earth2you2

Howard Dean Stands up for Public Option

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:44:00 +0000

After it appears the Obama administration is backtracking from the public option provision of health care reform, Howard Dean is standing tall and calling for real reform.

"You really can't do health reform" without allowing the government to compete with private insurers, said Howard Dean, a former Democratic Party chairman. "Let's not say we're doing health reform without a public option," he added in a slap at the administration's latest move.

Get 'em, Howard.

History of Republicans' Systematic Lying

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:40:00 +0000

If you think the blatant lies fostered by the Republican Party against President Obama's health care plan is new, you have to read Robert Parry's essay, Palin's 'Death Panel' and GOP Lying.

Parry traces the tactic back to the start of the Reagan administration:

It was during the early Reagan administration that it hit me that falsifying reality was no longer an aberration for Republicans – something done by a politician caught in a tight spot or a debater spinning a losing argument – but had become part and parcel of GOP strategy.

Not that Democrats and other politicians don’t lie or dissemble, too. As a reporter for the Associated Press, I had encountered devious politicians of various stripes while covering Rhode Island politics and Washington’s Capitol Hill in the mid-to-late 1970s.

But something new was afoot in the early 1980s. Republicans were adopting a conscious approach to deception that was qualitatively different from what was common in politics. With the aid of a growing right-wing media, the GOP covered up ghastly crimes by its allies and enflamed public opinion against its adversaries, regardless of the facts.

I first confronted this pattern while covering Reagan’s hard-line policies toward Central America. The lies started just weeks after Reagan’s 1980 election, when four American churchwomen were raped and murdered by government security forces in rightist-ruled El Salvador.

Fascinating.

Criminalizing Being Poor

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:32:00 +0000

Barbara Ehrenreich's latest op-ed in The New York Times - Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor? - illustrates many cities' efforts to make being poor a crime.

In defiance of all reason and compassion, the criminalization of poverty has actually been intensifying as the recession generates ever more poverty. So concludes a new study from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, which found that the number of ordinances against the publicly poor has been rising since 2006, along with ticketing and arrests for more “neutral” infractions like jaywalking, littering or carrying an open container of alcohol.

She writes of Al Szekely, a wheel chair-bound disabled Vietnam vet who was "dragged out of [of a homeless] shelter and put in jail" because he failed to appear in court for a charge of sleeping on a sidewalk in a suburban Washington, DC, town. As Eric Sheptock, a homeless advocate, put it, "They arrested a homeless man in a shelter for being homeless."

To rid their cities of the homeless, many municipalities are passing ordinances against the sharing of food. Teenagers are being targeted with outrageously high fines for truancy - $250 in Los Angeles and up to $500 in Dallas.

Writes Ehrenreich:

The pattern is to curtail financing for services that might help the poor while ramping up law enforcement: starve school and public transportation budgets, then make truancy illegal. Shut down public housing, then make it a crime to be homeless. Be sure to harass street vendors when there are few other opportunities for employment. The experience of the poor, and especially poor minorities, comes to resemble that of a rat in a cage scrambling to avoid erratically administered electric shocks.

What I don't understand is how this can happen in a supposedly Christian nation. How those who claim to believe in the teachings of their Christ can be so cruel and heartless. After all, Jesus is to have said, "What you do to the least among you, you also do to me."

So, by attacking the plight of the poor, they are also attacking their own religious icon.

WTF? $90 Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:27:00 +0000

Word has it that pizza in one of the luxury suites at the all new Dallas Cowboys Stadium will set you back $90.

So let me get this straight, a company pays $800,000 for the suite, plus the price of tickets for each game, and they still have to pay 90 bucks for a freaking pizza?! Oh yeah, it's $66 for a 12-pack of domestic beer, probably that chilled down panther piss called Lone Star Beer.

Astronaut Wears Same Underware for a Month

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:24:00 +0000

Another advancement from the space program:

According to astronaut Koichi Wakata, who is returning to earth from months at the International Space Station, he’s been sporting a brand new pair of J-Ware briefs. For the last few weeks. Straight. Without changing.
But don’t worry. These aren’t any ol’ normal kind of underwear. These are high-tech briefs, designed by a team in Japan to be odor-free.

But still, a month?

Wizard Pigged Out

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:39:00 +0000

Bad news for the fans of Harry Potter - the boy wizard dethroned by a herd of (sorta) talking guinea pigs.

The Associated Press reports:

The 3-D "G-Force" was the top movie at the box office this weekend, opening with $32.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Walt Disney release from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, with its mixture of live action and computer-generated animation, is a "Mission: Impossible"-style adventure. It features voiceover work from Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan and Penelope Cruz as resourceful rodents.

Last week's No. 1 film, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," came in a close second with an estimated $30 million. That's a whopping 61-percent drop from its huge opening last weekend of $79.5 million.

