Pilot Season Ep 25

thanks for new thread and new vid

Breaking: Appellate court dismisses Dan Rather's lawsuit against CBS; Rather vows to appeal [updated]

September 29, 2009 | 10:48 am

More than two years after Dan Rather filed a $70-million lawsuit against CBS for breach of contract and fraud, a New York Supreme Court appellate division has tossed out his claim.

The ruling, handed down today, dismissed Rather's claims that CBS News broke his contract and committed fraud by sidelining him in the wake of a controversial story he reported about President George W. Bush's Vietnam-era service in the Texas Air National Guard. The anchor alleged that CBS sought to curtail reporting on the story because of pressure from its then-parent company, Viacom.

But in its ruling, the appeals panel found that CBS did not violate the terms of Rather's contract because it continued to pay him, citing the contract's "pay or play" provision. The finding was a major blow to the longtime newsman, who had cast the suit as part of a broader effort to rein in the influence of corporations on news organizations.

[Updated at 11:11 a.m.: CBS was jubilant about the ruling. “We’re studying the decision right now, but it appears to be a total victory – and vindication for CBS’ position,” said CBS News spokesman Jeff Ballabon. Neither Rather nor his attorneys immediately returned a call for comment.

In its ruling, issued more than five months after the parties argued the case before the appellate division, the court reversed Judge Ira Gammerman’s decisions on the case.

“This Court finds that the motion court erred in denying the defendants' motion to dismiss the claims for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty, and therefore we find the complaint must be dismissed in its entirety,” the ruling said.

The appellate division found that Gammerman should have dismissed Rather’s breach of contract claim against CBS, rejecting the anchor’s argument that he was warehoused by the network constituted a violation of his deal.

“This claim attempts to gloss over the fact that Rather continued to be compensated at his normal CBS salary of approximately $6 million a year until June 2006 when the compensation was accelerated upon termination, consistent with his contract,” the court wrote. Rather’s contract did not require “that CBS actually use Rather's services or broadcast any programs on which he appears, but simply retains the option of accelerating the payment of his compensation under the agreement if he is not assigned to either program.”

The appellate division found that Rather failed to support his claim that CBS damaged his future business opportunities, saying “it would be speculative to conclude that any action taken by CBS would have alone substantially affected his market value at that time.” And the appeals judges wrote that he could not sue for breach of fiduciary duty because CBS did not owe Rather a fiduciary duty.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/09/breaking-appellate-c...

Catfight for Seder's purdy mouth!

"this machine kills fascists"

This sculpture, part of Chen Wenling's solo exhibition "Emergency Escape" at Joy Art Gallery in Beijing, represents the global financial crisis: The bull, of course, represents Wall Street, and the demon-man pressed to the wall is Bernie Madoff.
Melanie Ouyang Lum, ML Art Source www.mlartsource.com.

Free Democracy

.

Was it you that posted that cool photo of the egg?

On the Sundance Channel (NYC) now (9:09PM) ESt

his wife "Nicky"!

Looks like she got insanely jealous when Jane Hamsher doubled her bid and now she can't stop herself!

Are you up for the showdown dude? It looks like she's out for blood!

Hi Meg, thank you :)) yeah that was mine.

"this machine kills fascists"

It reminds me of a Bosch painting.

it's a good cause. But its more than I want to throw down.

Seder's making more $$ for NN than Paul Krugman!

Sam Seder Will Record Your Voice Mail Greeting! $370

The Conscience of a Liberal Autographed by Paul Krugman $160

"this machine kills fascists"

I bet I can get it for $375.

When a former police officer stuck his male member in the mouths of five baby cows, did they enjoy “suckling” it, or were they merely “puzzled”? - Raw

No word yet from the Hollywood elite claiming Philistines.

And she's taken over the house already. My neighbor came over and was playing with her. She's going to watch mitzie while I'm working.

I get some pictures of her tomorrow.

toniD's Ya Think?

on acorn

she's the only one getting the facts straight in the msm; unbelievable, the only one

not standing up for their allies (ACORN, SEIU) will spell doom for the democrats when they will need their support

it's obvious, and yet the stupid coward democrats don't see it

Thanks! I love his work! Oh! If I only had the time to sculpt perfect little Bosch-like characters and photograph them!

I also love the paintings of Remedios Varo which are similarly envisioned.

Have you ever seen her work? Very cool!

"this machine kills fascists"

They are going to lose many many many seats if there is no strong public option and they dis acorn like that.

Submitted by mire on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 9:32pm.
rachel is doing an outstanding job
-----

ACORN registered 2 million voters. You would think the Democrats would be the first to defend this organization. But they have ignored their base since Clinton. The damn fools!

that was my first thought, the Bosch influence, believe it or not; wanted to mention it then i thought i might pass for a snob or ridiculous for mentioning it so i chickened out and said "Dutch"; i had been made fun of when i compared chubb's vids to godard's cinema verite`, so i didn't wanna repeat that, not when a/o was in the house, and he was; a/o then proceded to compare it to rembrandt, after i had said Dutch and I wanted to set him straight, but by then it was quite late and most people had left, i was getting sleepy and didn't wanna start anything...

good to know i wasn't off the mark after all, seeing that the author himself thinks so

i agree with Meg

oh gosh, that's what happens when i multitask this time of night, when i am already tired... sorry meg, didn't notice it was you bringing up Bosch, thought it was 60th

I am trying to follow up Rachel, transferring my vcr movies to digital formats on a machine in the other room, then converting them to MP4, all this needs to be tracked and I am missing 20% of Rachel, all the while I am kinda reading the blog and getting infuriated about this and that that appears on my tv, gosh, no wonder i've been having trouble sleeping lately (well that and the housebuying worries) just hard to relax

would a glass of warm milk help? maybe spiked with a little cognac and honey?

I really enjoy dramatic, but soft contrast and actually the Dutch/Rembrandt comparison is understandable when you consider the darkness of the background and the contrast between it and the egg and the other foreground elements.

I am a big fan of dark themes and the tenebroso/chairoscuro techniques from the paintings of artists like Caravaggio and Rembrandt and playing with them in photography. I did a whole series of B & W egg photographs in college 20 years ago. I have one or two left. I'll see if I can find the one I'm thinking of and scan it.

"this machine kills fascists"

in labelling, definitely a Bosh; just maybe with a few photoshop retouches, deeper hues and darken it up a bit

or just turn it into a black and white, sharpen the contrast, and that's a perfect diane arbus!

the rembrandt comparison referred to the shiney object against a dark background

and not to the subject matter

(so there)

I preferred it when it was just fartsy.

tenebroso/chairoscuro
cinema verite`

..and Sam is tweeting about "mise en scene"

I thought I knew you people.
Now I just don't know.

Now this, this is art! Notice the subtle use of pastels to set
the mood and don't discount the Bull Dog passing the ace
to his sidekick.

i'd like to see your egg work

i also took photography in college about 25 years ago, when I lived in Massachusetts, had my own darkroom in the basement; i was studying fine arts at the community college there; i think of those as the good old days, when i only had art to worry about...

The Garden of Earthly Teabagger Delights

"this machine kills fascists"

that egg would fit nicely inside a bosch painting

the difference between a bosch painting & a 60th photo

is that bosch depicted a smorgasbord of horror scenes

who painted the dogs playing poker

was it socrates?

who from the blog would you nominate to the supreme court

my candidate would be...

edna!

this is what i get when i google artsy fartsy

and no, it's not a self portrait, lol

Leonardo Da Puppi

Geez, who died and made me blog curator?

Of course that's not you mire. Whoever is in that picture does not go to the gym. Well maybe to eat at the snack bar but not to climb the stair stepper. ;-)

http://tinyurl.com/ykjrroa

Lucy Vodden, Who Inspired a Beatles Song, Dies at 46
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON (AP) — Lucy Vodden, who provided the inspiration for the Beatles’ song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” has died in London. She was 46.

Her death, after a history of lupus, was announced Monday by St. Thomas’s Hospital in London, where she had been treated for more than five years, and by her husband, Ross Vodden.

Ms. Vodden’s connection to the Beatles dates back to when she was Lucy O’Donnell, a schoolmate and friend of Julian Lennon, John Lennon’s son. Julian, then 4, came home from school with a drawing one day, showed it to his father, and said it was “Lucy in the sky with diamonds.”

At the time John Lennon was gathering material for his contributions to “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” the landmark album released in 1967. He seized on the image and developed it into what is widely regarded as a psychedelic masterpiece, with haunting images of “newspaper taxis” and a “girl with kaleidoscope eyes.”

Rock music critics credited the song’s title to a veiled reference to LSD, but John Lennon always said the phrase came from his son.

Ms. Vodden lost touch with Julian Lennon after he left the school following his parents’ divorce, but they were reunited in recent years. After hearing about her disease, Julian Lennon, who lives in France, sent her flowers and vouchers for use at a gardening center near her home in Surrey in southeast England, and frequently sent her text messages in an effort to buttress her spirits.

Ms. Vodden said she enjoyed her link to the Beatles but was not particularly fond of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.”

“I don’t relate to the song, to that type of song,” she told The Associated Press in June. “As a teenager, I made the mistake of telling a couple of friends at school that I was the Lucy in the song and they said, ‘No, it’s not you, my parents said it’s about drugs.’ And I didn’t know what LSD was at the time, so I just kept it quiet, to myself.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/arts/music/29lucy.html?_r=1&pagewanted...

toniD's Ya Think?

my candidates would be...

mire
60th
mb
toni
crank
cee cee
dan

(if your name is not on the list, it's because you're too radical)
(so you only have your parents to blame)

mire only makes the grade because senator mire has a nice ring to it
: )

..once again I am a true art lover!

I'm sure there's a dog in that picture, I just haven't found it yet. ;-)

...but it's coming...

Do you like black beans and rice? Try feijoada. It’s a Brazilian variety made with black beans, garlic, onions, bay leaves, pork , herbs de provence.

Let stew for a few hours:

Then serve over rice.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) - A voter advocacy organization asked the U.S. Justice Department Tuesday to undo the sale by Diebold Inc. of its voting machine business, saying the transaction promotes a monopoly.

Voter Action, based in Washington, D.C., said in a letter to the department's antitrust division that the transaction is a grab for market share. The sale creates monopoly power in violation of federal antitrust laws, the group said.

Diebold said in early September it would sell its Allen, Texas-based subsidiary Premier Election Solutions Inc. to its bigger competitor, Election Systems & Software Inc. of Omaha, Neb., for $5 million plus payments representing 70 percent of collections of the unit's accounts receivable as of Aug. 31.

"The ES&S/Premier acquisition is absolutely unique in its potential for disturbing U.S. election processes and results," Voter Action said.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20090929/D9B15NUG1.html

toniD's Ya Think?

Goodnight you kings and queens of the intertoobs.

Verily alas I am away!

how could you not be radicalized!
how could you not pick up a brick and...
shit, here comes the talking truck

"put down the brick down... you have 10 seconds to comply"

senator mire
SAVE US!

Feingold To Hold Hearings On Obama's 'Czars'

Nor do I get the TPM article's author making this statement.

"Feingold is running for re-election next year."

So...what is she saying Feingold is vying for the teabagger vote?

"this machine kills fascists"

to sleep, perchance to.....aw forget it...

sleep well you old dog....

dunno, i see myself more like a rabble rouser, who's rabble rousing in the us senate right now?

senator mb will be up all night playing poker with the dogs

Michael Moore tells Democrats: 'Find your spine' on health care

By Markham Heid | Medill News Service
WASHINGTON — Sans video camera, filmmaker Michael Moore on Tuesday turned his megaphone on the current health care system and those Blue Dog Democrats he claims are "dogging" the health care debate.

Moore, an advocate of a single-payer, government-run health care system, called the current setup "cruel," and said that two-thirds of Americans support a single-payer system and would punish those Democrats who steer the conversation away from that option. "To the Democrats in Congress," Moore said, "find your spine. Read the polls. And see us coming."

The contentious documentarian spoke at the Washington offices of Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocacy group. Moore has a new film called "Capitalism: A Love Story" slated for release Friday, and says he's using the media attention to push for single-payer health care. When asked why the single-payer option hasn't won much support in the health care debate in Washington, Moore said Democrats "haven't felt the heat."

- snip -

The filmmaker also applauded President Barack Obama on several fronts, but said the president needs to "hit the reset button, and go back to the drawing board" with the health care debate.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/76262.html

toniD's Ya Think?

is this post

check what committees he is running...he could just be doing a favor for a friend....

I'll see your feijoada and raise you a Hoppin' John which is what I had tonight.

1 lb Italian sausage
1 lb fresh green beans
1 green or sweet red pepper chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 tsp sweet basil
1 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper depending on your tolerance.

While you are browning the sausage, chop the veggies and make some rice cuz that's what this is served over.

Once the sausage is done add all the other ingredients, cover and cook for 40 minutes or until the beans are tender. Serve over rice and use lot's of Franks Hot Red Sauce to bring this baby home.

I only do it about 3 times a year but I always look forward to the decadence. ;-)

I really am gone this time. Don't even try it!

is it true that he voted against the climate change bill and against closing gitmo? what's up with him?

