May 28, 2010

Rand Paul and Libertarian blind spots

From the Progressive Democrats of America Website:
pdamerica.org


As observed by Juan González of Democracy Now! (video below), Rand Paul, the Republican candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Kentucky, set off a "firestorm" of controversy when he criticized those portions of the 1964 Civil Rights Act which applied to private businesses, implying, when he appeared on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show, that the 46-year old federal legislation infringed on the First Amendment rights of private businesses.

RACHEL MADDOW: Should—Woolworth lunch counters should have been allowed to stay segregated?...
RAND PAUL:...I don’t believe in any discrimination. I don’t believe that any private property should discriminate either...But what you have to answer, when you answer...is an abstract, obscure conversation from 1964...you have to say then that you decide the rules for all restaurants. And then, do you decide that you want to allow them to carry weapons into restaurants?

As observed by Prof. Blair Kelley on Democracy Now, Rand Paul's public/private distinction bears an eerie resemblance to pro-segregationist arguments that older Americans like myself can all too well remember. Amy Goodman discusses a fact, first reported by the blog barefoot and progressive, that "Rand Paul’s former communications director, Christopher Hightower...resigned in December after his MySpace page was found to have a post declaring 'Happy N-Word Day'—but it used the full word—and showing a photo of a lynching around the time of the federal Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday."

BP ROV Web Cam Status Press Release Gulf Oil Spill

From:
http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-news/news/market-news/market-news-detail.html?announcementId=10511119

Dont listen to the television -- Read this release on the status and plans.

May 28, 2010


UPDATE ON GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL RESPONSE

BP today provided an update on developments in the response to the MC252 oil well incident in the Gulf of Mexico.

Subsea efforts continue to focus on progressing steps to stop the flow of oil from the well through interventions via the failed Deepwater Horizon blow out preventer (BOP), and to collect the flow of oil from the leak points. These efforts are being carried out in conjunction with industry experts and governmental authorities.

Operations on the top kill procedure continue. Heavy drilling fluids were pumped under pressure into the BOP starting May 26 at 1300CDT, and top kill operations continue through 2400CDT on May 27. It is estimated that the full top kill procedure could extend for another 24 to 48 hours (June 1).

If the well were successfully 'killed', it is expected that cementing operations would then follow. The top kill procedure has never before been attempted at these depths and its ultimate success is uncertain.

In parallel with the ongoing top kill operation, preparations have been made for the possible deployment of the lower marine riser package (LMRP) cap containment system.

Deployment would first involve removing the damaged riser from the top of the failed BOP to leave a cleanly-cut pipe at the top of the BOP's LMRP. The cap, a containment device with a sealing grommet, will be connected to a riser from the Discoverer Enterprise drillship, 5,000 feet above on the surface, and placed over the LMRP with the intention of capturing most of the oil and gas flowing from the well.

The LMRP cap is already deployed alongside the BOP in readiness for potential deployment. If it is decided to deploy this option, this would be expected to take some three to four days.

In addition to these steps, planning is being advanced for deploying, if necessary, a second BOP on top of the original failed BOP.

Drilling of two relief wells began on May 2 and May 16. It is estimated that each of these wells will take three months to complete from the commencement of drilling.


Surface Spill Response and Containment

Work continues to collect and disperse oil that has reached the surface of the sea, to protect the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, and to collect and clean up any oil that has reached shore.

Almost 1,300 vessels are now involved in the response effort, including skimmers, tugs, barges and recovery vessels. Operations to skim oil from the surface of the water have now recovered, in total, some 274,000 barrels (11.5 million gallons) of oily liquid.

The total length of containment boom deployed as part of efforts to prevent oil reaching the coast is now almost 1.9 million feet, and an additional 1.25 million feet of sorbent boom has also been deployed.

So far 26,000 claims have been filed and 11,650 payments have already been made. BP has received over 96,000 calls into its help lines to date.

Additional information

The cost of the response to date amounts to about $930 million, including the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid and federal costs. It is too early to quantify other potential costs and liabilities associated with the incident.



