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Zip It!!!

Gates: Advise Obama "Privately" On War... Remarks Follow General's Leaked Assessment On Afghanistan

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates stressed Monday that military and civilian leaders should keep their advice to President Obama on Afghanistan private, in an apparent effort to tamp down the public divide between commanders and the White House over strategy.
"In this process, it is imperative that all of us taking part in these deliberations -- civilians and military alike -- provide our best advice to the president candidly but privately," Gates said in a speech at the annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army. LinkHere

Gates Blames Past Lack Of Troops For Taliban Edge

Source: NYT
By REUTERS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defence Secretary Robert Gates blamed the Taliban's revival on a past failure to deploy enough troops to Afghanistan and said U.S. forces would not withdraw whatever the result of President Barack Obama's strategy review.
"We are not leaving Afghanistan. This discussion is about next steps forward and the president has some momentous decisions to make," Gates said in a TV programme taped at George Washington University on Monday and being aired by CNN on Tuesday.
snip
Gates suggested U.S. and allied failure to put more troops into Afghanistan in the past, when then-president George W. Bush shifted resources to invade Iraq, gave the Taliban an edge.
LinkHere

More Companies Leave The Chamber Over Its Denial Of Climate Change Science

Banks Denying VA-Backed Mortgages

As part of the Huffington Post's efforts to bear witness to the effects of the current economic environment on ordinary Americans, we're rounding up some of the most compelling stories reported by local news organizations around the country.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason Goul is one of many veterans and soldiers trying to buy foreclosed homes for their families. The soldier, his two young children and his wife, Judith, looked for a place around the town of Fairfield in northern California, and placed a couple of bids using a mortgage backed by the Veterans Affairs Department. The plan was to get a home started before he was deployed to the Middle East in August. Unfortunately, though, their offers were repeatedly denied by banks which preferred to sell houses to investors who could pay in cash -- even if the bid was lower, reports Carolyn Said of the San Francisco Chronicle. Sgt Goul has since been shipped overseas and the couple still don't have a home of their own.
In a growing trend, banks are refusing to honor VA-backed loan agreements -- which do not require a down payment and are more amenable to customers with bad credit -- preferring instead to sell foreclosed homes for less money, but quick and immediate cash.
Banks and VA representatives blame the high standards that houses must meet to qualify for VA-backed loans: home repairs must be completed before escrow closes, the escrow period is longer and if escrow does not close the buyer's fees are repaid. Other loans have no such requirements and make it easier to sell damaged and structurally insecure homes. LinkHere

INSURANCE SCAM

Bitsko
The former Vice President for Public Policy and External Affairs at WellPoint, Elizabeth Fowler, is currently the Senior Counsel to Max Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and leading opponent of the "public option" in healthcare reform. (Wikipedia)

Nation's Largest Insurer Lobbies Against Health Care Reform, Then Cuts Workers’ Benefits… WellPoint CEO Pocketed $10 Million Last Year
WellPoint health insurance company, which has encouraged its employees to lobby against health care reform, is now cutting their benefits.
The insurance giant plans to raise deductibles and premiums for some of its employee health benefits. "Your cost per paycheck will probably increase," said a memo to Wellpoint employees that was obtained by Bloomberg News.
The company blamed the recession for the cuts. "Like many employers in today's economic environment, we are looking at all aspects of our business," including benefits, "and making adjustments to ensure we can continue to operate competitively in the future," wrote Chief Human Resources Officer Randy Brown.
WellPoint's CEO, Angela Brady, made nearly $10 million in 2008.
WellPoint illegally pressured California employees this summer to fight health care reform, according to Consumer Watchdog. "Regrettably, the congressional legislation, as currently passed by four of the five key committees in Congress, does not meet our definition of responsible and sustainable reform," said the company's Anthem Blue Cross unit in a company e-mail. The proposals would hurt the company by "causing tens of millions of Americans to lose their private coverage and end up in a government-run plan."
A House investigation found that WellPoint also rewarded employees for finding ways to drop policyholders who developed expensive conditions -- a practice known as rescission. LinkHere