CBS: Michael Moore Warns Dems to Support Health Reform Updated at 12:50 AM

Filmmaker Michael Moore told activists and reporters Tuesday that liberal voters will get behind Republicans who support health care reform if Democrats let them down, according to reports.

"You think we're behind you just because you're Democrats?" Moore said at the Washington headquarters of the government watchdog group Public Citizen, the Hill reports. "We'll find Republicans who are smart enough to realize that the majority of Americans want universal healthcare."

Moore said that he and an "overwhelming majority of Americans" believe that at "minimum," a health care bill must include a government-sponsored health insurance plan (referred to as a "public option"), the Hill reports.

Also on Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee -- one of five congressional committees responsible for health care reform -- rejected two attempts to include a public option in its reform bill.

"To the Democrats in Congress who don't quite get it: I want to offer a personal pledge. I – and a lot of other people – have every intention of removing you from Congress in the next election if you stand in the way of health care legislation that the people want," Moore said, according to Politico. "That is not a hollow or idle threat. We will come to your district and we will work against you, first in the primary and, if we have to, in the general election."

The filmmaker extended his warning to President Obama, the Hill reports.

"To President Obama: This is not the time to desert us," he said. "This is not the time to be a representative for the health insurance industry."

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/09/29/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry...

toniD's Ya Think?

I shit my pants. Now I have to take a shower before I can go to bed.

Go figger?!?!

toniD's Ya Think?

what's the point?
they're not actually being released
(or are they)
(i haven't been following it)

anyway, if i was obama
i'd release them in say alabama
it doesn't matter
they'd call him a traitor even if he criminalized abortion

the wingnut sign reads:
"he's up to smoething"

yeah, fuck with them
move the gitmo prisoners next door to rightwingers
then criminalize abortion
but continue having abortions
and pay women $10,000 for having abortions
and have a statue of 2 guys fucking in the supreme court
and the inscription reads: we oppose gay marriage

the wingnut sign reads:
"huh!?"

almost defiant in his dissent, like he had something to prove...the pressure is really starting to show on him...

KEEP UP THE FIGHT!!!

this post
Submitted by air-ono on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 10:51pm.
is this post
--------
Not anymore.

i would have never guessed

sounds brutal, mb, 3 times a year is probably 3 times too much

shit, now i'm getting hungry

ok, i'll try the hot milk

with brandy

good luck in finding republicans who support health care!

I saw it cent.

In the end all the bastard had was, "not enough votes yet so I can't vote for it" self-fulfilling prophecy bullshit.

But, all in all, despite the defeats, I was glad to see how much coverage the debate got and that much more light got on the PO.

Fight on we must.

"this machine kills fascists"

This means I'm the 60th vote

shit!

"this machine kills fascists"

for (Republican) Wanker of the Day

"this machine kills fascists"

Just feeling more and more hopeless...

it asked 60th to close the italic tag
and after i posted it, 60th had closed it
so it was an obsolete post
so i edited it
but with what?
i panicked and wrote "this post is this post"
it was temporary until i found a pic

but now i can't
because it would throw the blog out of sync

just think of the statue in the supreme court
of the 2 guys fucking
: )

or are you pissed that you're not on the senator list
would you like to be a senator...
well have an abortion
and send the $10,000 to prince ono
in nigeria

i should preface this post with:
"great post, thanks for sharing"

A well fashioned French antique dental model by Vecabé. The full set of teeth are made from enamel and would have been painstakingly crafted and fired individually. Each one is secured to the mandible with brass pin and can be removed. They fit together perfectly to form an anatomically correct bite. The heavy metal block opens through 180 degrees to allow detailed inspection.

http://shewalkssoftly.com/tag/anatomy/

60th... I want to see more of your photos

like he needed a speech pathology evaluation. Then Grassley came on and sounded just the same....moronic...

he talked like this: (the woman)

warning, they are a little darker themed, though...I did a series of refuse from the park near my house...not set up like still lifes, just framing things I happened along.

mostly just learning to use the new camera

(still learning)

click for larger

"this machine kills fascists"

The drawing that inspired the song.

Sad to hear about the real Lucy. She was beautiful too.

how do you get this wonderful inky quality?

christians praise jesus and their meddling self-rightiousness
and elect america's first fertilized egg to the senate
(pictured below)

but there was a mix up at the lab
and senator fergusson turns out to be an afro american

"kill the nigga"
"where's his birth certificate"

Taxi ! ;)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

www.marcmaronrules.blogspot.com/

is really starting to get me down

is this your new screenplay?

Tell your Doctor and he can prescribe you something..

I'm guessing depression & chemo happen alot,unfortunately..

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

www.marcmaronrules.blogspot.com/

cartoon impressions, meg
and get well asap...
princess meg
xxxx

I have always loved and looked for contrast blends. That is, I love high contrast, but with soft transitions between the light and dark. So, much of what I choose to shoot has a lot in shadow in it to begin with. Then it's just a matter of shooting it when the light is right...

For example, the egg image I posted took a while because I set the still life up in one of the nooks of a gnarled tree so it was completely in the shade, but the sunlight would filter though the leaves when the wind blew them and , so I waited until it hit it correctly before I made the shot.

With digital it's much easier than it used to be in that you can see the result right away, but still, it's on a tiny screen so it's kind of a wash...and there is still a little post production in Photoshop just like there was for me when I used to do it in the darkroom. Little tricks to bring out or subdue specific tones.

click for larger

"this machine kills fascists"

http://www.shirky.com/herecomeseverybody/2008/04/looking-for-the-mouse.h...

I just like it, and think it's fabulously accurate, and want to know if anyone else likes it too. G'night.

How did you get those white spots on the top part of the fish ?

Time-lapse and/or photoshop ?

Thanks..

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

www.marcmaronrules.blogspot.com/

Submitted by 60th Street on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 12:17am.
------
I see Magilla Gorilla a la HR Giger.

"Paging Dr. Rorschach. Dr. Rorschach. Paging Dr. Rorschach."

I wish I could make you some tea or give you some weed or something :)

"this machine kills fascists"

bedtime - gnite

no those are just sparkly reflections off of the water. I think they occurred naturally. Or maybe I was splashing...I can't remember. The fish was HUGE and dead, but, that it looked alive and magical is what I like about the photo.

I took a bunch o similar shots of a big (also dead) soft-shelled turtle carcass and I splashed the water around it to get that effect after having done this one.

I don't think I'll ever see those again, though, because I never got to transfer them to the computer and that memory card ended up with a girl I was dating a few months ago.

Bummer. Who knows, though, maybe she'll turn up again. :)

"this machine kills fascists"

click for larger

"this machine kills fascists"

Link

Excerpt:

In recent days, the Washington Whore Post, the New York Whore Times and other major news outlets have recounted
the "troubled" history of the poor people’s advocacy group ACORN, but left out the five-year anti-ACORN campaign led
by Karl Rove and other Republican weasels.

Dropped down the memory hole is the fact that ACORN was at the center of the so-called "prosecutor-gate" scandal,
when the Bush bastards ilegally pressured U.S. Attorneys to bring indictments over ACORN voter drives and then fired
some prosecutors who resisted what they viewed as a partisan strategy not supported by solid evidence... On "Face The Whore,"
Obama downplayed the seriousness of an investigation authorized last month by AG Eric Holder into several cases where
CIA officers allegedly exceeded Justice Department guidelines during the interrogations.

"I want to look forward and not backward when it comes to Bush's crimes,” Obama said.
"My understanding is it’s not even a criminal investigation at this point."

**

I gotta tell you, I'm real sick of hearing Obama cover for the Bush bastards. If kidnapping, torture and
murder aren't "real" enough crimes to prosecute, why the fuck to we even have a Justice Department?

--Bart

www.Bartcop.com

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

www.marcmaronrules.blogspot.com/

It looks pretty cool..Thanks.. :)

*Water aye..Ah,Now I see it.. :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

www.marcmaronrules.blogspot.com/

Submitted by 60th Street on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 12:47am.
...that memory card ended up with a girl I was dating a few months ago.
------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NqBWLeP9f4

So some are claiming what is going on in Afghanistan is not a war? Then those who are renditioned are not prisoners of war? And the US troops and mercenaries will remain there until the country is all on the same page or something? (Hey, we aren't even all on the same page in the USofA, are we???)

I had gotten used to Bush doublespeak and now I have to get used to a new version of doublespeak.

How's this for a motto for this 'non-war':

"The beatings will continue until morale improves."

I wish I didn't think I knew what you meant by that.
Oy!

Woody Allen defends Roman Polanski.

Is it taboo in this case to observe that birds of a feather flock together?

I cried more at having to hear that song again, Crank...

I made the best of it, though...

misty watercolor meeeeeemory caaaards....

(something like that)

"this machine kills fascists"

nice late 50's Royal Enfield single!

I say BOYCOTT ELECTRONIC VOTING EQUIPMENT ALTOGETHER!

Return to the PAPER BALLOT, puhlease!

[from above post]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20090929/D9B15NUG1.html
[excerpt]

...
The group asked the Justice Department to "unwind this transaction."

Mike Jacobsen, a spokesman for North Canton, Ohio-based Diebold, said the sale already has gone through and referred questions to Election Systems & Software Inc.

Ken Fields, a spokesman for Election Systems & Software, said in an e-mail that the acquisition is in the best interests of the company's customers and the elections industry.

"The combined company will deliver benefits to our customers and provide stable levels of support with no interruption in service today and well into the future.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., asked the Justice Department earlier this month to review the transaction. He said he was concerned it could have an adverse impact on American voting.

Schumer, chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, said the sale gives one company control of more than three-quarters of the U.S. market for voting systems.

[end excerpt]

=====

That comment by the ES&S person -- spoken just like the scammers they are: First creating hackable products, then participating in OBVIOUS law-breaking creation of monopoly commerce!

Sorry I keep missing you, somehow.
Love you too!

Longtime counterterrorism agent, Phil Giraldi comments on FBI vet John Cole's recent confirmation of Bush official targeted in 'decade-long' espionage probe

(Giraldi also slated to be my guest on Wed.'s 'Malloy Show')

Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi, the author of American Conservative magazine's explosive cover story interview with FBI translator turned whistleblower Sibel Edmonds finds her to be "very credible", even though "as a former intelligence officer", he says, he's "normally suspicious of these kinds of stories."

Giraldi was a guest on the Thom Hartmann Program today, as guest hosted by Peter B. Collins. In the 13 minute segment, he discussed a number of aspects of Edmonds' disturbing allegations with Collins, including yesterday's confirmation by a long-time FBI veteran of a key element in her claims which include bribery, blackmail, and the theft of nuclear secrets as aided and abetted by high-ranking U.S. officials.

Giraldi, a long time counterterrorism specialist with the CIA commented on the confirmation by 18-year FBI counterintelligence vet John Cole, who, in a published claim yesterday, acknowledged the existence of a "decade-long investigation" targeting the former third-highest ranking official in the Bush State Department, Marc Grossman, as Edmonds has long maintained. Citing Cole's first-hand experience with the espionage investigations in question, Giraldi told Collins during the interview:

This is something that, presumably, if the mainstream media were interested in it, would be a line of inquiry that would lead to a major investigation. ... I'm a former intelligence officer, I find her very credible. And of course, as a former intelligence officer, I'm normally suspicious of these kinds of stories. In this case, John Cole, who obviously had direct access to the investigations going on, is confirming her story.

Con't..

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7440

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

www.marcmaronrules.blogspot.com/

and does one no longer have a chance to sue? My first question in "this round" against a man "JUST DOING HIS JOB" is how many rethugs "making" the CONTINUAL unfair judgement against Dan Rather i.e. WITCH HUNT"?
...So Unfair. So Sad.

RE: Appellate court dismisses Dan Rather's lawsuit
Submitted by edna ellen poe on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 8:48pm.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/09/breaking-appellate-c...

Or, Even More Moore

Speaking of thinking like a chick romantic....

IKWL

Barnicle: "further proof of how much the insurance lobbyists control Washington"

but of course

No change. Only bills.

"SLEEP TIGHT, BATSHIT."
-Bill Maher to 9/11 nut
www.sigzone.blogspot.com

and even bigger proof of how much they control the media.

when someone independent gets on the air like olbermann or maddow the word is that a majority of doctors and a majority of individuals want the public option. and so the corporations are pushing the m$m to broadcast the message, the public option is dead.

Murdoch's Sun eclipses British PM Brown

Source: Reuters

BRIGHTON, England, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Britain's top-selling daily newspaper dealt a blow to Prime Minister Gordon Brown's efforts to win a general election, declaring on Wednesday it had switched its support to the opposition Conservatives.

The Sun, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp (NWSA.O) media empire, delivered a damning thumbs-down the day after Brown's keynote speech to his ruling Labour Party conference.

"After 12 long years in power, this government has lost its way," the Sun said in a front-page article, featuring a picture of Brown and the headline "Labour's lost it".