BP Press Office London +44 20 7496 4076
BP Press office, US: +1 281 366 0265
Unified Command Joint Information Center +1 985-902-5231
www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com
www.bp.com/gulfofmexicoresponse

May 27, 2010

We need a Franklin Delano Roosevelt -- not Obama

Stand up and be tough Americans!

I'm all for charisma, I'm all for excellent oratory (especially after 7+ years of bumbling incoherence), and I'm all for youthful energy (even as I see my own retreating). But what I'm really for is a president who will boldly push forward initiatives and ideas and programs that will answer the many crises created or greatly abetted by years of BushCo malfeasance. In short, as admirable as JFK was, we need a new FDR.


When FDR was sworn in as president in 1933, the world was in the grip of the Great Depression--a global economic and social catastrophe that directly contributed to cementing Mussolini's power in Italy and to the rise of Hitler in Germany. FDR's predecessor, Herbert Hoover, had done nothing to stem the misery of the times, preferring instead a "wait and see" laissez-faire approach to solving America's problems, leading to a host of social ills for all but a very tiny slice of American society.

The parallels to our own current economic meltdown are sobering. And let's not forget that there was a partly human-caused climate-based disaster going on as well: America's iconic "Dust Bowl," which ravaged the Plain States from 1930 to 1936 and produced a huge migration of people away from the heartland to the northern industrial states and especially to the West Coast (think Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath).

In short, FDR faced incredible challenges, any one of which would have been daunting. But he surrounded himself with competent and talented people and instantly--within the first 100 days of his administration--enacted a slew of legislation and reforms, leading to myriad programs designed to create jobs and revitalize American agriculture and industry (and even fine arts).

The now-legendary acronyms--CCC, TVA, NRA, PWA, SSA... Roosevelt knew that America needed solid, energetic action to shake off its years-long malaise and despair. Even though not all of these programs worked (and indeed, the Supreme Court ruled against the excesses of the NRA--the National Recovery Act), FDR's willingness to "think outside the box" helped get America back on its feet far more quickly than even his most enthusiastic supporters could have envisioned.

That's what we need today: bold, innovative, and empathetic leadership. We need a leader who will level with us about the hardships we face, as FDR did via such venues as his famous radio "Fireside Chats." We need a leader who will press on with needed reforms despite skeptical and hostile obstructionists. We need someone who will restore our Constitutional rights and our moral standing in the world. We need someone who will go head-to-head against corrupt and selfish corporate interests--and win.

Only another FDR will be able to help America recover. Who will be this new FDR?


theres more...

www.dailykos.com

May 24, 2010

Republican Tea baggers

Funny how the Republican Teabaggers never mention the 10 million jobs lost during Bush and his treasury secretary Paulson (biggest crooks not in jail) in history all the while the Federal Treasury with the trillion dollar plus bailout.

The values should be for Main Street. Freedom Works and other corporate lobbyists fund the Tea Party. Get with it America and be informed!

May 23, 2010

Must See Movie - OutFoxed - Fox News and Its Lies

What you must know about the right wing echo chamber

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvSLNSn5swk

May 22, 2010

Where is that Dick Cheney on the Gulf Oil Spill ?

Where is the Cheney Family now? No where to be seen on TV! Liz and her Daddy are vacationing in the South of France and somehow devoid of Fox News these days.

Don't forget when Cheney became Vice President, he received a $34 million dollar check from Haliburton. It was during the eight years as VP, that Dick rewrote oil regulation standards. You Dicks in the Republican party don't forget that when you criticise Obama's corruption. Cheney is now hidden away from Public view becauuse he knows its too obvious. Have a shrimp on the barbie you tricky but terrorizing Dick?

How ironic this terrorist family does more damage than anything Al Qaeda can dream of, yet is adored by the Hannity and Beck followers.

Banksters are allowed to loan shark with free Fed Money

The creeps in the Senate (not one Republican voted to end usury and 21 Democrats went along with them) did nothing to cap interest rates on credit cards. Think about that for a minute. The US Government bailed out a bunch of criminal bankers and gave them practically no interest loans. The bankers devastated of our economy. Yet we let them charge usury-as rates on credit cards. People are struggling. Credit cards can keep you afloat for while.