Has the magic of Harry Potter finally run its course?

Stray in Dubai, Go to Prison

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:39:00 +0000

If you are having an extramarital affair, better stay out of Dubai or you could go to prison.

A British couple was sentenced to two months in prison after being found guilty of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

No, the sex police of Dubai were not conducting an undercover investigation. The woman's husband tipped them off.

Drug Testing For All

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:38:00 +0000

The Associated Press has an article about states that are considering drug testing for anyone receiving public assistance including food stamps, unemployment benefits or welfare. Proponents, mostly Republican politicians it seems, claim a concern for the health of the recipients and, according to the article, "ability to put themselves on more solid financial footing once the economy rebounds." Oh yeah, and the message that there ain't so such thing as a free lunch.

Buzz Flash asks,"Shouldn't Wall Street Execs Take Mandatory Drug Tests Since They are On Welfare? States consider drug tests for welfare recipients. But aren't Wall Street bankers and insurance guys also welfare recipients? Shouldn't they have to pee in a cup or something else humiliating?"

Yes, they should, but I would go one step further. From the article:

"Nobody's being forced into these assistance programs," said Craig Blair, a Republican in the West Virginia Legislature who has created a Web site — notwithmytaxdollars.com — that bears a bobble-headed likeness of himself advocating this position. "If so many jobs require random drug tests these days, why not these benefits?"

Since state legislators receive money from the government why not add them to the list of those facing drug testing? How many elected officials so hell bent to force this on others are willing to submit to drug testing?

Close to zero, I bet.

Bruce Willis' Wedding Includes Moore, Krutcher

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:53:00 +0000

Actor Bruce Willis recently got married in what is described as "a small, private ceremony at his home in Parrot Cay in the Turks & Caicos Islands."

Guests included ex-wife and everyone's favorite cougar Demi Moore and her husband Ashton Krutcher along with the Willis' three daughters from his marriage to Moore.

Anyone taking bets on how long it will be before Krutcher makes a move on the new Mrs. Willis, 30-year-old Emma Heming?

Another reason to avoid CNN

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:28:00 +0000

Besides three hours of Wolf Blitzer, here is another reason to avoid CNN.

From Think Progress:

MEDIA -- CNN HIRES SADDAM-AL QAEDA 'CONNECTION' FABRICATOR: Yesterday, TimeWarner announced that "frequent CNN guest, Stephen F. Hayes, has made it official by signing on with the network as a political contributor." Sam Feist, CNN's political director, said, "As part of the 'Best Political Team on Television,' Steve will help CNN in its commitment to go beyond political spin and present viewers with the most in-depth and bipartisan insights." However, for the last eight years Hayes has done little more than spin for the Bush administration's "war on terror." Hayes was one of the foremost peddlers of the false claim that Saddam Hussein was in league with al Qaeda. Blogger Spencer Ackerman wrote in the Huffington Post that Hayes "has made a career out of pretending Saddam and al Qaeda were in league to attack the United States." Vice President Dick Cheney praised Hayes's work, telling Fox News, "I think Steve Hayes has done an effective job in his article of laying out a lot of those connections." Hayes also penned a biography of Cheney that columnist Michael Corcoran called "a wet kiss…filled with glowing praise from cover to cover."

Yet Another Bush We Can't Trust

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:52:00 +0000

My new favorite bumper sticker from CafePress.

Palin Goes Rogue

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:11:00 +0000

Sorry, John McCain, it is way too late for do-overs.

WaPo's Dana Milbank writes:

John McCain thought he was being clever picking a fellow maverick to be his running mate. The problem with mavericks, however, is that they don't follow instructions. Pretty soon they go rogue and before you know it you've got a full-fledged diva on your hands.

When Sarah Palin, looking sharp in a black suit that could have come from Neiman Marcus, took the stage at a campaign rally in Leesburg yesterday, it didn't take long for roguish elements to creep into her speech.

Hope for Georgia Voters

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:44:00 +0000

Law Watch reports that a federal court has ruled the State of Georgia must allow "flagged" voters in that state to vote.

There may be hope for a fair election after all.

Homeowners Still Left Out

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:12:00 +0000

As suspected, homeowners on the brink of foreclosure are not getting the help they need.

Mike Colpitts, editor of HousingPredictor.com, said in a recent interview the the federal government is not doing enough to help them.

So far more than 3 million families have lost their homes and our research indicates that 2011 another 3.4 million will also lose theirs.

This crisis began with deregulation during the Clinton administration and has continued with with the White House being pushed by special interest. What we have seen is fraud on a massive scale by mortgage brokers and direct lenders.

We are a nation of laws and without some form of regulation and enforcement of our laws we have seen the violation of the capitalistic structure. The federal government needs to so something to halt the the huge surge of foreclosures.

A good beginning is to freeze foreclosures to them time to work out mortgages that are viable for homeowners.