The Sun boasts a circulation of more than 3 million and a record of backing winners in elections. It switched its support to Labour before Tony Blair led the party to the first of three successive election victories in 1997.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSLU1144722009...

Something has to be done about Murdoch. He has altogether too much power in the English speaking world.

Seems like Australia has dealt with him better than other countries.

He's found a way, through media, to be a king builder. And he has found a way to prey and sway weak minded people.

There has to be some way to deal with him and is media empire.

toniD's Ya Think?

Senate Dems Look to Obama to Move Health-Care Votes

By Dan Balz
For many months, advocates of health care reform have implored President Obama to outline in greater detail the provisions he's prepared to push and defend. So far he has largely resisted, offering broad principles but still leaving the details to Congress. But the time of hanging back is quickly coming to an end if he hopes to find the 60 votes needed to pass a bill in the Senate.

Tuesday's votes in the Senate Finance Committee against the public health insurance option -- which saw five and then three Democrats vote no -- moved the health care debate to a new point, though one long anticipated.

With all Republican and a number of centrist Democrats, including Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, opposed to the public option, it has been clear for some time that it would not survive debate in the committee. The option now faces potentially insurmountable odds in the whole Senate, though proponents vowed to keep pushing for it.

Obama supported the public option, but has strongly signaled his willingness to allow it to die if that is the price of winning broader support for overhauling the health care system. He will soon have to choose between those Democrats who favor it, including many of his most passionate supporters from last year's election, and those who oppose it, many of whom come from states or districts won last year by Sen. John McCain. And he will have to persuade the losing side to stick with him, regardless.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the new chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, dismissed the Finance Committee vote on the public option, saying "a vast majority" of Democrats senators favor the public option and that he expects the president to continue to support it.

The public option, as Obama has said repeatedly, is only one aspect of the health care battle. There will be more for the president to adjudicate once Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) begins the process of trying to meld together the Finance Committee bill with a more liberal version approved earlier by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. That will start once Finance finishes its work, with the committee likely to complete action on a bill by the end of this week. more...

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/09/29/senate_looks_to_obama_to_...

I plan on contributing to the Primary campaign of challengers against all 5 of the Finance Committee NAYS yesterday. I don't live in any of the states where these Senators come from. I don't care what party, I just want the best challenger to take these seats away.

If you do live in one of those states, I'm going to need your help. Please identify good Primary Challengers so my cash has it's best impact.

THANK YOU!

Max Baucus (Montana), Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas), Bill Nelson (Florida), Kent Conrad (North Dakota), and Tom Carper (Delaware) - I'm your next nightmare.

does fdl have a pac that does something like that?

dan but their turn in the barrel will come around. They are on my list.

Blanche Lincoln is up in 2010 - Too bad, so sad for you.

Your time will come:
Bill Nelson is up in 2012
Kent Conrad is up in 2012
Tom Carper is up in 2012

You will always find the real coward in the back of the line.
Max Baucus is up 2014

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCesaJ479Vw

that those who are in till 2012, 2014 are hoping this will have blown over by then.

but then that really adds to the mystery of why are they fighting it so bad because they could raise taxes now and in 4 or 6 years it will be forgotten.

They already did the math and picked the side with the winning dollars. There are lots of folks who favor change. But the real dollar don't trust Obama and dems to do the job right. When O'Bomber tried to tell the folks he could pay for this by being more effiecient, the public option was dead.

Alan Grayson: Republicans Want Sick People To Die Quickly (VIDEO)

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) took to the House floor last night to give his take on the Republican health care plan: Don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly.

After saying he was inspired to read the Republican health care plan by the paper-waving GOP lawmakers at Obama's recent address, Grayson summed up his findings with a few simple pieces of posterboard. "The Republican health care plan: don't get sick," he said. But, he added,"The Republicans have a back up plan in case you do get sick ... This is what the Republicans want you to do. If you get sick America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly!"

Watch:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/30/alan-grayson-republicans_n_3039...

The idiots on MoJo were saying that Grayson should apologize for saying this. Why should he apologize for telling the truth?

toniD's Ya Think?

Panel Votes To Restore Abstinence-Only Education Money »

AP | September 29, 2009 at 11:31 PM

WASHINGTON — A Senate committee voted Tuesday night to restore $50 million a year in federal funding for abstinence-only education that President Barack Obama has pushed to eliminate.

The 12-11 vote by the Senate Finance Committee came over objections from its chairman, Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20090929/us-health-overhaul-abs...

toniD's Ya Think?

you gotta be frickin kidding. next thing you know those asshats will be voting to include creationism in the curriculum.

i wonder what things would be like if the democrats had won the election last year.

Oh boy,it's gonna be another crappy day..

The GOP:Bringing the 1950's back to a school near you..

**

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

www.marcmaronrules.blogspot.com/

And probably to a republican.

She's already losing it to virtual unknowns.

Meaning, at this point, she's just a bitter fatalist and it's evident in everything she says, does, or doesn't do, like debate the public option in her own committee...praying for a lobbying job

"this machine kills fascists"

NY Post: Palin Lectures Not Selling, No One Wants To Book Her

That's the Murdoch-owned NY Post reporting that, mind you!

"The big lecture buyers in the US are paralyzed with fear about booking her, basically because they think she is a blithering idiot," the source said. "They don't want to tick people off."

I really don't think anyone will be ticked off, unless they're forced to listen to her, that is. Even Hong Kong was just a novelty event.

I told my ma the other day that I couldn't imagine a scenario where she's really gonna make it on the lecture circuit. Unless, that is, the astroturf corps pick her up to tour teabagger rallies.

It's a good thing she hired a pro writer to get her a book just before xmas! The perfect wingnut stocking stuffer!

"this machine kills fascists"

Submitted by Fernando on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 8:43am.
...Blanche Lincoln is up in 2010 - Too bad, so sad for you.
---------
It's Arkansas. Your next job, if you decide to take it, is to hope that her opponent isn't worse.

You could be faced with a decision between Lincoln or a clone of Jim Bob Dugger...or Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer and Jordyn-Grace.

Meg Whitman: "My Voting Record... Is Unacceptable" »

AP | JULIET WILLIAMS | September 29, 2009 at 07:29 PM

DAVIS, Calif. � Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman said Tuesday that it wasn't until she was a chief executive in Silicon Valley that she realized why she should vote after sitting out elections for decades.

Whitman sought to explain her spotty voting record for the first time after delivering a speech to a Republican women's group.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20090929/us-governor-s-race-cal...

toniD's Ya Think?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8282882.stm

Eyewitness: On air when tsunami hit

[Includes video and text.]

RNC Hispanic Heritage month press release messes up Spanish — over and over again

By Raw Story
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

You’d think at least for a press release in Spanish highlighting the Republican Party’s commitment to Hispanic heritage they’d at least hire a competent Spanish translator.

Evidently not. On Tuesday, the liberal blog ThinkProgress noted that the press release the party sent out commemorating Hispanic Heritage month was “riddled with errors.”

“Though the press release emphasizes the Republican Party’s ‘commitment to the Hispanic community,’ apparently that commitment does not include hiring a qualified Spanish translator,” the site’s Andrea Nill remarked. “The Spanish translation of [Republican National Committee Chairman Michael] Steele’s statement is riddled with embarrassing typos and errors. Even Yahoo’s automatic online translator, Babel Fish, produces better results. A quick revision highlights the multitude of glaring errors.”

That revision appears below.

Con't..

http://rawstory.com/2009/09/no-hablamos-espanol-rnc-hispanic-heritage-mo...

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

www.marcmaronrules.blogspot.com/

save it Crank. There is no difference between a Conservative Republican and a Conservative Democrat.

I'd rather fund her primary challenger that is more liberal but don't count me out in the general election either.

My party affiliation is over if there is no Public Option. I've posted that before and I meant it.

I have no problem watching the current Democratic majority go down in flames if they can't follow their platform. And you are foolish to continue to do the same thing and expect different results.

QUAKES RATTLE GLOBE
8.0 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Samoa... Dozens Dead, Hundreds Missing... Photos, Video... 7.9 Quake Hits Indonesia Along Same Fault Line As '04 Disaster That Left 260,000 Dead

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/30/american-samoa-governor-i_n_304...

toniD's Ya Think?

It's a great show where Marc talks about relationships from a male point of view.

Newsmax Columnist: Military Coup May Be Needed 'To Resolve The Obama Problem'
Rachel Slajda | September 30, 2009, 9:39AM

In a column published yesterday, Newsmax's John L. Perry wrote that there is a "gaining" possibility that the military will stage a coup to "resolve the 'Obama problem.'"

Newsmax has apparently removed the column from its site. Links are now redirected to the homepage, and Perry's author page has no mention of his latest work.

The coup -- which would be "civilized" and "bloodless," according to Perry -- would consist of a "patriotic general" sitting down with the President and working out a new system in which "skilled, military-trained, nation-builders" would "do the serious business of governing and defending the nation" while Obama would still be allowed to make speeches.

Obama, he said, is inviting such a "family intervention."

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/newsmax-columnist-milit...

toniD's Ya Think?

Hey - here are some fun videos I found from the G20 in Pittsburgh. Basically, on Thursday the huge security apparatus (they had called up 2000 National Guard troops) were having fun using the LRAD sound cannon for the first time, domestically in the US.

To the detriment of all the dogs and cats locked in apartments, they used this thing against small clusters of 100-200 protesters on the periphery of downtown i.e. there was no real concentrated mob or crowd at the time.

Also, (insert quote from Sun Tzu) the police commander did not think about the contingency of what would happen once the protesters all dispersed. They went to other areas of town. Towards dusk, this group of angry LGBT (many in their early 20s) assembled near the university, and when a few black bloc members started breaking windows, they had a full 5-10 minutes before police even showed up. This is the same response time as an ordinary residential burglary and not very impressive for having so many guards in town. People are even brazenly posting videos on youtube of them surrounding a police substation and breaking out all the windows.
What happened next is that the commander couldn't discern between the Bash Back group and thousands of ordinary Pitt students standing by their dorm, so they ordered the national guard to tear gas, baton, and arrest everyone who they could grab.
Thus the anarchist queers defeat the national guard and the LRAD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjJo8FKoT0E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPKroZEVb-s
http://bashbacknews.wordpress.com/

on th anarchist academics listserv

M.,

Sometimes 'anarchism' is taken to mean the Weltanschaaung(en) of the 19th-century anarchist movement. Those who use the term in this way have in mind a very specific historical and social movement whose origins, though somewhat nebulous, cannot be dated any earlier than the 1820s or 30s. Some go a step further in claiming that there were no such things as anarchists before the term 'anarchist' was coined. According to this perspective, figures like Winstanley cannot be regarded as proponents of 'anarchism' even if some of their beliefs and practices resemble those of 19th century anarchists. Oftentimes they are labeled with terms like 'proto-anarchist' or 'crypto-anarchist.'

That being said, many who hold this view are also quick to point out that 19th century anarchism wasn't a comprehensive ideology or set of doctrines so much as a collection of interrelated ideas and practices.

This is presumably what allows us to claim that Proudhon and Bakunin were both anarchists despite their numerous divergences from one another. But this suggests, again, that there are determinate markers that distinguish anarchists from non-anarchists. It could be that these markers are the 'necessary conditions' mentioned by Mr. Kirby, the idea being something like this: so-and-so was an anarchist only if so-and-so believed X (since there is no such thing as an anarchist that doesn't believe X). It is difficult, to say the least, to posit a single necessary condition which provides the anarchist imprimatur. If anything, it seems as though a person would have to meet at least a few such conditions in order to qualify as an anarchist, but I'm not sure what these might be.

It has been suggested that generalized opposition to authority or domination, commitment to maximal freedom and equality, affirmation of the prefigurative principle, etc. are all necessary conditions in a way that support for direct action, for example, is not. Also, one might argue that none of these conditions is individually sufficient, though they might be jointly sufficient. If that's true, then anyone who meets all such conditions would be an anarchist.

But again, I'm not sure what conditions are individually necessary and jointly sufficient for one to be an 'anarchist' properly so-called. At the same time, I don't grant much credence to the idea that anyone who refers to or conceives of him/herself an anarchist just is an anarchist.
Oftentimes anarchism seems to me more a matter of degrees of commitment rather than kinds of commitment in an absolute sense.

This is why I like the idea of 'family resemblances' - or something AKIN to family resemblances, since I agree with Paul that the strict Wittgensteinian concept doesn't apply especially well, if at all, to anarchism. It is almost as though I know an anarchist when I see one, even though I can't exhaustively articulate the grounds of my knowledge.

In fact, sometimes anarchism even seems less a particular set of beliefs than an attitude, disposition, or way of orienting oneself in the world.

For purposes of treating anarchism philosophically, I typically regard ideas like generalized anti-authoritarianism and commitment to the unity of means and ends as necessary conditions. Whether these conditions are exhaustive of anarchism I cannot say, nor is it especially important for the kind of work I do.

Sorry to ramble on like that.

N.

h/t Americablog

"this machine kills fascists"

and see the FORCED VACCINATIONS OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS .

Lincoln: We Can Accomplish Health Care Reform Without A Public Option
Brian Beutler | September 29, 2009, 7:22PM

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) wasn't on hand in the Finance Committee hearing room to oppose against the public option in person. But below is her official statement with respect to the "no" vote she issued by proxy.

Arkansans have told me they support health care reform that forces insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions and prevents them from dropping coverage when you become seriously ill. We can achieve these goals, stabilize the cost of coverage for Arkansans who have health insurance, and expand coverage to the uninsured and underinsured without creating a purely public, new government program, which most Arkansans do not support. I have promised my constituents that I will fight for health insurance reform that is deficit neutral, now and in the future, and that creates more choices for small businesses and their workers and the self-employed. These are important priorities that I believe we can achieve.

In addition, I am working to ensure that requiring Americans to purchase health insurance does not result in a personal windfall for health insurance company executives. My amendment would cut the tax shelter, from $1 million to $500,000, of what businesses are able to deduct for executive compensation. This is a fair policy change aimed at lowering insurance costs to consumers and reassuring them that insurance companies are not receiving excessive tax breaks while at the same time profiting from a government mandate.

Not very good news for reformers. The key questions down the line will be whether she's willing to filibuster a public option amendment or an entire health care reform bill on the grounds that it contains a public option.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/lincoln-we-can-accomplish-hea...

toniD's Ya Think?

Holy fuck that is HUGE!!!

Obama is not screwing around on cancer research...

WAY TO GO MR PRESIDENT!!!

I posted on that yesterday tz...wifey's stepmom works over at NYU Med Ctr...she is pissed. She may leave.

soldiers are only permitted to blink once every 40 seconds. - Guardian UK

For the ditto heads: What Communism really looks like. These people never get to voice dissent on their leaders. Kinda like a ditto head can't call Rush Limbaugh just an entertainer.

5 Billion of Govt money that doesn't go to war or insurance companies sounds good.But it is already known that pollutants are the major cause of illnesses like cancer and genetics will show who are more likely to get sick first. I want A president to talk about Greening of our energy needs. I want a president who goes to bat for healthier food.
--------

Wal greens offers a new flu shot for 24.95 . Just seen on our M$MBC... As Fernando as repeated No public Option no more lock step Democratic voting.

I guess it's you I have to convince.
[or your expressed mind set anyway.]

I just want you to re-align your thinking.

You have a party. The Democratic Party. If someone is using your party's name in a way you don't like, work to remove them from your party at the next election. This is way more effective than building a new party that will rival the dem/rep machines.

We have a machine. It is like a really really big ship. Turn the rudder to change direction and it takes awhile to notice the effect of the input, but the direction will change.

If blue dogs are Democrats in name only, we need to get on the phones and speak one-to-one with the blue-dog constituents and help them differentiate between the lies and truth.

Comments above about people forgetting by the next election... Never again. The only thing that will allow that is if the internet is severely curtailed.

WE, the bloggers, have power. We talk people listen.

Things have changed. What was, is gone. There is a new MIRIDOR in town. We never sleep.
==

I still only travel by foot and by foot, it's a slow climb,
But I'm good at being uncomfortable, so
I can't stop changing all the time

I notice that my opponent is always on the go
-And-
Won't go slow, so's not to focus, and I notice
He'll hitch a ride with any guide, as long as
They go fast from whence he came
- But he's no good at being uncomfortable, so
He can't stop staying exactly the same

If there was a better way to go then it would find me
I can't help it, the road just rolls out behind me
Be kind to me, or treat me mean
I'll make the most of it, I'm an extraordinary machine

“Extraordinary Machine” by Fiona Apple

Apple src = http://ma.tt/
Matt Mullenweg is one of PC World’s Top 50 People on the Web, Inc.com’s 30 under 30, and Business Week’s 25 Most Influential People on the Web.

[MEG - you asked how do I do the button - it's complicated - if you really want to know I'll get you my email... and send you a step-by-step]

~`ordinary's just not good enough today - olp`~
Jamesbenet

I am flipping out that this is going first in NYÇ.Six months ago stories of this happening were given very little credibility
==========
I am for research and don't want to minimize the potential advancement for humanity.BUT A direct assault against corporate poisoning would please me even more..

3 suspected packages were found. About 3500 students effected.

Per MSNBC

toniD's Ya Think?

Yeay for AIDS Research!!!

Yeay for cancer research!!!!!

A new poll by NPR, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the Kaiser Family Foundation has found that the public believes its voice is not being heard in the health care debate. 71 percent of respondents said Congress was “paying too little attention” to what they were saying.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113307616

Last night, filmmaker Michael Moore sent a message to leading Democrats blocking health care reform: “I want to offer a personal pledge. I — and a lot of other people — have every intention of removing you from Congress in the next election if you stand in the way of health care legislation that the people want.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27703.html

Most Americans are willing to pay higher taxes to fund health care reforms that provide the best quality of care. “78 percent of Democrats willing to accept higher taxes, as well as 64 percent of independents and 48 percent of Republicans.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-HealthcareReform/idUSTRE58T0MY2009093...

I'd rather pay it in a tax that benefits all rather than filling the pockets of greedy health insurance CEOs!

toniD's Ya Think?

BOOOOOO for agribusiness!!!!

We need all the help we can get.

Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and John Kerry (D-MA) will unveil global warming legislation today that would require a 20 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The bill would go even further than House legislation passed in June, which required a 17 percent decrease. Joe Romm says it is “environmentally, economically and politically stronger” than its House counterpart.

http://climateprogress.org/2009/09/29/kerry-boxer-climate-clean-energy-j...

toniD's Ya Think?

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) is pressing his case for the creation of a single, powerful regulator to oversee the banks. Arguing against the proposal, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) said regulators shouldn’t be consolidated because he enjoys watching them blame each other for regulatory failures.

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/09/29/corker-enjoys-regulator-spa...

toniD's Ya Think?

+++++
The puzzle has many pieces and if society as a whole wants to grow forward getting pissy because someone has a different perspective is unproductive.

this statement should be universally acceptable. peace love and endorphins for all.

it was directed at nando.

Yeah for cancer research!!!

http://www.vesseltracker.com/app
ships at sea
w/ google earth map

~`ordinary's just not good enough today - olp`~
Jamesbenet

over the summer there have been several images of all the ships that are tied up waiting for non-existent cargo.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/business/global/13ship.html?_r=2&ref=g...

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1126633709

is badly in need of an enema.....

Democrats Crafting Bill To Shield Big Banks From Tougher State Laws

WASHINGTON — Moderate House Democrats are drafting a proposal that would continue to shield big banks from potentially tougher state regulations of credit cards, mortgages and savings accounts.

It is a rejection of President Barack Obama's plan to let states clamp down on the products banks sell. The moderate Democrats say theirs is the more practical approach to regulating large financial institutions that have customers in multiple states and to keeping costs low.

But their proposal, spearheaded by Democratic Rep. Melissa Bean, is not sitting well with consumer advocates who say banks shouldn't be allowed to skirt state regulations if the restrictions don't suit them.

"That's the system we have now. That's the system that failed," said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director for U.S. Public Interest Research Groups.

The current regulatory regime allows banks to follow either state or federal regulations. Whereas community banks often follow state rules, large banks typically opt for federal oversight so they can operate in various states under one set of regulations.

http://www.app.com/article/20090930/BUSINESS/90930033/1003/Democrats+cra...

toniD's Ya Think?

The Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to decide whether strict local and state gun control laws violate the Second Amendment, ensuring another high-profile battle over the rights of gun owners.

The court said it will review a lower court ruling that upheld a handgun ban in Chicago. Gun rights supporters challenged gun laws in Chicago and some suburbs immediately following the high court's decision in June 2008 that struck down a handgun ban in the District of Columbia, a federal enclave.

The new case tests whether last year's ruling applies as well to local and state laws.

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld ordinances barring the ownership of handguns in most cases in Chicago and suburban Oak Park, Ill.

Judge Frank Easterbrook, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, said that "the Constitution establishes a federal republic where local differences are to be cherished as elements of liberty rather than extirpated in order to produce a single, nationally applicable rule."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/09/30/national/w07...

toniD's Ya Think?

anyone who can't get excited about $5B in cancer research funds
Submitted by cent on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 12:20pm.
is badly in need of an enema.....
---------
Say what? Deprive the Iraq war effort of over twelve days of funding?

Why do you hate America?

for cancer research...? I've heard about rackets in cancer research...It's true that they make money treating symptoms...if they want to help cancer patients - clean up the fucking water and food supply for one...

so many kinds of wrong...TZ..imo..

One of my fellow citizens is being extradited to your country to serve 5 years in maximum prison for selling the seeds of a certain plant species... After a 30 day tour, we saw a major tearful goodbye at the courthouse...
( http://anar.zone.free.fr/illu/marc_emery.jpg )

The Cannabis Sativa industry in my Province annually grosses over a billion dollars, literally. Over 80% of this goes to gangs like the 'Hells Angels' due to our own fucked up botanical prohibition laws. However, what Marc has done, selling seeds, is hardly a crime here. However, he also sold some seeds medicinally over the border, to ill Americans. (Something that happens often within your own borders.) Your government is asking that he serve 5 years in a prison where repetitious violent criminal offenders serve less time. His crime: selling the seeds of a plant. To this day, there is not one person who can stand up and say, 'What Marc Emery has done has hurt me.' On the contrary, he is a bookstore owning businessman who has provided the ill in Vancouver with medicinal house calls. The rapists in the prison he'll go to will serve less time, as he's being made an example of. This is how terrified and frail your dominator government is: They can't even handle medicine.

I can tell you that people in my community are fucking pissed. (To the point of gun ownership, and a hatred towards the U.S.' patriarchal dominion that is unprecedented...) People are fucking PISSED about this.

It's an echo of a few years ago, when the majority (over 80% of the people in my province) voted for full decriminalization of Cannabis Sativa. Our then Prime Minister, Chrétien, though 'Liberal,' had to bend our government over to the USA when your government actively threatened annexation and trade restrictions if we decriminalized. Many of us sought MORE than decriminalization, more that legalization! We sought LEGITIMATION, an open cultural admittance that yes, Cannabis is a gateway drug. But not in the way the patriarchal dominators spin it - It is a gateway drug because it serves as a cognitive doorway to realms of imagination, in addition to being a catalyst for memetic introspection.

I'm no journalist, I've too many morals, but I can objectively report that people in my community are asking, "How many stoner Americans are going to take their hands out of the bag of cheetoes, get off the couch, and write their congresswomen about this...!?"

I am even shocked to see our main provincial papers so biased! People are fucking outraged!

The 'Vancouver Sun' article - "Marc Emery's sentence reeks of injustice and mocks our sovereignty."
http://tinyurl.com/y8l38h6

Thought you may wanna post about it...
-V

http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Marc+Emery+sentence+reeks+inju...

Have a colonic instead.....

colonic ?

;)

you are underestimating my rage.

I'm no longer a Democrat if there is no Public Option.

GOP Introduces Resolution to Censure Grayson – Debate at 2pm
By: Jane Hamsher Wednesday September 30, 2009 9:46 am

Rep. Tom Price is introducing a resolution to censure Alan Grayson in the House for saying that the GOP health care bill is: "don't get sick." There will be debate on Grayson's actions at 2pm today on the floor which you can watch on CSPAN.

[...]

FDL

HIGH COLONICS FOR EVERYBODY......my treat....

these are the same people that shout "you lie" "death panels" and god knows what else.

it will be interesting to see if the dems rally and shove this down their throats. if grayson gets thrown under the bus, you can kiss healthcare reform goodbye.

Grayson should try to cop a plea.....

Heretofore renamed as the Pummel Change into Congress Committee

Progressive Groups Turn Up Heat on Baucus, Snowe in Wake of Public Option Votes

"'Today, we are raising our fundraising goal to $200,000 to PUMMEL Baucus and Snowe with ads in their home states featuring the voices of their constituents,' reads an email from PCCC to members."

Sounds good to me...if I'm gonna go broke, it's gonna be to air these ads...

"this machine kills fascists"

The Democrats walk on their base. I'm sick of it.

Thanks for the link 60th. Today is the perfect day to start contributing.

jbenet on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 11:40am.
new
Submitted by Fernando on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 1:03pm.

you are underestimating my rage.

==
and throw the bastards out.

If you have a better idea educate me, I'm open to Ideas.

I want to back "Teddy Kennedy"'s. People that know how to get things done and write legislation that lasts.

==
Who are you mad at nando? All democrats?
==
I'm liking the ship analogy. Your boat has sprung a leak and this is what I hear from you.
"G-damit boat has a leak and I'm pissed. I didn't vote for any leaks. This is not going the way I want it. I'm getting off this f*cking boat. "

Am I miss-reading your sentiment?

~`ordinary's just not good enough today - olp`~
Jamesbenet

AFL Says No Deal Between Trumka and Rahm on Public Option
By: Jane Hamsher Wednesday September 30, 2009 9:55 am

This morning we reported that there was a meeting between Richard Trumka and Rahm Emanuel today. According to AFL-CIO spokesman Eddie Vale, the meeting is over and Trumka is standing strong on the public option:

As the new President of the AFL-CIO Trumka had a broad meeting today with the White House on all of the issues that are important to working families. Trumka reiterated our commitment to creating good paying jobs, passing health care reform with a public option, the importance of passing major labor law reform and re-regulating financial markets.