WellPoint Subsidiary Fights Maine Over Big Rate Hike

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine, a subsidiary of WellPoint, the nation's largest insurer, wanted the state to approve an average rate hike...
The filing states that with the rate increase, Anthem's 12,000 policyholders in Maine "would have paid an additional $12 million in annual premium for the same level of benefits."
Oral arguments are expected in November. An Anthem spokesman has not yet responded to a request for comment from the Huffington Post. LinkHere

Dawn Smith, Brain Tumor Victim: How Her Story Became Rallying Cry For Health Care Reform Supporters

The past few years of Dawn Smith's life have been a medical nightmare turned around only when her story became a rallying cry for health care reform.
Four years ago, the Georgia native was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. Her problems were as much bureaucratic as medical -- Smith's insurer, CIGNA, declined to cover the costs associated with going to an out-of-network epilepsy center. Without more innovative testing and treatment, she was left with crippling head pains.
Her saving grace was her political symbolism. After months of reaching out fruitlessly to her representatives in Washington, the progressive action group MoveOn.org sent word of her story to its massive email list. Pressured to act, CIGNA agreed days later to cover tests for Smith at the fabled Cleveland Clinic.
It was a much-needed break. But it didn't fully get rid of the red tape. Last week, Smith received a call from a CIGNA representative telling her that the co-pay on her anti-epileptic medicine was being jacked up by more than $3,000 a year. "I was knocked to the floor," she told the Huffington Post. "When they told me I'd have to get another medicine -- in this matter-of-fact-type tone -- I just started crying."
With no personal income to cover her costs, Smith once again was saved through the intervention of a third party. Hours after reporters began questioning CIGNA's latest move, the insurance company brought the drug price back to its original level. The mistake, it said, was made by Smith's doctor who misfiled the prescription. "I think that it is fair to say that we were unaware of the issue until we started to hear about it through Twitter and blogs," said Christopher Curran, a CIGNA spokesperson.
"We have been in contact with both Ms. Smith and her physician and have corrected the inaccuracy. Customer service and satisfaction is important to us, we remain committed to working with our customers and physicians to ensure they receive the highest level of service."
LinkHere

Civil Rights Groups Get Into Health Care Fight, Target Dems

WASHINGTON — African-American, Latino and civil rights groups have launched an ad campaign aimed at pressuring moderate Democratic senators to support health care legislation that allows the government to sell insurance in competition with private industry.
The ads feature a recognizable civil rights symbol – a public bus – to send the group's message that "there needs to be room for all of us on the bus."
The ads began Monday on television, in print and online in English and Spanish in four states: Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina and Florida. They target three Democrats – Sens. Blanche Lincoln, Mary Landrieu and Kay Hagan – and one Republican, Sen. George LeMieux (leh-MYOO').
Money for the ads is being raised by PowerPAC. The groups plan to spend $250,000 to $500,000 on the ads. LinkHere

Fox News Corrects False Claims About Gay Obama Education Adviser — Will Hannity Do The Same?

FAIR AND BALANCED? YOU DECIDE!!!!!

Okay, so Fox’s news division, such as it is, has now quietly issued an online correction of the false claims the outlet had been making while waging a high-profile assault on Kevin Jennings, the gay high-level education adviser who’s reviled by conservatives for his past in gay rights activism.
The question: Will Sean Hannity, who amplified the attack on Jennings from his huge platform, also correct the record, just as his own network has? For a major personality like Hannity to admit error on the air would be much a bigger deal than for the network to do it online.
Fox News and Hannity have been all over Jennings. Hannity called for him to be fired, accusing him of covering up “statutory rape.” The basis for the charge: When Jennings was a young teacher a teenager confided in him about having sex with a stranger and Jennings didn’t report it to authorities. Jennings has said he regrets his actions.
The “statutory rape” charge is based on the assertion that the kid was 15 years old at the time, a claim originally floated, wrongly, by Jennings himself, and continuously amplified by Fox News and the right even after it had been corrected.
On Friday Media Matters produced what it said was the kid’s drivers license, showing that the kid was 16, legal age of consent in Massachuttes, and also produced a Facebook exchange that seemed to show that a Fox News reporter had been informed directly by the kid himself that they’d misrepresented his age.
Fox News has now issued an online correction. But Hannity has been silent on this since Friday. It’ll be interesting to see if he corrects the record on the air. I’m checking with his producer and will keep you posted. LinkHere

Why Now Senator Graham?