It get's better. The credit rating agencies score you on the percentage of your credit line you use. So they are lowering peoples credit ratings who have an unblemished record of payments because the banksters cut your credit line. Because the banksters trashed our economy by their incompetence. But the US Government opens the Fed window to criminal bankers who are insolvent and give practically no interest loans.

I used to be against the death penalty. I changed my mind. I think it has a place in financial crimes that destroy so many lives. Large banks are weapons of mass destruction. Rather than hatin on that black man, look at Goldie Sachs and Jp Morgan and ask yourself how many people they have killed day in and day out. It may be the frog in the slow heating frying pan, but they kill every day.

Politicians who enable them need to be held to the same standard as someone who supported a terrorist organization.

Does not matter if you are a Republican or Democrat

Wake up! The leadership of your party is bought and paid for by the Banksters, Insurance Finance Companies, Big Oil, and of course the Military Industrial Complex.

The financial reform package passed yesterday, is nothing more than a cosmetic application of makeup put on a pig's face. A new financial bubble based on derivatives is being pumped up again, and when it pops in the next one to three years we are back to square one or worse, this time the good ol USA taxpayers wont have money the bankers can steal. Worse yet, these Banksters will confiscate the Social Security and Medicare Taxes (the last remaining source of wealth from Americans) via their corrupt partners in Congress.

The leadership of this country is no better than Sadam Hussein. They kill and main humans all over the world (although right now its three or four countries in the Middle East) with their complex weapons systems. All the while, our schools, healthcare, and pension systems are looted of resources needed for Americans.

Obama is a classic triangulator in which he uses the Republicans as cover to continue the same policies Bush had. Meanwhile, the GOP leadership is heartless and
contains no soul. Listen when I say the Corporate News Media is complicit with the large Multinationals. They are no better than controlled media in other dictatorships.

The main tool of the Corporatists turns out to be the news media, and its propaganda machine. Fox News literally spews out talking points which are false to varying degrees. This blog attempts to be a resource for those who seek the truth. By knowing the truth, Americans can seek solutions which benefit its citizenry.

But keep the fight and keep informed!

Ron Paul agrees Obama is a Corporatist, Not a Socialist

"The question has been raised about whether or not our president is a socialist. . [H]e's not a socialist. He's a corporatist. And unfortunately we have corporatists inside the Republican party and that means you take care of corporations and corporations take over and run the country. We see it in the financial institutions, we see it in the military-industrial complex. And now we see it in the medical-industrial complex."
-- Ron Paul (R-TX)
Southern Republican Leadership Conference

Although I disagree with the Congressman about his views of the poor, he is an honest and straightforward man. As a democrat, I would hope he runs for President in 2012. Like other Democrats, I would happily work for him to replace this phoney Obama who has proven the only difference between him and Bush are two syllable words in his speeches.

There is more...

http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com

May 20, 2010

Those darn Republican/Fox born again hypocrites

if you actually read the Gospels, it is clear that Jesus' main concern in terms of the people whose fates he cared about was for the poor, the oppressed, and the outcast. Comment after comment and story after story in the Gospels about Jesus relates to the treatment of the poor, generosity to those in need, mercy to the outcast, and scorn for the wealthy and powerful. And his philosophy is embedded with the central importance of taking care of others, loving others, treating others as you would want to be treated. There is no virtue of selfishness here, there is no "greed is good," there is no invisible hand of the market or looking out for Number One first. There is nothing about poor people being lazy, nothing about the undeserving poor being leeches on society, nothing about how I pulled myself up by my own bootstraps so everyone else should, too. There is nothing about how in nature, "the lions eat the weak," and therefore we shouldn't help the poor because it weakens them. There is nothing about charity or welfare corrupting a person's spirit.

What there is: quote after quote about compassion for the poor.

There's more:

www.downwithtyranny.blogspot.com

May 15, 2010

Republicans are encouraging bankruptcy

This healthcare bill in the best case scenario is woefully inadequate to prepare the population to deal with the Boomers age related needs.

The current healthcare system and economy can not withstand that without radical change. Much like Afghanistan, the fundamental problem with healthcare is still greater than any change in tactics.