Words of wisdom. Keep up the good work, Mike.

$700 Billion Bailout Figures Made Up

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:49:00 +0000

Ever since we first heard that $700 billion was needed to bail out the greedy bastards on Wall Street, we wondered how Treasury Secretary Henry "Hank the Skank" Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben "Bonzai Bozo" Bernanke arrived at that figure.

An article at forbes.com - Bad News for the Bailout - tells us:

In fact, some of the most basic details, including the $700 billion figure Treasury would use to buy up bad debt, are fuzzy.

"It's not based on any particular data point," a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. "We just wanted to choose a really large number."

That's right, folks, they pulled it out of their asses.

U.S. Enters Third World

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:59:00 +0000

The wit and intelligence of Rosa Brooks shines through in this op-ed piece titled: "Hey U.S., welcome to the Third World!"

It starts this way:

Dear United States, Welcome to the Third World!

It's not every day that a superpower makes a bid to transform itself into a Third World nation, and we here at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund want to be among the first to welcome you to the community of states in desperate need of international economic assistance. As you spiral into a catastrophic financial meltdown, we are delighted to respond to your Treasury Department's request that we undertake a joint stability assessment of your financial sector. In these turbulent times, we can provide services ranging from subsidized loans to expert advisors willing to perform an emergency overhaul of your entire government.

Let's hope it's not too late and Washington wakes the hell up!

Republican Man Love

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:08:00 +0000

This photo says it all.

McCain-Bush Man Love.

Stonewalling Sarah Palin

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:20:00 +0000

When an investigation into allegations that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin - now the Republican vice presidential nominee - tried to have her state trooper ex-brother-in-law, Palin said she welcomed the investigation.

Now, even the Anchorage Daily News is accusing Palin of stonewalling the investigators.

In July, when legislators started talking about conducting an investigation, Palin denied any wrongdoing and said she welcomed an investigation.

"Hold me accountable," she said.

The Legislature took her up on that offer. But this week, she basically told the Legislature, "Never mind."
Palin's lawyer has asked the Legislature to drop its investigation. He had the governor file an ethics complaint against herself, in a bid to turn the entire matter over to the state Personnel Board, which would hire an independent investigator.
This is not an open and transparent attempt to establish Gov. Palin's accountability. It is an attempt to drag out the investigation until after voters decide the fate of her vice-presidential bid.

Instead, Gov. Palin should honor her pledge to cooperate with the Legislature's investigation, conducted by former state prosecutor Steve Branchflower.

This is just not an Alaska issue, it is now an American issue, and the American people deserve to know the truth.

The Real Sarah Palin

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:19:00 +0000

Copies of an email about the real Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate, are circulating the Internet faster than California wildfire.

The email was written by a self-proclaimed housewife from Wasilla, Alaska, who has known Palin for more than 16 years, and paints a damning portrait. The email is authentic.

Excerpt:

Claim vs. Fact
"Hockey mom": True for a few years
"PTA mom": True years ago when her first-born was in elementary school, not since
"NRA supporter": Absolutely true
Social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, but vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships (said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
Pro-creationism: Mixed. Supports it, but did nothing as governor to promote it.
"Pro-life": Mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby but declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life legislation.
"Experienced": Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska. No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city administrator to run town of about 5,000.
Political maverick: Not at all.
Gutsy: Absolutely!
Open and transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at explaining actions.
Has a developed philosophy of public policy: No.
"A Greenie": No. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
Fiscal conservative: Not by my definition!
Pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built streets to early 20th century standards.
Pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on residents
Pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city government in Wasilla's history.
Pro-labor/pro-union: No. Just because her husband works union doesn't make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

Shocking news from Homeland Security

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:01:00 +0000

A senior Homeland Security official is interested in a device that will deliver a disabling shock to all wearers.

Is this for suspected terrorists? Nope. This guy wants the bracelet to replace the boarding pass for all air travelers.

According to a letter from DHS official, Paul S. Ruwaldt of the Science and Technology Directorate, office of Research and Development, to the inventor whom he had previously met with, he wrote, “To make it clear, we [the federal government] are interested in…the immobilizing security bracelet, and look forward to receiving a written proposal.” The letterhead, in case you were wondering, came from the DHS office at the William J. Hughes Technical Center at the Atlantic City International Airport, or the Federal Aviation Administration headquarters.

What idiots we have in positions of authority in this country!

Rest in Peace George Carlin

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:13:00 +0000

George Carlin on The American Dream

Will Bush Attack Iran or Not?

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:56:00 +0000

The Bush Administration flatly denies it plans to attack Iran before the end of George Bush's reign of terror. The attack allegation was reported in the Jerusalem Post.