I asked if Trumka considered "triggers" to be a public option. He responded:

Trumka is sticking to what he said on triggers all along - which is that we haven't seen any plans that would be as effective as the public option, and he told that to Rahm Emanuel today.

They discussed the Baucus/Pelosi plan to pay for reform by putting an unfair burden on the benefits of many AFL-CIO members. (No doubt it's just a happy coincidence that the one big liberal institution which has pledged to withhold support from any Democrats who won't vote for a public plan is getting specifically hammered.) Trumka reiterated that "working families shouldn't be taxed on their health care benefits, which often have been gotten by foregoing wage increases and other benefits."

I asked whether Rahm brought up the subject of triggers, something he has been pushing for since January. "Trumka doesn't want to disclose what others said since it was a private meeting," he said.

FDL

probably not a good time to try to negotiate this with me.

Hoyer rejects telecom immunity repeal
By: Jake Sherman
September 29, 2009 11:42 AM EST

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is rejecting a movement by some liberal members of Congress to repeal a law that granted legal immunity for telecommunications companies that participated in the Bush-era wiretapping program.

"I don't think that revisiting that issue will get us anyplace," Hoyer said.

Democratic Sens. Chris Dodd (Conn.), Russ Feingold (Wisc.), Patrick Leahy (Vt.) and Jeff Merkley (Ore.) plan to introduce the Retroactive Immunity Repeal Act this week to peel back protection for telecommunication companies that participated in the program, which the Bush administration said was key in the war on terror.

Dodd, in a news release, said: "Congress violated the protection of our citizens' privacy and due process right" by protecting the companies that allegedly participated in the program.

Hoyer said he has not read the legislation or discussed it with Dodd but still thinks it's a misstep.

"I think there was a determination to move on and that issue and I think that determination is a good one," Hoyer said.

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=06780054-18FE-70B2-A8EF3E068...

toniD's Ya Think?

It sure would be nice to wake those fools up and throw out the "Leader" based on grass roots progressive ad wars. Make Nancy quake in her boots.

VIDEO FLASHBACK: GOP Lawmakers Repeatedly Said Americans Would ‘Die’ Under Democratic Health Plans

In a controversial speech on the House floor yesterday, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) said that the Republican alternative health care proposals would force sick Americans to “die quickly.” Grayson’s sadly accurate statement wasn’t meant to say that Republicans want people to die, but rather, as Igor Volsky explained, their opposition to meaningful health reform would lead to those very unfortunate circumstances.

Republicans are outraged at his hyperbole — so outraged that Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) has called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to officially rebuke Grayson. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) initially said that he was going to introduce a resolution reprimanding Grayson, but recently took to the floor to instead request that he “apologize to our leader.”

The GOP outrage is empty. After all, neither Price nor McHenry called on their fellow Republican colleagues to apologize after a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/30/despite-outrage-many-hous_n_304175.html”>making absurdly false comments about Democratic plans in the past few months on the House floor:

– “Last week Democrats released a health care bill which essentially said to America’s seniors: Drop dead.” [Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), 7/21/09]

– “They’re going to save money by rationing care, getting you in a long line. Places like Canada, United Kingdom, and Europe. People die when they’re in line.” [Rep. Steve King (R-IA), 7/15/09]

– “The Republican plan will] make sure we bring down the cost of health care for all Americans and that ensures affordable access for all Americans and is pro-life because it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government.” [Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), 7/28/09]

– “That’s exactly what’s going on in Canada and Great Britain today…and a lot of people are going to die.” [Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA), 7/10/09]

– “One in five people have to die because they went to socialized medicine! … I would hate to think that among five women, one of ‘em is gonna die because we go to socialized care.” [Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), 7/15/09]

Watch a video compilation of their remarks:

In comments on the House floor today, Price said that Grayson’s remarks were a “breach of decorum.” “I call on all Democrat members of the House and all Democrat leaders to demand that he apologize. Just as one of our members did earlier.” Presumably, Price was talking about Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), who infamously shouted “You lie!” during President Obama’s joint speech to Congress. Of course, Wilson never apologized to the House, despite Republican and Democratic requests that he do so.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/30/mchenry-price-health/

toniD's Ya Think?

Reid Cancels Columbus Day Recess to Focus on Health Care

This appears to be to attempt to meet the reconciliation deadline.

Sucks to face going down in history on your knees with a supermajority, don't it, Harry? You'd better step it up!

"this machine kills fascists"

"Nike believes U.S. businesses must advocate for aggressive climate change legislation and that the United States needs to move rapidly into a sustainable economy to remain competitive and ensure continued economic growth," the company said in a statement. "Therefoce, we have decided to resign our board of directors position." - The Hill

Businesses that rock!

If you really want to be prepared for the headaches of the battle ahead...

What is reconciliation?

How reconciliation might be used for health care reform

"this machine kills fascists"

Here's the Latest on Where the Fight for Health Care Stands

a week old, but still...

"While all committees with oversight have to report bills by October 15th in order for them to be eligible for reconciliation, there is no such deadline for the Senate Budget committee, which will merge the Finance and HELP committee bill. The Budget commitee can report a health care bill whenever it wants, and it will still be eligible for reconciliation."

"this machine kills fascists"

as long as they don't pollute OUR air....

Apple Tablet Release To Redefine Books, Newspapers (PHOTOS)

"Apple is expected to launch its highly-anticipated touchscreen Tablet by early 2010 and new information suggests the gadget could revolutionize print publishing by bringing book, newspaper, and magazine content onto the high-tech reader.

Apple has been negotiating with major print media companies to acquire content for the new device, Gizmodo reports, including the New York Times, McGraw Hill, and Oberlin Press. In addition, Apple seems to be working to beef up print content on its iTunes store."

Yep, that type of eye candy sells big. I would definitely bet on them being able to completely torch the now aptly-named "Kindle".

"this machine kills fascists"

i can't think of any other person who can design such neat products.

looks like a loyal sweetheart.

with you as an owner, how could he be anything else? :)

"this machine kills fascists"

Buddy Bear looks like he was a good friend.

my sympathies...

RIP bud!

that's a well loved dogger, you can see it in his face.

Sorry to hear the sad news Sandy.

toniD's Ya Think?

.

printing costs are insane and, in a recession, fuggettaboutit.

it's about time something truly versatile comes out

a light portable reader for blogs, books, mags, newspapers with color images and hyperlinks that runs on the iPhone OS with all those games and apps and music! = awesome

I wonder how big the solid state drive will be. The current Macbook Air's is 128GB.

"this machine kills fascists"

But you have a NAFTA problem, not a Nike problem.

Sorry to hear about your loss Sandy. My Zoe got an upset stomach and crapped all over the mud room floor last night, as my daughter closed up her dog door when she came in at midnight. The first thing I thought of is how Zoe is approaching maturity. Dobies don't last. I hope she's feeling better today.

it has nothing to do with nafta...

don't defend them....you will lose.

UK: Leaflet drop killed Afghan girl

Britain's ministry of defence is investigating the death of an Afghan girl who died after being hit by a box of leaflets dropped by the Royal Air Force.

The information leaflets were dropped in boxes from an RAF Hercules aircraft over a rural area of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan on 23 June.

The box failed to break apart in mid-air and landed on top of the girl who died later in hospital.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/09/200993013298708300.html

Starting in 2010 the Kindle will henceforth be called Kindling.

..or did someone already make the obvious pun?

is anybody else having problems with itunes automatically downloading malloy podcasts this week? i had to manually download mondays yesterday and tuesdays is behaving the same.

Health Care: Of Triggers and Timing
Posted by Karen Tumulty Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 12:45 pm

As Kate notes in her story today, yesterday's defeat of the public option by the Senate Finance Committee has focused a lot of attention on the next big test, which is Senator Olympia Snowe's amendment to put the public option on a "trigger"--that is, to establish one only as a fallback if private insurance companies fail to create a market for affordable coverage.

However, I am told the Snowe is considering the possibility of withdrawing that amendment from the Finance Committee deliberations, and waiting instead to offer it when the bill reaches the Senate floor. Here's why:

Given the intensity of yesterday's debate, both sides are pretty entrenched at the moment. However, outside the heated atmosphere of the committee room, there have been some tentative signs of growing support for the trigger proposal. As we noted last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has called it a "pretty doggone good idea"--albeit insisting that his preference remains a public option. And over the weekend, former President Bill Clinton also praised it on "Meet the Press," saying: "Now, the one Republican who's come up with a good idea is Senator Snowe."

The staunchest advocates of a public option continue to insist that a trigger is a bad idea, because it would never be pulled, or even constitute a serious threat to the insurance industry. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that in her caucus, a trigger is viewed as merely "an excuse for not doing anything.”

But the Obama White House has made no secret of its belief that the trigger could be the compromise on the public option that the President has been looking for. And should the public plan be defeated on the Senate floor--as now appears likely--some of its supporters may be willing to give the trigger idea another look, especially if President Obama decides to explicitly support it. (In his health care speech before Congress, he cited it as one of several "constructive ideas worth exploring.")

One thing to watch closely: The Congressional Budget Office has yet to weigh in with its appraisal of the trigger idea. It's "score" would give us not only an idea of the costs, but also some independent appraisal of the likelihood that (1) a trigger might actually be pulled, resulting in the creation of public plans in some states and (2) whether the trigger would be a credible enough threat to private insurance firms to assure that they engage in geniune competition in places that now lack it.

In politics and legislating, timing can be everything. It may well be that by waiting, Snowe would give her "trigger" a better shot.

Time

Whoooaaaa Trigger...easy there boy....

yes she is!! I'm glad someone is.

...recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

US Story on Iran Nuke Facility Doesn't Add Up

by Gareth Porter

WASHINGTON - The story line that dominated media coverage of the second Iranian uranium enrichment facility last week was the official assertion that U.S. intelligence had caught Iran trying to conceal a "secret" nuclear facility.

But an analysis of the transcript of that briefing by senior administration officials that was the sole basis for the news stories and other evidence reveals damaging admissions, conflicts with the facts and unanswered questions that undermine its credibility.....
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/09/30-0

Tariffs for NIKE were eliminated with NAFTA, mostly hurting Mexico. Factories are liquid. They have over 700 factories around the world and countless contractors. Most of it is in Asia today.

The problem is in the trade agreements that all factories function under. Singling out a company, especially when they are taking a progressive stand isn't productive imo.

but that doesn't mean they are not responsible for their manufacturing and labor practices...

they have a very bad history of violating child labor laws and dealing with repressive regimes.

They hardly "rock"....

Forgiving them that because they pay lip service to the green lobby is hardly productive IMO..

Published on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 by The Times Online/UK
Gore Vidal: ‘We’ll Have a Dictatorship Soon in the US’
The grand old man of letters Gore Vidal claims America is ‘rotting away’ — and don’t expect Barack Obama to save it
by Tim Teeman

......Last year he famously switched allegiance from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama during the Democratic nomination process for president. Now, he reveals, he regrets his change of heart. How's Obama doing? "Dreadfully. I was hopeful. He was the most intelligent person we've had in that position for a long time. But he's inexperienced. He has a total inability to understand military matters. He's acting as if Afghanistan is the magic talisman: solve that and you solve terrorism." America should leave Afghanistan, he says. "We've failed in every other aspect of our effort of conquering the Middle East or whatever you want to call it." The "War on Terror" was "made up", Vidal says. "The whole thing was PR, just like ‘weapons of mass destruction'......

......Vidal now believes, as he did originally, Clinton would be the better president. "Hillary knows more about the world and what to do with the generals. History has proven when the girls get involved, they're good at it. Elizabeth I knew Raleigh would be a good man to give a ship to."The Republicans will win the next election, Vidal believes; though for him there is little difference between the parties. "Remember the coup d'etat of 2000 when the Supreme Court fixed the selection, not election, of the stupidest man in the country, Mr Bush."

Today religious mania has infected the political bloodstream and America has become corrosively isolationist, he says. "Ask an American what they know about Sweden and they'd say ‘They live well but they're all alcoholics'. In fact a Scandinavian system could have benefited us many times over." Instead, America has "no intellectual class" and is "rotting away at a funereal pace. We'll have a military dictatorship fairly soon, on the basis that nobody else can hold everything together. Obama would have been better off focusing on educating the American people. His problem is being over-educated. He doesn't realise how dim-witted and ignorant his audience is. Benjamin Franklin said that the system would fail because of the corruption of the people and that happened under Bush."
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/09/30-4

but they also have some record of raising standards of living even in those slave camps. It's a sad reality but jobs do make a difference. People will do anything for one when none is available.

