Iran Revolution?

Riots in Iran. Green supporters beaten. Stolen election?

“I feel like I went to sleep in one country and woke up in another.”

Nice seeing news channels report news. Not some crazy ticker scrolling lame info and opinions.

The Bush Cock-punch

20/20 hindsight when it was obvious from the start. Pure partisan politics at the expense of the entire country.

“We’re digging ourselves out of a deep hole. We took it in the shorts with Bush-Cheney, the Iraq War, and by sacrificing fiscal responsibility to hold power.” -- House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

As Bush and Cheney drove the bus off the cliff, Boehner was the giddy sycophantic enabler telling them to hit the gas. ThinkProgress adds:

"Boehner has only to blame to himself. He voted to authorize use of military force against Iraq, and voted against a House-approved Iraq withdrawal in 2007. He also voted for the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts, which were largely responsible for turning our nation’s surplus into a massive deficit. As Boehner himself said in 2006, “I think that Republicans ought to stand up and support George W. Bush for the job that he’s done.” (HT: Political Wire)"

Source: ThinkProgress

John Yoo's Day Is Gonna Come

John Yoo was the author of memos that Bush and Cheney used to start their torture program. Why Americas are not more upset with this guy escapes me.

On what level, philosophical, religious, practical, can you get to the point, where you throw away away all laws and safeguards, and just make up legal judgments for your boss?

Thankfully, Yoo's assault on society is coming back to haunt him. He's been ordered to testify in the Jose Padilla case.

“Judge [Jeffrey S.] White denied most elements of Mr. Yoo’s motion and quoted a passage from the Federalist Papers that in times of war, nations, to be more safe, ‘at length become willing to run the risk of being less free,’” noted The New York Times.

It's unfortunate Padilla is a less than sympathetic character for Yoo's misdeeds to be highlighted.

But tyranny must always be stopped, no matter what the timing.

Scott Horton, a contributing editor to Harper’s, said Yoo’s memos “freed [the Bush administration] from the constraints of the Bill of Rights” during wartime “with respect to anything [Bush] chose to label as counter-terrorism operations inside the United States.”

With all these false "un-American" talking points being thrown out there, it's about time we all put away the rhetoric and get to the bottom of real issues. Being in denial at the time of these crimes, and even worse, now, is no excuse. Own up to your mistakes. That is the American thing to do.

Source: Raw Story

The Sources Of Surplus Elimination And Deficit

Great NYT article, "America’s Sea of Red Ink Was Years in the Making", explaining the current deficit. How we went from the Clinton-era surpluses, to the Bush-era credit card-style spending sprees, to Obama left picking up the damaged pieces.

"The Congressional Budget Office estimated then that the government would run an average annual surplus of more than $800 billion a year from 2009 to 2012. Today, the government is expected to run a $1.2 trillion annual deficit in those years."

How do you go through all that money? Well, two Bush recessions [2001 and 2007/8] lost a lot of forecasted tax revenue. Then two Bush wars cost a lot of money. Cutting taxes during this time meant more borrowing which has higher costs and interest. That accounts for about 37% of the swing.

"About 33 percent of the swing stems from new legislation signed by Mr. Bush. That legislation, like his tax cuts and the Medicare prescription drug benefit, not only continue to cost the government but have also increased interest payments on the national debt."

Then you have 20% that are Bush policies that Obama has to deal with: the continuing Iraq war and the Wall St. bailout that Bush signed, but Obama supported.

Then you get to what Obama is actually accountable for:

"About 7 percent comes from the stimulus bill that Mr. Obama signed in February. And only 3 percent comes from Mr. Obama’s agenda on health care, education, energy and other areas."

Matthew Yglesias, who noted, "In other words, the very high deficits are not Obama’s fault according to any normal way of assessing political blame", made a chart:



90% of our deficit is Bush: tax cuts for wealthy people [top 1%], borrowing with interest to cover money spent on a ridiculously outsized military and prescription drugs. Pretty much money spent on wealthy people, pharmaceutical companies and countries Bush invaded.