The White House on Tuesday flatly denied an Army Radio report that claimed US President George W. Bush intends to attack Iran before the end of his term. It said that while the military option had not been taken off the table, the Administration preferred to resolve concerns about Iran's push for a nuclear weapon "through peaceful diplomatic means."

Okay, since when did anyone in this administration ever believe in peaceful, diplomatic means?

Oh, wait, there's this:

The official reportedly went on to say that "the hesitancy of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" was preventing the administration from deciding to launch such an attack on the Islamic Republic for the time being.

Okay, it makes sense now. They are waiting for the right time. After all the diplomatic talk with Iranian officials.

What's that? They're not talking with Iran?

Oh, geez. We're in deep shit now.

Using Bad Real Estate News to Her Advantage

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:46:00 +0000

We have a friend - let's call her Carol, primarily because that's her name - who decided a couple of years ago to quit her teaching career to go into the lucrative business of selling homes. She has one son in college, another finishing high school and two more younger children, so you can understand why she made the change in professions.

Following her training and subsequent licensing she went to work for a broker and did fairly well - earning about what she made in the classroom while having enough time to attend to her family.

The came the bad real estate news. The subprime mortgage industry was going belly-up, foreclosures were rising and the market was being flooded with unsold homes.

Suddenly, her decision to become a real estate agent didn't look so promising. But she didn't panic or throw her ands up in despair everytime she turned on the news channels.

She changed her focus and began finding homes that were on the verge of foreclosure and paired the owners with investors she had cultivated over the years through her social and school contacts.

Today, the news for our intrepid real estate friend is rosier than it's been in some time.

She told us recently that not only is she making a decent living from her real estate business, but she gets some satisfaction from helping people who have found themselves in a tight spot.

Carol has even been able to fully fund her oldest son's college expenses and save enough to assist her other cildren when they are ready to leave the nest.

Now that's really good news.

These Folks Call Themselves Christians?

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:05:00 +0000

Picture this: an elementary school in Wisconsin has a tradition called Wacky Week where the students dress up in costumes all week. One day the students can opt to dress up as an older person or a member of the opposite sex - boy could dress as girls, or girls could dress as boys.

Just some good clean fun, right?

Wrong. At least in the eyes of a group called the Voice of Christian Youth America. It Seems these wackos fit right in with Wacky Week.

Here's what they had to say:

"We believe it's the wrong message to send to elementary students," said Jim Schneider, the network's program director. "Our station is one that promotes traditional family values. It concerns us when a school district strikes at the heart and core of the Biblical values. To promote this to elementary-school students is a great error."

Can someone please explain to us what "traditional family value" says elementary school kids can't dress up for fun? And what alleged Biblical value is being violated?

Hell, what are Biblical values, anyway?

Oh, and get this:

"We became aware of this from constituents in your area. Anything that concerns the populace is important enough to talk about," Eliason said. "This is tax-funded� This is not a dress-up party in somebody's house. There are parents, taxpayers who do not appreciate the imposition of a particular lifestyle being portrayed as a normal lifestyle for the kids."

What lifestyle are they talking about? Do they imagine there is a secret cabal of cross-dressing school administrators in Reedsburg, WI, trying to warp children's minds?

We bet the kids had no idea what a cross-dresser was until the meddling Christians got their panties in a wad.

Media Love Affair with McCain Continues

noreply@blogger.com (earth2you2) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:03:00 +0000

He's a United States Senator running for president. He has a house paid for by his wife's money. He's a Vietnam Vet now worth millions of dollars. He was against the Bush Tax cuts.

He's John McCain.

Surprised? Well, why wouldn't you be when the media refuses to treat the Republican running for the presidency with the same microscope the use on the Democratic candidates.

Here's what Jamison Foser at Media Matters for America has to say:

In 2001, John McCain voted against President Bush's tax cuts, noting that they were skewed toward the wealthy. In a Senate floor statement, McCain explained that he could not "in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle class Americans who most need tax relief."

But now, John McCain supports making the Bush tax cuts permanent rather than allowing them to expire, as they are scheduled to do under current law. Now, John McCain runs around saying things like, "The Democrats have already ... told us they will increase our taxes."

Who do you think McCain means when he says "our"?

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have both made clear that they would roll back the Bush tax cuts only for the super-wealthy; Obama has said only "the top 1 percent" would be affected, and Clinton has said she would roll back the tax cuts only for "people making more than $250,000 a year."

So, for the overwhelming majority of Americans -- those making less than about $250,000 per year -- Clinton and Obama would not roll back the Bush tax cuts.

Indeed, McCain himself has previously acknowledged that the Bush tax cuts unfairly benefited the wealthy. So, when he says the Democrats would "increase our taxes," maybe that's who he is referring to. Indeed, Money magazine estimates John McCain's net worth at $40 million.

If you are not afraid of being totally disgusted, read Foser's entire piece, Media ignore McCain's finances after obsessing over Dems'