Do you think these senseless attacks are hurting the Republican Party more than President Obama?

Pardon me, Senator, I hate to be cynical, but where were you during the silly season this past summer? You know, when Governor Palin accused the president of wanting to create "death panels?" Or when Beck ranted his ridiculous claims about eugenics? Or Rush Limbaugh called the president a Nazi? Or when the "birthers," fanned by some conservative members of Congress, accused the president of not being a naturalized American? Or, perhaps worse, the president was a Muslim born in Kenya?
Senator, why the sudden urge to take the high road? Do you think these senseless attacks are hurting the Republican Party more than President Obama? Or are you now speaking up because Glenn Beck has insulted your best friend, Senator John McCain. Whatever your motives, Senator, I agree it's time to knock this crap off. LinkHere

Pretty Much looks like they are extremely well-connected, I'd say!!!!!!!!!!

Goldman Sachs PAC Has Only $25,482 ..

Reuters reports that Goldman Sachs has virtually stopped raising money for political candidates through its political action committee even as it remains extremely well-connected to Washington lawmakers.
While rivals Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase have shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars in employee political contributions, campaign finance records show that Goldman's political action committee hasn't taken any money from employees in more than a year -- its balance is a meager $25,482.
According to Reuters:
Critics believe Goldman might be operating under the belief that it has all the political influence it needs.
"They don't seem to need a PAC since Goldman has had its way with Washington consistently since Wall Street imploded a year ago," said Harvey Rosenfield, president of the non-profit Consumer Education Foundation. "You could argue they have done pretty well without any PAC contributions." LinkHere

Goldman to be paid $1bn if CIT fails

By Henny Sender and Saskia Scholtes in New York
Goldman Sachs stands to receive a payment of $1bn – while US taxpayers would lose $2.3bn – if embattled commercial lender CIT files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, people familiar with the matter said.
The payment stems from the structure of a $3bn rescue finance package that Goldman extended to CIT on June 6 2008, about five months before the Treasury bought $2.3bn in CIT preferred shares to prop it up at the height of the crisis. The potential loss for taxpayers would be the biggest to crystalise so far from the government’s capital injection plan for banks.
The agreement with Goldman states that if CIT defaults or goes bankrupt, it “would be required to pay a make-whole amount” that totals $1bn, the people familiar with the matter said. LinkHere

Conservative Movement "Has The Emotional Maturity Of A Bratty 13-Year-Old"

The Politics of Spite
How did one of our great political parties become so ruthless, so willing to embrace scorched-earth tactics even if so doing undermines the ability of any future administration to govern?

By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: October 4, 2009
There was what President Obama likes to call a teachable moment last week, when the International Olympic Committee rejected Chicago’s bid to be host of the 2016 Summer Games.
“Cheers erupted” at the headquarters of the conservative Weekly Standard, according to a blog post by a member of the magazine’s staff, with the headline “Obama loses! Obama loses!” Rush Limbaugh declared himself “gleeful.” “World Rejects Obama,” gloated the Drudge Report. And so on.
So what did we learn from this moment? For one thing, we learned that the modern conservative movement, which dominates the modern Republican Party, has the emotional maturity of a bratty 13-year-old.
But more important, the episode illustrated an essential truth about the state of American politics: at this point, the guiding principle of one of our nation’s two great political parties is spite pure and simple. If Republicans think something might be good for the president, they’re against it — whether or not it’s good for America.
To be sure, while celebrating America’s rebuff by the Olympic Committee was puerile, it didn’t do any real harm. But the same principle of spite has determined Republican positions on more serious matters, with potentially serious consequences — in particular, in the debate over health care reform.
Now, it’s understandable that many Republicans oppose Democratic plans to extend insurance coverage — just as most Democrats opposed President Bush’s attempt to convert Social Security into a sort of giant 401(k). The two parties do, after all, have different philosophies about the appropriate role of government.
But the tactics of the two parties have been different. In 2005, when Democrats campaigned against Social Security privatization, their arguments were consistent with their underlying ideology: they argued that replacing guaranteed benefits with private accounts would expose retirees to too much risk.
The Republican campaign against health care reform, by contrast, has shown no such consistency. For the main G.O.P. line of attack is the claim — based mainly on lies about death panels and so on — that reform will undermine Medicare. And this line of attack is utterly at odds both with the party’s traditions and with what conservatives claim to believe.
Think about just how bizarre it is for Republicans to position themselves as the defenders of unrestricted Medicare spending. First of all, the modern G.O.P. considers itself the party of Ronald Reagan — and Reagan was a fierce opponent of Medicare’s creation, warning that it would destroy American freedom. (Honest.) In the 1990s, Newt Gingrich tried to force drastic cuts in Medicare financing. And in recent years, Republicans have repeatedly decried the growth in entitlement spending — growth that is largely driven by rising health care costs.
But the Obama administration’s plan to expand coverage relies in part on savings from Medicare. And since the G.O.P. opposes anything that might be good for Mr. Obama, it has become the passionate defender of ineffective medical procedures and overpayments to insurance companies.
How did one of our great political parties become so ruthless, so willing to embrace scorched-earth tactics even if so doing undermines the ability of any future administration to govern?