But even then, the problem is with the trade agreements not the company. A company isn't viable to even provide even a shitty job if the rules tell them that is all they can build.

you would think they could be manufactured in america.

sorry, but i'm still bummed that green giant canned mushrooms come from china instead of pennsylvania.

i always copy them manually from the malloy site, because itunes is always late in updating them; having said that, the 29th is still not available - did he have a show last night? I don't even know

add it to list of minor annoyances we have to deal with, for not having our people on regular radio, you know like the dittoheads all they have to do is turn a switch on and the limbot is on 24/7, if not him sean hannity or some other asshole, there's no shortage of them and nothing else is required; not only must we pay for each single item of media we wanna enjoy, we must then work in figuring out how to get it

sick of this shit, feeling like a second class citizen just for being progressive; huddling around the rachel maddow show as the lone candlelight burning in the night for us

and make huge profits by selling their sweatshop produced products here. People who patronize them and defend their policies share responsibility for that...

peddle your tired neoliberal rationalizations at someone else fernando...I really don't want to hear them....

I certainly hope they are reversing their positions because they are awful. They were a Michael Moore target in the The Big One, BTW.

"this machine kills fascists"

Has anyone compiled a list of the COMPONENTS desired to be IN the ACTUAL 'Public Option'. I mean, otherwise, advocating for the yet to be concretized 'Public Option' is sort of meaningless, isn't it? If people advocate for anything, it should be advocating for the LIST of things they want to be IN the 'Public Option'. The 'Public Option' so far is not what is in it, but the fact that our government will be used to promote what's in it with subsidies, guidelines and possibly mandates and triggers! Sheesh. The term 'Public Option' is about the wagon, not the cargo of the wagon. ANYBODY out there got the CARGO pinned down and defined yet?

This is a basic problem with clear language that rears its head all the time in American discussion consistently, and I think it comes from the huge reliance we put on advertising lingo, slang, jingles, slogans and jingoism. It used to be that The Press played some role in translating all this mess into real concrete, communicative, clear language in some way by asking questions and clarifying details (if not always intent). But today, where do we go? It has been months and I don't see things getting clearer beyond Randi and Ed Schultz making some attempt within their cheerleading for the Dems, who are still not giving us a concise LAUNDRY LIST of what we want to be facilitated by the a Public Option TECHNIQUE.

Am I just being picky, or do I have a valid point here?

by picking on Nike cent. The way to impact the change you want is to focus on trade policy. I do sympathize with what you are saying but that's not the problem you think it is.

The most you will accomplish with your strategy is changing the name from Nike to Ekin and putting the headquarters staff in the Oregon unemployment line as a new headquarters opens in Singapore.

And the reason I don't want to argue with you is you go immediately to the name calling.

Fair trade is a progressive focus in case you haven't heard.

tell me when I've lost the argument so my tired neoliberal head knows when to stfu.

way when companies like Nike use what amounts to slave labor to make fortunes for themselves...

Let me quote you fernando "Nike Rocks"...then when you are called on it you start using rationalizations that are beneath you to defend them....I told you not to go there...

WRONG...my problem is with NIKE. Don't tell me calling someone on supporting them doesn't do any good...you will probably think twice before defending them nextime...and that in itself is progress.....

Good point well delivered. They DO want you to die quickly. This is also how the insurance-industry-dominated worker compensation program works too: If you have a small injury they don't mind funding a quick recovery, but a MAJOR injury or industry illness? They will do everything in their power to stand in the way of responsibility to cover medical care. They seem to prefer to leave a seriously injured worker with little recourse but death.

And if the employer also has one of those 'peasant insurance' policies on the serously ill or injured worker -- does the employer really want the employee to get healthcare? I don't think so. It looks to me that the insurance companies really have worker comp and peasant insurance sewn up tight.

So if most worker comp programs already show how the Republicans and Corporations think and pursue a 'die quickly' plan, then how far off can Rep. Grayson be?

I think Grayson has hit the nail on the head.

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/scarce/grayson-gop-health-plan-youre...

you can keep patting yourself on the back if you want to see it that way.

I applaud Nike walking out of the Chamber of Commerce while demanding better environmental controls.

That's half the trade war battle. The trade war problems are human rights AND environmental protections.

On the human rights side, you have a good point about practices that are universally employed. And we can continue to work on that half of the battle.

But I am happy to see them working with us on the environment. I don't think Nike would defend human rights abuses if there were as serious an effort to get everyone else on the same page as we are doing with environmental treaties.

You have to have fair competition. I'm glad they are fighting for a better environment. You are arguing for their universal denouncement and I don't see that as productive. Waste all the time you want on it cent.

Over the last several months, I've been fighting as hard as I can on some pretty important battles -- like the struggle to include a strong public option as part of the health care reform package.

As you saw if you tuned into just about any TV news broadcast in August, despite its broad popularity, supporting the public option can earn you some powerful enemies.

In fact, the minority opposition pumped up by insurance industry front groups nearly succeeded in drowning out the rest of the debate.

We've got to show them our voices won't be drowned out by an angry few -- contribute $5 or more to my campaign before tonight's midnight deadline to show opponents of reform you won't be silenced:
Enter amount and get started: $ oo.oo

-------to late Chuck no one is going to re elect you if I can help it. Not progressive enough or sincere enough to be a leader of this too late too little battle.

quitting some club is nothing when compared to human rights violations...

But you go ahead and stick with your neoliberal stance that because everybody makes money exploiting child labor, it is okay...

Just don't try to justify it to me.

Alan Grayson's Candor and Honesty Irks GOP Obstructionists... Again

I know the difference between angry and mad. And when it comes to outspoken Orlando freshman Alan Grayson, Republicans are both. He's been the bane of their -- and their big donors'-- existence on the House Financial Services Committee, where he's been working effectively to put a crimp in a status quo that has presided over a concentration of wealth in this country that leaves the top 1% with more assets than the "bottom" 90%. Grayson came to Congress promising to be a tribune for working Florida families. What drives Republicans mad is that he has been exactly that.

Yesterday he was up on the floor of Congress calling out the GOP on their health care obstructionism. (See video above.) And did they flip out! GOP morning shill, Joe Scarborough, had reactionary sidekicks Pat Buchanan and Mika Brzezinski, comparing Grayson's well-reasoned and factual assault on Republican Party well-coordinated anti-working family obstructionism with the disgraceful outburst from secessionist lunatic Joe Wilson (R-SC). Some of the most extremist partisans among the obstructionist caucus took Grayson's criticism personally -- which makes sense. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), whose ProgressivePunch voting score since President Obama was elected is a big fat zero-- extreme even for the fringe Republicans -- demanded an apology. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), another goose-egg extremist-- with unanswered questions about a gay Republican triple homicide in Orlando involving one of his now dead "associates" -- was up early this morning tweeting away, demanding Speaker Pelosi call a vote to reprimand him.

If Grayson made one mistake, it was blaming only Republicans for the way Congress is treating American families in the health care debate. Sure, every single Republican is catering to the special interests who line their pockets and fill their campaign coffers. But perhaps Grayson should have found a way of mentioning that it isn't just 100% of Republicans -- who, by the way, have often said that the Democratic plans for reform will kill granny, etc. -- but that there are also a significant number of corrupt, bribe-besotted Democrats -- from Max Baucus and Blanche Lincoln to most of the Blue Dog caucus -- who also are trampling on the aspirations of working people in our country. Elijah Cummings stood up for Grayson to the vampiric Mika this morning. Georgia goofball Tom Price is introducing some kind of cockamamie resolution to condemn him.

Today might be a great time to donate to Alan Grayson's campaign fund. Aside from being one of Congress' best overall members, let's keep in mind that the real reason Republicans do want people to die is because the funeral industry is a big source of funds for the GOP! Of all the current sitting senators who have gotten money from the funeral industry, McCain is #1, Alexander Lamar is #2 and Lindsey Graham is #3. Over in the House, Republican leaders Mike Pence (IN), Roy Blunt (MO), David Dreier (CA) are among the top recipients. And yes, Blackburn and McHenry have both taken money from the funeral industry. Grayson hasn't. Let's get Grayson's back.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howie-klein/alan-graysons-candor-hone_b_30...

toniD's Ya Think?

Have a problem with me for supporting a strategy that achieves the results you want and that actually has a chance of working for all companies, not just one, while keeping people off the Oregon unemployment lines all you want.

Way to make friends and influence ideas. Sounds brilliant to me... not.

There's at least 10 balls in the air right now that are being shuffled.

The whole system needs changing and we have to take the victories where we can right now with what we have to work with in this government.

Settle down. Fighting each other won't change a thing because we are almost powerless to do it, unfortunately.

Use that animosity on the people that caused and are allowing the problems to continue!

toniD's Ya Think?

M responds to N Re: classifying who's an "anarchist"
Submitted by Alice on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 11:07am.
on th anarchist academics listserv
...

===============

So almost everybody who doesn't agree with The Man is an 'anarchist' these days? Who ARE these folks defining the word? They seem to be dumping EVERYTHING in the definition. (This reminds me of the catch-all use of the word 'extremist'.)

Whoa, look out! The Oligarchy loves to hang those they brand 'anarchists'.

that didn't make it right.

When you can show me tangible results from Nike's act, do so...

The tangible proof of their worker exploitation is already very well known. Too bad some just choose not to see it....

He started it mom...all I said was Nike are no angels, and instead of just saying "yes, I know." he chose the idiocy of trying to defend them on their labor practices...

Seriously fernando, you defend the stupidest positions sometimes.

Nike quit the Chamber of Commerce.

this isn't a problem toniD. I like cent. We talk a little rougher than you might be used to. It's ok.

Randi is covering the dead peasant insurance....

Nike profits rise on cost-cutting

Nike cut 1,750 jobs this year

Tuesday, 29 September 2009 21:53 UK

Sportswear giant Nike has managed to report a slight rise in quarterly profits after cost-cutting work helped to offset a fall in revenues.

The US group made a net profit of $513m (£322m) in the three months to 31 August, its fiscal first quarter. This compares with $511m a year earlier.

Nike's revenues declined 12% to $4.8bn from $5.4bn last year.

The firm said sales were continuing to fall, with global orders from retailers until the end of January 2010 down 6%.

Future orders are down most in Eastern Europe, which they have fallen 28% from a year earlier. They have declined by 4% in the US and Canada, and by 8% in Western Europe.

'Right track'

However, the results were better than analyst expectations, and Nike's shares rose 3% in after-hours trading.

Earlier this year Nike cut 1,750 jobs, or 5% of its workforce, in the biggest job reduction in its history.

Nike's chief executive Mark Parker said the company was "on the right track".

The firm is the world's largest sportswear manufacturer.

BBC

Biggest layoff in their history at the worst time in ours...all for profit..."Nike Rocks"

If I were to only read that headline, I would assume that the Supreme Court was looking a banning of handguns.
But what its really about is-----------------------------
The Supreme Court says it will take up a challenge to Chicago's ban on handguns, opening the way for a ruling that could set off a vigorous new campaign to roll back state and local gun controls across the nation.

sweatshop labor (especially child sweatshop labor) is abominable

quitting the Chamber of Commerce over their horrific environmental position is admirable

I can think of many entities that have both abominable and admirable stances

My country for one, my state for two, my city for three, my neighborhood for four, my political party for five, myself for six.

"this machine kills fascists"

Like SJ said,Buddy looked well loved..

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

www.marcmaronrules.blogspot.com/

Tell Harry Reid: expose the Democrats who want to filibuster a public option

I just signed a petition to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to stop protecting corporate Democrats who are willing to filibuster a public health insurance option.

Can you please add your name?

Click here to sign: http://action.firedoglake.com/harryreid

Thanks!

Slavery for your feet.

No shoe can be worth that.

For every additional U.S.A. G.I. or mercenary, how many more Afghan children and families will die? Surely there must be a cause and effect link there? Wouldn't the Iraq figures help? As soon as the U.S.A. troops invaded the deaths started and we're still there and the Iraqis are still dying.

I guess I see cause and effect there.

I love my dog Murphy as much as my granddaughter Iris....why are they so short lived(dogs)...;(

I will never understand why you hate to see an American company making a profit within the legal rules of the system.

I will never understand why you would think that many companies don't stop the abuse at legal methods.

I will never understand why you don't understand that the only way to win is to change the rules. That's where the real change is.

I have chanklas from a local artisan near my ranch too. It's not about any one company.
I wear Columbia sportswear member of the Fair Labor Association
I my tennis shoes are made in America New Balance
My work shoes are Florsheim
And I wear Aussie Uggs recognized for fair labor standards

One person buying one brand isn't going to accomplish anything.

Repost..Because I can..
I hope you don't mind Mire..
I agree with you 100%..
I'm sure almost all us do too..
If we truly had a Free Press..
Well,that's another battle we have ahead..
As I'm sure you know..

Thanks for the post.. :)

*******

dan i have long given up on mallloy on itunes

Submitted by mire on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 4:21pm.

i always copy them manually from the malloy site, because itunes is always late in updating them; having said that, the 29th is still not available - did he have a show last night? I don't even know

add it to list of minor annoyances we have to deal with, for not having our people on regular radio, you know like the dittoheads all they have to do is turn a switch on and the limbot is on 24/7, if not him sean hannity or some other asshole, there's no shortage of them and nothing else is required; not only must we pay for each single item of media we wanna enjoy, we must then work in figuring out how to get it

sick of this shit, feeling like a second class citizen just for being progressive; huddling around the rachel maddow show as the lone candlelight burning in the night for us

*******

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

www.marcmaronrules.blogspot.com/

amen sister!