Check this great blog out at:

http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com

Secretary of State Cohen cashes in on Mercinary Lobbying

Have you heard of the Cohen Group, the lobbying firm owned by Secretary of State Cohen (The Senator and Covert Operator who helped Cover up Iran Contra)?

The Cohen Group takes former State Department and Pentagon officials, pays them millions of dollars to move American jobs to India and China. Then, as if to emphasize their fake patriotism, they are now supporting the Pentagon's war preparation against Iran (as if the crappy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not enough) under the guise of Homeland Security!

Americans should realize two core points:

1) Iran has nothing to do with Al Qaeda and certainly not 9/11. We already fell for that lie with Iraq.

2) China is not allying with the USA elite for this war, rather they just want the cheap energy supply. They can get it without war. With all the capital flowing in from American firms, they have plenty of $$$!

3) Russia is not threatened, rather they are interest in working economically with Iran, helping them build a nuclear power plant as well as other infrastructure projects. Russia is not interested in aligning with the USA elite for yet another war.

Why are Russian and China not threatened by Iran, even though they are most vulnerable to any 'attack'. Why does the USA feel so bent on defending BIG OIL at the expense of American taxpayers?



2) and 3) indicate the USA elite is preparing for War against Iran, not for USA security, but to further occupy the Middle East Oil fields and use it as leverage against China, Russia, and Iran. In other words, its a WELFARE program for BIG Oil!
Just like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Yes, the Neoconservative and Bush foreign policies is being continued by Obama. Look for the USA to be in a war as soon as Obama leaves office and is replaced by Pahlin, or Romney. Obama is just preparing the material and propoganda to justify upcoming military attacks on the sovereign country of Iran.

What does this cost Americans? More Tanks, More Planes, More Missiles to pay for all the while education, healthcare are cut and Social Security looted.

Speaking of 'REAL' National Security: Will China loan the USA elite the money to pay for it, or will they forced to tax the middle class to pay for their corporatist welfare. Are we going to charge our children and their Children for this war? Are they nuts (likely answer no, just greedy)?

Cohen and the people in th Cohen Group are cashing in while shipping USA jobs to India and China, and then fanning the militaristic flames. He is one of many corporatist traitors to America.

America, put your helmets on! Choppy waters ahead! Dont fall for the fake patriot lines again. Oppose the Military Industrialists.

May 9, 2010

Last Republican Revolution in 1995 What happened?

Anyone who thinks Fox and Republicans are the holy grail for the American Worker?

Campaign Finance Money flows into Corporatist coffers... The system is corrupt.

Just ask Jack Abramoff and Tom Delay...

Lets go back in time when we had another Democratic President who triangulated populism and caused a Tea Party. Ah...1995 Remember Newt Gingrich, Jack Abramoff, Karl Rove and Tom Delay?

Turning capitalism loose, Using American Tax dollars to relocate American factories and allowing these Asian Factories to put "MADE in AMERICA"!

What happened? These factories eventually moved to even cheaper slave labor in China. And the American taxpayer was screwed again.

If you think Fox News and the Republicans give a dang about American Workers, you may just be naive or even worse, el stupido!

Abramoff is in jail but expect Tom Delay and Gingrich to make returns after 2010. Replace the Democratic Corporatists like Blanche Lincoln and Mary Landreaux with true progressives who care about our children and their future.

There's more:

http://www.ashlandfreepress.com/The_Sweetheart_Issue

Fox News ignores regulator lobbying by Big Oil

From McClatchy: Since the BP oil leak began on April 20, the Federal government has granted 22 waivers to oil companies allowing them to avoid doing environmental impact studies on their further drilling plans in the Mexican Gulf.

The Department of the Interior’s “Minerals Management Service” has a history of ignoring environmental law. In Congress you have the phenomenon of “legislative capture,” where the corporations get to write the legislation affecting them because they give money to the legislators’ campaigns. But there is also such a thing as “administrative capture,” which is more indirect but has a similar set of motives. Sometimes government regulators actually come out of the corporations they oversee. Or government employees leave the government for lucrative corporate employment and keep their old circle of friends inside. The military-industrial complex and Pentagon contracting depend heavily on such networks.