LinkHere

pokey11
I agree fully with Paul but I have to say that many on the left ( including him at times ) act like spoiled brats as well. Their mentality is we want everything you promised us done our way and we want it done now. If you don't do it our way and now we are going to accuse you of selling out to corporate america etc. The behavior on the right is much worse of course.

Watch Dem Candidate's Stutter Mocked At Rally For GOP Rival

tjconkster
Ms. Johnson, You owe my daughter and all of those with disabilities an apology! THis goes beyond the pale. My daughter has suffered from a stutter disability since she was very young. I've seen the look in her eyes when someone makes fun of the disability. It took years of thearpy in, wait for it, Public Schools from a very dedicated theapist to get her past the severity of the disability. She still stutters when she's tired, but man what an improvement from a Government Run Program. Now, she is enrolled in a State Run University studying to be a speech therapist. So repubs and Ms. Johnson, don't tell me that government run programs don't work. And take your hate speech and attittude and stick it where the sun don't shine! Go Buckeyes!
Kristen777
Here. Tell the compassionate philanthropist how you feel through her foundation.
http://sheilajohnsoninstitute.org/contact.html

Ed Schultz Slams Bill Kristol, GOP For Cheering Chicago's Olympic Defeat

Conservatives have been reveling in the defeat of Chicago's Olympic bid this weekend, and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol was right there with them, crowing about Obama's failure to secure the bid on Fox News Sunday. For this, he made MSNBC's Ed Schult's segment "Psycho Talk." Schultz blasted Kristol and the rest of the GOP: "The GOP's joy in the failure of Chicago's Olympic bid is flat-out anti-American."

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Texas governor accused of covering up innocent man’s execution

The head of a Texas anti-death penalty group has accused that state's governor of scuttling an investigation into a possible wrongful execution for political reasons.
"[Texas Governor Rick] Perry saw the writing on the wall," Scott Cobb, president of the Texas Moratorium Network, told CNN. "He moved to cover that up."
The "writing on the wall" Cobb was referring to was the investigation by the Texas Forensic Science Commission into the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was put to death in 2004 for the 1991 arson deaths of his three daughters.
Forensic investigations done since Willingham's conviction have found no evidence of arson. Nonetheless, Perry refused to grant Willingham a stay of execution in 2004, even though credible questions had already been raised about Willingham's guilt.
On Wednesday, Gov. Perry ordered the removal of three members of the forensics commission, and instituted a "political ally," as CNN described him, to head the committee. That ally is reported to have ordered the investigation into Willingham's execution delayed indefinitely, saying he "couldn't begin to guess" when the commission would reconvene. LinkHere

Trial by Fire
Did Texas execute an innocent man?

Jindal turns down $300 million in stimulus funds for high-speed rail.

cec says:
What do the people of LA think of Jindal and his turning down stimulus money and then passing out checks from stimulus money and taking credit for it?