10% is Obama: Stimulus package spent on Americans, paying for education, putting people back to work and giving the biggest tax cuts in history. Which unlike Bush, target those who make less than $250,000 or roughly 96% of the population.

Source: NYT

"False In Every One Of Its Dimensions"

Obama needs to change his stance on releasing torture information. The more we learn, the more we know how much deception has been taking place by the previous administration. What we know is not even the truth, but a combinations of falsehoods used to justify illegal actions after the fact. Here's a relevant quote from yesterday:

"I want my colleagues and the American public to know that measured against the information I have been able to gain access to, the story line we have been led to believe--the story line about waterboarding we have been sold--is false in every one of its dimensions... [T]here has been a campaign of falsehood about this whole sorry episode. It has dis-served the American public....

[F]acing up to the questions of our use of torture is hard enough. It is worse when people are misled and don't know the whole truth and so can't form an informed opinion and instead quarrel over irrelevancies and false premises. Much debunking of falsehood remains to be done but cannot be done now because the accurate and complete information is classified... It is intensely frustrating to have access to classified information that proves a lie and not be able to prove that lie. It does not serve America well for Senators to be in that position," - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

The Bush torture legacy does not need any help in covering up. The Cheney family is on that 24/7. The American people need to see how badly we were lied to regarding these policies. It's the only way to move forward.

Source: Andrew Sullivan

Daily Show: Aged News v Real News

The Daily Show and Jason Jones tool on the New York Times.

"What's black and white and red all over?" - "Your balance sheet". Ouch!

Would love to see Fox do something like this on Rev. Moon's Washington Times. Would never happen.

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Senate Passes Landmark Bill to Regulate Tobacco

The Senate voted 79-17:

In a striking contrast to previous years when a powerful tobacco lobby held considerable influence, the Senate on Thursday approved giving the government vast powers to regulate tobacco products.

President Obama issued a statement about the bill’s passage, saying: “It will make history by giving the scientists and medical experts at the F.D.A. the power to take sensible steps that will reduce tobacco’s harmful effects and prevent tobacco companies from marketing their products to children."

Hundreds of billions of potential health care savings when people stop smoking. This is a good trend.

Source: NYT

2008 FBI Report Warned Of White Supremacist

FBI report from July 7 2008, "White Supremacist Recruitment of Military Personnel since 9/11".

The report addresses the issue of former US military personnel being recruited by white supremacist extremist groups, "what success their recruitment efforts have", and what the impacts are for the white supremacist extremist movement.

Where was the Republican outrage then? The April 2009 DHS report simply echoed this threat. But now because Democrats are in power, the same information is a targeted, unjustified assault on conservative ideology.

Bull-diculous.

Racism is really not an issue that Washington can solve alone, it's a hometown thing. It's a matter of ending ignorance. People on both side of the aisle obviously want this to end. But because Beck and O'Reilly spend all day, every day, advocating the overthrow of this government by any means, it has to be be addressed. They can not tap into the hate generated and circulated by these extreme fringe racists to collectively push their entire political agenda, then distance themselves when shit goes sideways and innocent Americans die.

And this from the "you're either with us or with the terrorist" believers.

Radicalizing these radicals will have its societal damage. Even the Right knows this.

Source: WikiLeaks

The Bigger Picture

No matter what you think about the DHS report, here's the underlying bigger picture:

The main political opposition party in America is actually pushing the notion that the President of the United States is a socialist (un-American), foreign born (un-American), and a radical enemy of the state.

Report or no report, it’s obvious.

Raising Money Off Mocking Warnings Of Hate

Interesting that conservatives and Republicans had aligned themselves with the fringe extremists, and not the other way around. Their "fake outrage" has anchored them to hate.

Raising money off mocking a DHS report:

The Liberty Counsel — a Christian right group whose support is courted by mainstream GOP politicians — is still raising cash by mocking the “right wing extremists” report, despite the identification of the suspect in yesterday’s Holocaust Museum shooting as a white supremacist and anti-government zealot.

The Liberty Counsel, which is affiliated with Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University, is a non-profit that describes itself as “dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family.” It allies with GOP politicians in legislative fights such as the one against hate-crimes legislation, and no less a mainstream Republican than John McCain courted its support during last year’s presidential race.