I am on the radio today at 5p pst

go to my website to listen

more's the pity.

If slavery were legal, would you own one? Would you patronize companies that used them?

after you figure out the moral and economic parallels to that posit and our discussion, we can talk. Until then, you are right; I am wasting my time.

I have work tonite... got to get geared up. bbl.

and that's my problem with you and many others here.

You can't see progress if it's not the utopia you want on your terms.

Yes. And you would be damned happy if I did and were that freed slave cent. Then we would be in business together and share what we could make equally and freely. Together, our products would definitely do better if that is the arrangement between us and our profits would disgust you never.

Just think of all the other slaves we could free with those profits.

Someone tell me. I don't know much about the case.

How did the girl end up alone with Polanski in the first place?

And he just pawned the Repubs big time.

This man has a spine!

toniD's Ya Think?

WhatD he say?

toniD's Ya Think?

I had not seen that.

MMRules
mhappenow
dan
toniD
Sunshine Jim
60th Street

I have been crying since yesterday.
The vet came out to take a look @
him yesterday - I knew in my Heart
that it was time, she said that he
was in a lot of pain. I had a feeling
that he was telling me he was ready
to go.. yes it's always us humans who
don't want them to go. I did not want
him to suffer anymore.
He had a rough first 8 yrs. of his life:

Revenge likely motive in judge killings case - 3/11/2005
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- While Chicago authorities insist that their probe of the slayings of a judge's husband and mother remains open, more evidence is pointing to Bart Ross, a man who committed suicide after leaving a note confessing to the killings.

Ross apparently had filed a medical malpractice lawsuit that eventually was dismissed by the judge.

The new evidence pointing toward Ross: His DNA was found at the crime scene, police say, and a shell casing found at Ross' home matches casings found at the judge's home, where the slayings occurred.

Ross shot himself to death Wednesday night after police stopped his van in West Allis, Wisconsin, outside Milwaukee. His suicide note also included information that may confirm his presence in federal judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow's home the day of the killings, Chicago Police Superintendent Phil Cline said.

Despite the new evidence, Cline said the investigation into the slayings of Michael Lefkow, 64, and Donna Grace Humphrey, 89, would go on.

"We are not prepared at this time to say that any one person is responsible for these homicides," Cline said. "This case is by no means closed."

According to Chicago police, Ross' DNA matches the DNA found on a cigarette at the scene of the killings. Police sources also told CNN that a shell casing found at the Ross home matches shell casings found at the judge's residence.

Judge Lefkow found the bodies of her husband and mother Feb. 28 at her home on Chicago's north side. The note found with Ross included "things that weren't in the media" about the killings, Cline said.
Report: Note disclosed location of victim's body

The Chicago Tribune reported Thursday that the suicide note in Ross' van disclosed the location of Michael Lefkow's body, which police had not released. The Illinois state crime lab and the FBI crime lab were conducting DNA and fingerprint testing, Cline said.

In the suicide note, Ross blamed a legal judgment for the loss of his house, job and family, police told CNN. A neighbor told CNN that Ross, an electrical contractor, had been seen in the neighborhood a few weeks ago, but investigators told CNN police are looking into the possibility he was living in his minivan.

The Tribune reported Thursday that Lefkow had dismissed a medical malpractice case Ross filed against the University of Illinois in which he represented himself. Ross was unhappy over the results of treatment he had received for cancer of the jaw.

Authorities had been planning to interview Ross -- as one of many people whose cases had been handled by Lefkow -- but had not done so, Cline said.
Suits dealt with suspect's cancer treatment

A neighbor, Mercedes Riverda, said Ross was frustrated with hospitals, doctors and the judicial system.

"He came to my house and told me about it," Riverda said. "He wanted me to lend him some money, and he was having problems with the lawsuit ... None of the courts would listen to him, and everybody turned him away. He was pretty frustrated."

The University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago said Ross first became a patient in 1992, when he was treated for head and neck cancer. He filed "numerous lawsuits" against the medical center, "all of which were dismissed."

"He received a series of treatments for his malignancy that were conservative and appropriate," the hospital said in a statement. "Mr. Ross was fully informed of the risks, benefits and alternative treatment options at all stages of his care, and he provided full, written consent at every step."

The treatment was successful, and Ross was cancer-free when last treated in 1995, the university said -- but "the treatment, while successful, does cause some disfigurement."

Ross' landlord had filed a petition to evict him, said Bill Cunningham, a spokesman for the Cook County Sheriff's Department. Deputies tried to serve Ross with the petition on March 1 and March 3, but received no answer when they came to the door, Cunningham said.

Wednesday night, Ricky Orlowski, a police officer in West Allis -- about an hour north of Chicago -- saw a man in a minivan parked near a school and noticed he appeared to be writing something, Police Chief Dean Puschnig said.

When Orlowski drove by a second time, the man did a U-turn and attempted to leave the area. Orlowski noticed the van, which had Illinois plates, had no tail lights and pulled it over.

"I just started to bring my head forward to the window because he hadn't rolled it down," Orlowski said. "I was thinking maybe he didn't see me behind him right away. All of a sudden, the gunshot came out. I felt a concussion. Glass hit me in the face. I was like, 'That guy just shot at me.' "

He said he drew his weapon, retreated to his cruiser and when he looked back at the minivan, he noticed that Ross was slumped over.

Cline said Chicago police did not know why Ross was in Milwaukee or how, if he were responsible for the Lefkow slayings, he had obtained the judge's address. He had no criminal record in Chicago or nationally, Cline said.

Police have searched Ross' home for any evidence, and are attempting to find out as much as they can about him, Cline said. Authorities have not been able to locate any family members, and asked anyone with information to contact Chicago police, the FBI or the U.S. Marshals Service.
Letter: 'I regret killing ... '

Meanwhile, in a letter received Wednesday by a Chicago television station, excerpts of which were released by WMAQ-TV, a person claiming to be Ross writes, "I regret killing husband and mother of Judge Lefkow as much as I regret that I have to die."

The letter writer claimed he encountered Michael Lefkow first and killed him, then heard Humphrey calling her son-in-law and shot her, too. He said he fired two bullets into each of his victims' heads.

"When you read this, I should be dead, so I am writing in past tense," said a typed statement accompanying the letter. "I was on my way to justice. For over 12 1/2 years I was violated the way Nazis and terrorist(s) violated people's rights and I was deprived 'to live' my life."

The letter then lists doctors, attorneys and state and federal judges, including Lefkow, and calls them an expletive, "because they are all criminals like Nazis and terrorists like bin Laden and al Qaeda and don't know 'how to let live.'"

Neither the television station nor the Tribune could verify the letter's authenticity. The station said it turned the letter over to authorities.

Cline said police were contacting the other people named in the letter, but said none of them had been injured.

The Tribune reported that police also found 300 .22-caliber bullets in Ross' van -- the same caliber as casings found in the Lefkow home, Warren said. Cline would not comment on the weapons found or their caliber.

As part of their investigation, police had been looking into the possibility that white supremacist leader Matt Hale, 33, may have been involved in the deaths. He was convicted in 2004 of trying to have the judge killed over a ruling in a trademark dispute, and is jailed awaiting sentencing. Hale has denied involvement.

Cline said Thursday that Ross apparently had no link to white supremacists. "At this point, we cannot find anyone else that's connected with (Ross)," he said.

Police earlier had released composites of two men they believed might have been involved in the homicides. One of those, a sketch of an older man, is believed to be Ross, Cline said. A witness saw that man leaving the Lefkow home sometime early in the afternoon, which matches a time the letter writer claimed to have left the home, police said.

California Nurses Association/NNOC Issues Policy on H1N1 Flu Vaccination: Encourage, Don't Mandate
WASHINGTON - September 30 - As the national H1N1 pandemic arrives, with the vaccine following shortly, the nation's largest professional association and union of registered nurses has issued new nursing practice guidelines to structure its use. The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) will present this policy as bargaining demands to hospital management, and as guidance to regulators and legislators.

Deborah Burger, RN, co-president of CNA/NNOC remarked that,

"The H1N1 virus presents a profound and unprecedented challenge to our nation's fraying healthcare system. The H1N1 flu vaccine should be offered as one part of a comprehensive program to deal with this pandemic. That care plan must also contain immediate improvements to hospital infection control procedures, including the guarantee of an adequate supply of the appropriate N95 respirator masks as well as thoughtful isolation procedures, in addition to an immediate improvement to the public health safety net patients rely upon, and a moratorium of closures of hospitals and emergency rooms."

"At the heart of this policy is the belief that every RN should be vaccinated against the H1N1 influenza virus, but nurses should maintain their right to decline for personal reasons; in addition, every RN who contracts H1N1 must be cared for properly by her facility and local government, including with the guarantee of appropriate sick leave and presumptive eligibility for workers' compensation." The policy reads:

As frontline caregivers at the heart of the healthcare system, CNA/NNOC strongly recommends that all registered nurses (RNs) are vaccinated against the H1N1 influenza virus.
Any vaccination program for RNs should include extensive education on the risks and benefits of vaccination, with an emphasis on patient protection and the need to be prepared for a serious pandemic outbreak.
CNA/NNOC supports an RN's right to decline vaccination.
RNs should be granted presumptive eligibility for workers' compensation benefits as a result of contracting the H1N1 influenza virus, and should not be subject to disciplinary action by an employer due to absenteeism or illness resulting from the vaccine.
###

The California Nurses Association , and its national arm, the National Nurses Organizing Committee, is one of the nation's premiere nurses' organizations and health care unions. One of the fastest growing health care organizations in the U.S., CNA/NNOC presently has 80,000 members in 50 states, representing nurses at scores of hospitals, clinics, and home health agencies.
+----------------+
Allowing Nurses to reject FLU SHOTS the Nurses Association is showing caution. ,BUT I question the recomendation for all to get this experimental nano/squalene ejuviant enhanced vaccine. I prefer the view of Dr. Len Horowitz,who was on Coast to Coast a day or so ago.
^-------------------^

CNA/NNOC Links: Homepage
Article printed from www.CommonDreams.org

URL to article: http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/09/30-20

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

www.marcmaronrules.blogspot.com/

Fernando did you see the speech he was "apologizing" for?

You gotta see it

Decade of despair boiled over to paranoia:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0503110282mar11,0,649...

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=30534

I did. Great stuff.

The best part is that the GOP can't deny who's side they are on. It's not the public. They want them to die quickly.

Buddy Bear McGee (1997 - 2009)
Submitted by smcgee43 on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 2:29pm.

Sorry about your loss Sandy .... sweet looking dog :(

Alan Grayson for Governor of Florida..

Hell,give him Harry's job too while were at it ! :)

**

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

www.marcmaronrules.blogspot.com/

"Nattering Naybobs of Negativism!"

At the exact same time Castellanos was calling him a "nutjob" Rep Grayson strolled straight up to the table and took the sleazeball straight on, it was a classic moment and it's at the beginning of this version:

toniD's Ya Think?

Reality Check: Trying to Turn a Point of Pride into a Moment of Shame

Newsmax removes column that called for military coup to resolve the ‘Obama problem.’

THINK PROGRESS

In a column published on the right-wing site Newsmax yesterday, John L. Perry writes that a military coup against President Obama is possible. Newsmax appears to have taken down the column from its website this morning. Media Matters has archived it, however:

There is a remote, although gaining, possibility America’s military will intervene as a last resort to resolve the “Obama problem.” Don’t dismiss it as unrealistic. [...] Military intervention is what Obama’s exponentially accelerating agenda for “fundamental change” toward a Marxist state is inviting upon America. A coup is not an ideal option, but Obama’s radical ideal is not acceptable or reversible. Unthinkable? Then think up an alternative, non-violent solution to the Obama problem. Just don’t shrug and say, “We can always worry about that later.” In his Washington Post column, former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson acknowledges that “military leaders seem impressed” with President Obama’s decision-making process. “Obama’s engaged, deliberate style has fans in the military,” he writes.

************

Here's a video someone made about that article:

Republicans call for overthrow of U.S. government

With Rep. Grayson!!! :) :) :)

toniD's Ya Think?

Asked if he expected Republicans to put forward a resolution of disapproval criticizing him for his comments, Grayson said he expected that it would happen, though he is "quite sure it won't pass." Rep. Tom Price of Georgia has drafted a resolution rapping Grayson for "a breach of decorum and degraded the integrity and proceedings of the House," though he has not yet introduced it.

"A resolution like that doesn't save one human being's life," Grayson said, arguing that it instead will give people reason to focus "yet again on the fact that the other side is incapable of even coming up with an alternative" to Democrats' health care reform efforts.

Asked his position on that resolution, Grayson said the two situations are "not the same thing."
"I don't know how anybody can equate what I said on the floor…with rudely interrupting the president," he said.

"No one's drumming me out of office. I beat a forth-term Republican incumbent ," he said.