In response to President Obama’s national address in February, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal pointedly went after stimulus funding for high-speed rail projects as “wasteful spending.” But in August, state officials began drafting plans to request $300 million in stimulus funds to develop a high-speed rail between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. An official in the state Department of Transportation and Development called the project “a very valuable economic incubator.” The plan had the backing of Louisiana legislators such as Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao (R), who was pressing Jindal to request the money. Jindal, however, let the midnight Friday deadline pass, allowing his right-wing ideology to win out: LinkHere

If The Russians Did This To Us, We’d Kill ‘Em

By David Michael Green
October 02, 2009 "Information Clearing House" -- What if the Russians invaded?
It's not so far-fetched an idea, you know. We spent half a century and trillions of dollars to make sure that it would never happen, so it's really not such a strange notion.
So what if the Russians invaded?
What if they came and stole all of our money?
What if the Russians invaded and enslaved our children as cheap worker bee drones locked in dismal dead-end jobs?
What if the Russians invaded and excavated all of our natural resources, leaving only mountains of toxic debris in their wake?
What if the Russians invaded and they ruined our infrastructure, thrashed our educational institutions, and stuck us with a grossly inadequate healthcare system?
What if the Russians invaded and incarcerated a huge percentage of our people in for-profit jails? What if they ruined our military by sending it off on big-money colonial expeditions? What if they cut the legs out from under the middle class?
What if the Russians invaded and turned us against each other, tricking this tribe of Americans into hating that tribe, in order to keep any of us from realizing that they were looting our country?
If the Russians did any of these things, we’d kill ‘em. Dead.
If the Russians invaded, we'd send our army to crush them in defense of our country (or, at least, we hire somebody to do it).
If the Russians invaded, we'd be furious and raging and hateful and destructive – for good reason, too – and we would bring to them the full measure of American organized violence in order to take back our country from their plundering rampages.
Of course, the Russians haven’t invaded. But what's astonishing about the moment we live in is that America has in fact been subjected to all these travails. We have essentially been invaded by those who wish us ill, and our national and private resources are being stripped bare. This country is being looted, and everything in it that isn't nailed down is being carted away and sold off.
Our children are being saddled with enormous financial burdens. Our educational and healthcare systems, sucked dry as mere revenues sources, are falling to pieces. Our infrastructure is approaching ruin.
Our jobs, our industries and our community resources have been bundled up and exported to where the work can be done far cheaper, and the workers are compliant. Increasingly we are scrambling just to survive. Admittedly, our government remains absolutely dedicated to making sure that some of us do extremely well. It's just that that ‘some’ doesn’t include anyone you know.
What is absolutely astonishing about the moment that we live in is that we have been essentially invaded, we have been absolutely looted, and yet we don't seem to be the slightest bit angry about that.
If the Russians had done it, we would be absolutely furious. But in fact, it was our own overclass that did it, and not only are we not furious at them, we don't even notice the crime. Or, if we do notice, we’re furious at some ridiculously inappropriate target, like a ‘liberal’ president who isn't even remotely liberal.
America has always been a country with its full and fair share of flaws, but for quite some time during the middle part of the twentieth century, we got one thing reasonably right. There was a bargain then, between elites and the government and the public. According to the terms of the deal, the aristocracy would still be fantastically rich, but there would be limitations on their wealth, because some of that wealth, some substantial amount, needed to be shared with the working people and the middle class, and it was the role of government to make sure that that happened. Many among the well-to-do even shared that consensus.
Since Ronald Reagan rode into town, however, that deal is off the table, replaced by what is essentially a new New Deal – or, more accurately, simply the Bad Old Deal. Under the terms of this new/old arrangement, the unregulated wealthy grab absolutely everything they can get their hands on, the middle class scrambles for whatever bare existence it can maintain, and the rest of America, the working class and the poor, fall deeper and deeper into third world-style poverty. Under the terms of this new system, the role of the government is no longer to provide for the welfare of the people, nor to ensure that there are limitations on what the plutocracy can liberate from them. Under the terms of this new arrangement, the function of the government is simply to serve as a tool, assisting that plutocracy in depriving America's own people of everything that can be taken from them.
That means that in the last thirty years we've entirely restructured the economy so that the super-wealthy have become obscenely-super-wealthy, and the middle class are lucky to have stood still, and haven't really even managed that. If one examines the destination of the considerable GDP growth that America has sustained over the last three decades, it's gone entirely to the richest of Americans. The middle class has actually lost ground. That's an astonishing fact, but think about it: Despite robust economic growth, workers today actually make less than they did back in the 1970s. LinkHere