This is the card you get for your child-like reasoning and unapologetic taking sides with white supremacists, cop killers and domestic terrorism. The shameless Christian Right. Isn't pride one of their seven deadly sins?



Source: Greg Sargent

The Power Of Guy #3

Guy #1 is the Initiator. Rare. It's scary being the leader.
Guy #2 is seen as maybe a loyalist or maybe he's goofing.
Guy #3 made it a movement. Just as rare as #1, less scary, but just as important.
[alternate thought: fat guy #3 makes it a party. Fat guys get things started]

Guy #101 is irrelevant. He's the fratty Mob Mentality guy.

We need more Guy #3s. Also, goes to show how music is a powerful force.



tune = "Unstoppable" by Santogold
location = Sasquatch Festival

Source: Seth Godin

I See A Pattern

There is a Department Of Homeland Security report in April that warns about increased activity from right wing extremists and white supremacy groups. Based on real investigation, online chatter and the different agencies information gathering abilities. The report was ignored by the Republicans. They even demanded an apology and insisted that Napolitano step down.

Go back to 2001 and the different agencies are noticing increased chatter from Al Qaeda. A certain Presidential Daily Briefing on Aug 6, 2001 was titled "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US." Again, these reports were denied and ignored by Bush and the Republicans and we had 9/11.

You can see the denial and contempt of warning signs in: Katrina; global warming; the housing bubble; Wall St; banking regulations; sub-prime mortgages; unregulated derivatives market; firing of Attorney Generals; "we do not torture"; the Plame outing, subsequent denial and eventual Libby indictment; UN reports of no WMD; all pre-war intel; size of the military needed in Iraq and just about everything involving Dick Cheney.

Moral to the story: the truth and Republicans do not mix.

Lock Up

This is the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.

It currently holds Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, the first Gitmo prisoner to be transferred to the United States to stand trail on federal charges.

All you scared, small town, NIMBY-politicians trying to stoke fear, take heed.



Source: BAGnews

Shepard Smith: Fox E-mailers "More And More Frightening"

To his credit, Fox's Shepard Smith takes a honest look at the e-mails he gets and declares them "more and more frightening". From inside the crazy house, Smith has an interesting vantage point. He can see how Hannity, O'Reilly and the Fox crew foment the hate and misinformation all in the name of ratings/money, not the truth.

The example he reads on air is about Obama's birth certificate? That's your concern? That's what keeps you up at night? That's what the rage is all about? It's all just code for "he's black".

DHS Report And Napolitano Sadly Vindicated

The DHS report warning of right-wing radicals was all too perceptive for some. Once ridiculed by conservatives, turns out all too prescient:

A law enforcement official said Wednesday that James Von Brunn, an elderly white supremacist, is being investigated as the prime suspect in the shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Museum.

Anti-Semitic loner gunmen are the biggest cowards. And the gunman was 89?

Scared [old] white people, I wonder where they get their misinformation that gets them all riled up and pushes them over the edge? Hmm? Anyone?

The Tiller shooting, the Arkansas shooting, the cops shot in Pittsburgh, all single issue extremists. Michael Steele and the rest of the GOP cabal of enablers should feel around 1 inch tall about now for talking so much shit back in April. But they don't. It's all hot air and talking points for them.

RIP: Stephen Tyrone Johns. Courageous guard who lost his life protecting others.

Source: HuffPo

Health Care Mandate

A public mandate vs potential GOP obstructionism:

The latest Diageo/Hotline Poll finds that 62% of voters support "the President enacting a major overhaul of the U.S. health care system," with 38% of voters strongly supporting a major overhaul.

Specifically, one-third (35%) of Republican voters, 64% of Independent voters, and 87% of Democratic voters support a major overhaul of health care.

The report also finds the group with socialized medicine, seniors 65+, is least in support of overhauling health care. They just love those escalating costs!

Obama has the will of the people. This is not about universal health care, per se, this is about changing the current system.