"I'm not going anywhere," Grayson added. "I don't even have an opponent yet."

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/09/30/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry...

toniD's Ya Think?

"We have to start caring for people even after they are born."

toniD's Ya Think?

That was great! Viva Grayson!

"this machine kills fascists"

has nothing to do with the word holocaust because I see it as the intentional genocide of poor people.

My problem with Grayson is with the word Neanderthal. Congressman Grayson did a huge discredit to Neanderthals and why? Why do that to cavemen? Haven't they been maligned enough? How much neanderthal hate is enough?

Neanderthals are smarter than Republicans.
Neanderthals are prettier than Republicans.
Neanderthals took better care of their pets than Republicans.
And Neanderthals had a functional heart, unlike the heartless Republicans that want you to die quickly.

Use the Alan Grayson method.
Be like Alan.

Thanks for those toniD

.
.
.
  brr  

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate panel rejected a Republican effort on Wednesday to further restrict abortions in a sweeping healthcare overhaul as it inched closer to finishing work on the bill.

The Senate Finance Committee defeated two attempts by Republican Senator Orrin Hatch to strengthen the measure's anti-abortion provisions, with Democrats arguing the amendments would create new limits on a woman's right to an abortion.

Democrats on the panel also beat back a Republican attempts to repeal a $6.7 billion fee on insurers, a key element of the overhaul proposed by Chairman Max Baucus, and to strengthen provisions to deny benefits to illegal immigrants.

The bill, one of five healthcare measures pending in Congress, is designed to rein in costs, regulate insurers and expand insurance coverage to many of the 46 million uninsured people living in the United States.

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE58T7IU20090930

toniD's Ya Think?

The head of the Honduran armed forces, who oversaw the removal of President Manuel Zelaya from the country, has urged talks on the political crisis.

Gen Romeo Vasquez Velasquez told reporters he was confident that the political stand-off could be resolved.

Mr Zelaya made a dramatic return from exile on 21 September and is holed up in the Brazilian embassy.

The interim government is meanwhile coming under pressure to revoke a decree that suspended civil liberties.

Members of Congress have indicated they will act to rescind the order if the government of interim leader Roberto Micheletti does not.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8282494.stm

toniD's Ya Think?

http://www.actblue.com/page/grayson

Donate! Every little bit helps to support the people who really love America!

"this machine kills fascists"

Jacob Hacker:

In case you didn't see it.

toniD's Ya Think?

GM to shut down Saturn
division after Penske walks away
General Motors Co. says it's shutting down the Saturn brand after an agreement with Penske Automotive Group Inc. to acquire the unit fell apart.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090930/ap_on_bi_ge/us_saturn_penske

-------

Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis leaving by year's end

NEW YORK — Ken Lewis, the embattled CEO of Bank of America (BAC), is leaving the company, succumbing to nearly a year of strife that followed his company's acquisition of Merrill Lynch.

The bank said in a statement late Wednesday that Lewis, 62, would retire as CEO and also leave the company's board by the end of the year. The company said his successor will be selected by the time he steps down Dec. 31.

The news, coming after shareholders had stripped Lewis of his chairman's title earlier this year, wasn't surprising because of the intense pressure he came under after the Merrill deal. Lewis had said he would stay on as CEO until after the company's financial problems were resolved, a process expected to take several years.

However, with the bank also under heavy criticism from government officials, Lewis was increasingly seen as vulnerable.

"He's had a big target on his chest for the whole Merrill Lynch deal, and I can only imagine the emotional stress he's endured " said Alan Villalon, senior research analyst at Minneapolis-based First American Funds, which owns Bank of America stock.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/banking/2009-09-30-bank-of-amer...

toniD's Ya Think?

Secretive security company
taking over Montana jail
Montana legislators said Tuesday they want to know more about a secretive California company that wants to take over an empty jail in the southeastern corner of the state and build a military training center on adjacent property.

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_13447296

toniD's Ya Think?

Study: Health-care rates
to rise 6% in 2010
Health-care rates are projected to increase about 6 percent for employers in 2010, according to an analysis by Hewitt Associates, a global human resources consulting and outsourcing company.

http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/09/28/daily39.html

toniD's Ya Think?

Republican National Committee Sponsors Newsmax
Rachel Slajda | September 30, 2009, 6:02PM

Last month, the Republican National Committee used Newsmax's email list -- probably for a fee -- to solicit donations and support.

Newsmax -- which published (and later unpublished) a column saying it's not "unrealistic" that there may be a "military intervention" against President Obama -- names the RNC as "our sponsor" in the email, which is signed by RNC chair Michael Steele.

The message, addressed to "Fellow conservative," asks readers to take a health care survey and contribute "$1,000, $500, $100, $50 or $25 to help support our efforts to combat the Democrats' attempt to impose 'Obamacare' on all of us."

"You and the RNC are all that stand between our sensible Republican plan for real health care reform and the Democrats' scheme to take more of your hard-earned income to pay for other people's health care while limiting yours," it reads.

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/republican-national-com...

toniD's Ya Think?

Rachel hasn't brought up the use of the words knuckle dragging Neanderthals.

Amazing how Republican's can't take their own medicine. Ooh bad choice of words.

Sawree Republican whiny babies.

Neanderthals, knuckle dragging even!

Cats and Dogs Can Coexist In Peace

I listened to a few minutes of Mark Levine's show purely by accident while I was driving. I wanted to know if the Dodgers were playing.

I'm going to try to trancsribe verbatim what one of his callers said: "I don't have health insurance. I've never been able to afford it. But I'll be damned if I'm gonna do what the liberals want and accept any aid from the government or take hand outs from people."

Already I was thinking "do the words 'thicker than pig shit' mean anything to you?" You're basically saying "I don't give no shit 'bout none o' mah interests." But this is where it gets rich... further on in the discussion Levine said something like "Just keep fighting, keep scrapping-- you'll get there---" typical con bullshit.
So the guy continues...

"My wife and I have a few kids. She has cervical cancer. It gets tough, but I'm a fighter."

Now this is where it's obviously tragic but Levine's response was actually hilarious. His solution?

Government assistance.

"SLEEP TIGHT, BATSHIT."
-Bill Maher to 9/11 nut
www.sigzone.blogspot.com

Exclusive: Comcast in Talks to Buy NBC-Universal from General Electric (updated)

Deal was negotiated at a meeting among bankers in New York on Tuesday.

omcast, the nation’s leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services, is in talks to buy the entertainment giant NBC-Universal from General Electric, according to knowledgeable individuals.

Deal points were hammered out at a meeting among bankers for both sides in New York on Tuesday, executives familiar with the meeting said.

Two individuals informed about the meeting said that a deal had already been completed at a purchase price of $35 billion.

A spokeswoman for NBC-Universal had no comment. A spokeswoman for Comcast also had no comment.

NBC-Universal has been believed to be in play for months, although GE has publicly denied any intention of selling the unit. In recent weeks, minority stakeholder Vivendi has been apparently preparing to exercise its right to sell 20 percent of the entertainment company in an IPO.

Comcast has been among those rumored to be interested in buying that equity.

But the Tuesday meeting was about a much larger gambit, according to the knowledgeable individuals. The NBC-Universal division of GE, a premium content company, is a likely fit for the cable giant with its massive distribution pipeline. That is especially the case when the division's potential price tag has dropped significantly from a year ago.

Comcast’s market cap is $48.44 billion. NBC-Universal has fallen in value to an estimated $35 billion in value, from about $55 billion a year ago.

Other suitors have been rumored to be interested in NBC-Universal, including Time Warner. Time Warner has denied any interest in a purchase.

The talks come after a rough summer for Universal Pictures, which had one of the worst box office runs in the studio’s recent past. And NBC has remained mired in fourth place among broadcast networks.

The message transmitted at a tense board meeting in New York in July -- where top NBC-Universal executives including Jeff Zucker (pictured above; at right, Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts), Ron Meyer, Marc Shmuger and David Linde all met with GE’s CEO Jeff Immelt and Vivendi representatives -- was that something had better change soon. more...

http://www.thewrap.com/article/exclusive-comcast-buy-nbc-universal-gener...

If Comcast takes NBC Universal over....Might be bye bye Rachel, Keith et al.

Read the whole article to see how much Comcast owns.

toniD's Ya Think?

Phillip Giraldi (of Sibel fame) guest for whole hour.

Also means podcast will ptobably be free on Bradblog again sometime tomorrow.

Notice still no podcast for 9/29 Malloy. Any word? Did Kathy accidentally slit the other wrist cooking?

bbsnt (be back sometime not tonight).

Posted on September 28, 2009 under

The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan

Recently the media has widely reported the deaths of British troops in Afghanistan with the escalation of violence. Additionally, there is much debate of British policies in Afghanistan. What the people of Britain miss here is the suffering of the Afghan people. Foreign troops have not even killed half as many Taliban as innocent civilians. Blind bombings have killed more than 8000 people, a figure which is bound to increase. Even wedding parties have been targeted several times, killing many women and children. The so-called ‘new’ strategy of Obama’s administration and the influx of troops to Afghanistan has dragged our people further into the bloody war, and this government has proved itself much more war-mongering than Bush with his killings and ever-horrifying oppression. Some people prefer the Taliban over the foreign troops, as they provide better security and safety from attacks of foreign troops, while others simply join to take revenge for the death of their loved ones killed in air raids or other attacks.afghan_women_demo_large

If we glance back at history, US governments have never brought “peace” and “democracy” in any country. It has only forced war on countless countries, causing destruction, killing and disasters. Afghanistan is no exception. Everyone knows that the so-called “war on terror” of the US and allies is just a fake. It is an open secret today that all of the terrorist bands in Afghanistan and region, from Osama to Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Mujahideen warlords are products of the Cold War-era White House. The US poured billions of dollars into the pockets of Islamic fundamentalists who not only turned Afghanistan to ashes and hell for its people, but also posed a threat to the people around the world. And this dirty game is still going on. The US and allies invaded our country under fine slogans of “democracy”, “women’s rights”, “liberation” and so on, but today they are supporting and helping the dirtiest enemies of such values in Afghanistan. They talk about democracy, but shake bloody hands of fundamentalist elements such as Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Burhanuddin Rabbani, Qasim Fahim, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Yousif Qanoni, Ismail Khan, Din Mohammad, Haji Almas, Atta Mohammad, Rashid Dostum, Mirwis Yasini (all of them part of the current puppet regime) and many other such warlords who for decades have waged war against democratic values in Afghanistan and have committed untold crimes and brutalities against Afghan people. It is to throw dirt on values like “democracy” and “human rights” to impose the above-mentioned criminals and their like as policy-makers in Afghanistan. But this is what the US and its allies have done to our poor people in the past eight years.

...

http://www.obamasquagmire.com/?p=2445

(thanks for the link treebu and ellwort)

Cats and Dogs Can Coexist In Peace

http://www.bradblog.com/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/30/liberal-women-calendar-vo_n_304...

GOP Opposition To Health Bill Goes Beyond Details, Right To The "Core" »

September 30, 2009 at 08:20 PM

The Senate Republican leader made clear on Wednesday that his party, despite all its griping over the public health insurance option, abortion-funding or health care for illegal immigrants, is simply and flatly opposed to the "core" of the Democratic health care reform proposal.

Satisfying every Republican demand short of scrapping the entire project, said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), would still not capture GOP support.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/30/gop-opposition-to-health_n_3055...

toniD's Ya Think?

.

http://www.samsedershow.com/node/5269

;)

this man is not afraid to say what's on his mind

and i happen to agree with what's on his mind

not afraid to stand up to rachel, even; she was getting on my nerves (keith earlier also irritated me) about this holocaust mention, how inappropriate it was and blah blah; typical pundit crap, first, because it was obvious the man said it without thinking much about the actual word, he was making a point and it was a good point

second it's as if the jews and what they suffered must be always put on a higher plane than anyone else's suffering; zionists have appropriated the word (did they create the word? sorry i don't know the origin of the word) but there is an implication that it is blasphemy to even use the word in any other context, and dare compare any other atrocity to it

without going too deep into this, back to rachel and keith, what really irritated me is their pettiness in hammering on this one word, when we are discussing health care and the fact that a democrat has a spine, wonder of wonders;

so i liked his response to rachel, and how he refused to apologize or acknowledge what she wanted, that he had been so wrong to use that word, but doing it masterfully, always bringing the subject back to what matters, health care and that forceful action is needed (you pundits like to dwell on these minutiae, the wrong word, controversies, embarrasments, making mountains out of molehills - he seemed to be saying but with a smile and amiable facial expression)

that's exactly how i feel with rachel sometimes, for how smart and how awesome she is and we know she can be, and yet at times she comes off nerdish and petty just like your typical run of the mill inside-the-beltway commentator

but

how petty and nerdish of me to hammer on a minor Rachel transgression when i truly really like her and admire her a lot!

Remember the 2006 elections? How about the 2008? Does that ring a bell?

The pendulum has swung and it isn't hard to point out who represents progress and who represents lies.

nice work! locks for love hair donation locks for love minnesota