What is the consequence? American citizens pay for the Oil cleanup. Fishermen
and Tourist Industry lose their livelyhoods. And foreign oil companies
still make huge profits of the natural resources of America.

Fox News will never mention the above. They are no better than
the Soviet Union's Pravda news agency. Protecting the rich and elite
by distracting us with 'pointless' talking points.

Fox Echo Chamber Response to NYC Bomber

Two different flavors of “Fox's UnFair and Unbalanced” response:

1) The citizenship-stripping Liebermongery

2) Solemn pronouncements that Miranda warnings have magic powers.

Both are indeed as dumb as they are dogmatic. Citizen-stripping and ending Miranda warnings for arrested terrorists would be utterly pointless as far as coping with terrorism goes, but both are deeply-held tenets of wingnut fundamentalism nonetheless. As is the perhaps even more absurd but devoutly held article of goobery right-wing faith that unless everyone screams out OMIGOD THE MUSLIMS ARE COMING TO KILL US every time some Pakistani with a grievance fails to properly set his underpants on fire, America is doomed, or, rather, Dooooooooomed.

But hey we should really be looking at Goldman Sachs influence. Look at the reduction of Coal Mine regulations costing humnan lives. And don't forget the onging devastation of the US Gulf of Mexico and the capping of British Petroleum liabilities all the while they are getting record profits. American taxpayer's get the bad, the multinationals get the profits with no regulation. And by the way, they pay less of tax rate than you or I. As Warren Buffet says often, he pays less taxes than his seretary. But does Fox News tell you this? Does Lieberman?

Be careful to look behind Lieberman and Hannity's curtains, you may find the real rich wizards there.

There's more:

www.firedoglake.com

May 4, 2010

New York City Attempted Bombing by Pakistani

Again, after an event in NYC lets remember the following:

Intelligence Agencies stopped nothing, it was an ordinary American.

Act committed by someone born in a country we are attacking

First reaction is to clamp down civil right on all Americans with another assualt on our civil rights.

Rather than denying US citizen rights, try this:

1) Take military out of the Middle East
2) Oil tax to pay for true cost of gasoline
3) Restore constitutional rights for American Citizens

Unfortunately, Obama just continues Bush policies, and we are on the road to...

Sarah Palin

Geez Sarah Pretty quiet these days eh?

Care to weigh in on "Drill Baby Drill?"
I wonder why we should regulate Offshore Drilling?

While were at it, how about regulating coal mines?
And then if you won't at least let the surviving families attend
their friend's funerals without the threat of losing their
jobs?

Palin, Michelle Bachman, the Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, three stooges for the Rich,
they don't care about you!

Any working person who thinks the above stooges represent their interests is
just not smart!

Regulate Big Banks
Regulate Coal Mine Safety
Regulate Offshore Drilling

What's next?

Gulf Oil Spill

As usual Corporations get the profits and have the taxpayer pick up the liabilities. It turns out British Petroleum will be exempt from paying for the oil spill. We need an oil tax now to pay for the lost habitat, and industry damaged by the spill.

www.huffingtonpost.com

May 2, 2010

Military

Do you know how much we pay for the military? There are two answers.

Official 800 billion per year.

Unofficial 1000 billion per year.

Most of the money is borrowed from foreign countries. Is this true security for the USA. I think Military spending and borrowing to pay for it our untenable. You will never hear Fox News talk about the vast expenses for Planes, Warheads, Tanks, and Contractors>

Fox News Unfair and Unbalanced

The recent Health Care (aka Health Insurance) debate has motivated me to start this blog. We Americans need to unite against the vested interests of Corporatist Politicians, and their financial benefactors.

Failure to act soon will doom our children to a future of declining living standards and economic opportunity.

The main tool of the Corporatists turns out to be the news media, and its propaganda machine. Fox News literally spews out talking points which are false to varying degrees. This blog attempts to be a resource for those who seek the truth. By knowing the truth, Americans can seek solutions which benefit its citizenry.

Do you think Fox News is Fair and Balanced?

BLAST THE RIGHT