Source: Political Wire

Quote Of The Day: Charles Krauthammer

I think he meant this as a compliment:

"What Fox did is not just create a venue for alternative opinion. It created an alternate reality." -- Charles Krauthammer, a Washington Post columnist and Fox News contributor.

A place where historic deficits and massive spending are fiscally responsible. Where government size is the the most massive it has ever been and more involved in monitoring our personal lives than ever before. Where Bush's Medicare prescription drug benefit is not one of the most massive entitlement programs ever created. Where Bush's tax cuts, couple with 2 wars, only caused the Government to borrow more and increased interest payments on the national debt for future generations to pay off. And where their Republican president can federalize Freddy and Fannie, buy AIG and bailout of the banks and Wall St to the tune of $700 billion and still blame Obama for everything.

Even the on-air people on Fox know they are mealymouthed and non-reality based. Or in Fox-speak, "some people say", that "they find it odd", "isn't it interesting" how "we report, you decide" and "no spin zone" are called an "alternate reality".

Isn't it eerily poetic that this conservative guy's name is "hammer of the Krauts"?

How Do You Say "Yes We Can" In Persian?

Uplifting photo shoot from around the world regarding the upcoming elections in Iran. Seems the people are pushing for change and it will hopefully have some impact on Iran's government, economy and foreign policy, as well as, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

As Europe moves more Right, Lebanon and maybe Iran move to the left. Go figure.

Hezbollah is losing its' dominance. Mr. Ahmadinejad’s confrontation with the West is failing.

“I think the speech of Obama in Cairo more likely played a role in neutralizing anti-Americanism,” said Khalil al-Dakhil, a sociologist from Saudi Arabia. “It was a positive message. It was a conciliatory message.”

The power of words.



via: Andrew Sullivan

Conservatives Call Guns At Church "Progress"

From Instapundit and Pajamasmedia.com, Glenn Reynolds posts:

WELL, CHURCHES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT of civil-rights efforts after all. Pastor Organizes Gun Celebration at Church. “A pastor in Kentucky is redefining the tradition of wearing your Sunday best to services by encouraging his congregation to strap on holsters and bring their weapons to church. Pastor Ken Pagano of New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky., says that he organized an ‘Open Carry Celebration’ to promote responsible gun ownership.”

Glenn then goes on, "Gun-control advocates aren’t happy, but you’ve always got your haters with any movement for social progress."

How offensive can you get? Having guns at Church would have nothing to do with gun control and calling it "social progress"? Are you kidding me? That is progress? Being able to bring your gun to Church sounds about the last thing on Earth I would imagine a god or his all-loving "son" would want you to bring. Do you get more praise for bringing hollow tips?

Then aligning bringing a gun to church with churches being involved in civil-rights issues? Equating equal rights which were unjustly denied to people in the segregated South to 200+ years of unrestrained legal gun ownership. What a dickish thing to say.

Do they wear WWJD bracelets with their guns in the belts?

Imagine this conversation with St. Peter:

St. P: "You were the guy who brought his gun to church, right?"
KY cretin hillperson: "Yup, that were me."
St. P: "Umm, yeah.....we don't think it's going to work out for you up here."

Source: InstaPundit

Daily Show: Cable News Needs More News

Jon Stewart has a funny piece on the state of cable news.

Watch how many times "I find it odd", "I find it interesting" and similar opinions pass as news at FOX.

Stewart's take on CNN and their fascination with Twitter explains their new slogan, "we're all like, I know".

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Colbert Week Continues

Stephen Colbert is guest editor for this week's Newsweek. Will have to pick it up.

From his Editor's Note:

"Most important, I sent NEWSWEEK's reporters to find out whatever happened to Iraq. Unfortunately, this meant cutting the cover story they had planned: "Hey, Have You Heard About This Thing Called 'Twitter?' "

Big ups to Colbert for going to Iraq and helping us remember what we are doing over there. The Twitter joke is spot on. Seems we are looking for distractions these days.

Comedians have a great ability to cover some pretty serious topics and Colbert nails it.

Source: Newsweek

10 Banks To Repay TARP

The tea-baggin' Republicans' cries of socialism sound even weaker now:

"The Treasury is preparing to announce today it will let 10 banks buy back government shares, people familiar with the matter said, signaling confidence some of the largest U.S. lenders won’t again need a taxpayer rescue.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is among those cleared to repay Troubled Asset Relief Program funds, a person said on condition of anonymity. Goldman Sachs Group Inc., American Express Co. and State Street Corp. are also among those that have sold shares and debt unguaranteed by the government, demonstrating they can raise funds without federal aid."

Government ownership was never going to happen, but the fear, however unhealthy and counterproductive as it was, was the only thing conservatives had to scare their base to blindly follow them. A competent Obama scares the shit out of them.

Still a long way to go. We'll see how this encouraging news is reported on.

Source: Bloomberg

Apple Sans CEO

Lost in the haze of faster 3G iPhones and cheaper MacBook Pros:

"Apple Inc.’s developer conference yesterday gave investors a new opportunity to see the company at work without Steve Jobs.

The company unveiled a faster iPhone and cut prices on its MacBook Pro notebooks, relying on a team of managers to tout the products while its chief executive officer is on medical leave."

Jobs, 54, is scheduled to return to Apple at the end of the month.

Source: Bloomberg

Brett Michaels Clotheslined By Stage Prop

Poison's Brett Michaels clotheslined at the TONY's last night by a descending set piece. He suffered a broken nose and three stitches on his lip.

After falling hard, maybe his wig saved his life?

60th Anniversary Of Orwell's 1984

Eric Blair, respekt.

How close is the use of double-speak, the re-writing of history, the Thought Police [illegal wiretapping] and the Ministry of Love [We love, that is why we torture.] to the pseudo Christianization of the Bush Administration? Scary.

June 8, 1949: Sixty years ago today, Nineteen Eighty-Four is published. It’s official: In the face of the monolithic state, the little guy has no chance at all.

Nineteen Eighty-Four is told through the eyes of Winston Smith, a minor civil servant in the Ministry of Truth whose job it is to rewrite history for the totalitarian state of Oceania. His spirit hasn’t been entirely quashed, though, and he chafes under the yoke, eventually joining a rebellion against the state. He is soon betrayed, arrested and tortured.

In the end, Smith wins his "freedom" by accepting the assertion that 2 + 2 = 5, while at the same time betraying his girlfriend, "Do it to Julia!" he yells, to endure more torture in his place.

"Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life."
-- Oscar Wilde

Source: WIRED

Republicans Never Forget Talking Points In Face Of Truth

Some Republicans can never stray from their talking points. Certified cracker Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby on Fox this morning answering the slanted, leading softball questions.

WALLACE: Sen. Shelby, you say that the Obama administration is taking us down the road to socialism. Explain.

SHELBY: Well, obviously. So, they intervene last fall in the bank crisis. No one has ever done it on that scale before. Now the automobile crisis.

"Well, obviously"? When did Obama take office?

Shelby seemed to catch himself moments later, saying, “you have to go back to the Bush administration. They started it.” You know the Fox host would never call him out on the inaccuracies.

Say it with me: Bush is the "socialist" who federalized Fannie Mae, Freddy Mac, bailed out the banking industry and bought AIG. It was his $700 billion stimulus Congress approved last fall.



Source: ThinkProgress

Laura Bush Gives Sotomayor Thumbs Up

Laura Bush's annual sound byte, this one regarding Sotomayor:

“I think she sounds like a very interesting and good nominee. As a woman, I’m proud there might be another woman on the Court. So we’ll see what happens, but I wish her well."

Source: ABC's Good Morning America

Colbert In Iraq All This Week

Truly must see TV: Colbert in Iraq. All this week, 11:30pm on Comedy Central.

SPOILER: Gen. Ray Odierno shaves his head.



Source: HuffPo

Federer Spooked By Notorious Jimmy Jump

During today's French Open finals, eventual champ Roger Federer met notorious stunt man and Barcelona FC supporter Jimmy Jump. I guess he does this all the time.

Notice how calm everyone is.

In the US, this guy would be tasered and in the hospital suffering from severe whoop-ass.