Sunday, January 31, 2010
Video: SNL Parodies Obama State of the Union Speech
Saturday Night Live makes fun of Obama's State of the Union speech. He can't be too happy with it. SNL takes no prisoners.
in reference to: SNL Parodies Obama State of the Union Speech - Power To The People! (view on Google Sidewiki)Report: No sanctions for Lawyers who OK'd Torture
The fix is in
in reference to:"Bush administration lawyers who drafted legal theories that led to waterboarding and other harsh treatment of terrorism suspects showed poor judgment but won't face sanctions for professional misconduct, according to a published report. A forthcoming government ethics report initially concluded the two key authors of the so-called torture memos, Jay Bybee and John Yoo, who were officials in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel during the Bush administration, had violated their professional obligations as lawyers when they crafted the memos that allowed the use of harsh interrogation tactics. But a senior Justice Department official, David Margolis, later softened the department's finding to say the authors simply showed poor judgment, Newsweek reported."
- Report: No sanctions for Lawyers who OK'd Torture - Power To The People! (view on Google Sidewiki)
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Police: ATM Scam may be Nationwide
This is very frightening.
in reference to:"Police announced two more arrests in connection with a scheme to steal thousands from unsuspecting ATM users. State police boarded a plane at Logan International Airport bound for Germany in order to arrest 36-year-old Viadiclav Vladevo, who was attempting to flee the country. He was arraigned in Quincy District Court on Friday afternoon on larceny charges. Vladevo used a Bulgarian translator throughout the proceedings. A judge set bail for Vladevo at $1 million, citing the fact that the suspects are citizens of other countries and have no local ties to the area. On Thursday, federal authorities arrested Anton Venkov in Quincy in connection with the ATM scheme. The suspect reportedly had $100,000 on him at the time he was apprehended. Venkov appeared Thursday in federal court. Izaylo Hristov, 28, of Ontario, Canada was arrested Wednesday night. Police said he stole money from a Citizens Bank ATM on Hancock Street in Quincy. Hristov was arraigned Thursday afternoon on a number of felony charges, including identity theft."
- Police: ATM Scam may be Nationwide - Power To The People! (view on Google Sidewiki)
Senator Susan Collins: Obama Blind to Terrorism
This is very strong language. Especially given the soft spoken nature of this Senator. I agree that the Obama administration is too preoccupied with domestic matters to deal effectively with the terror threat. They also don't see to have much of a plan to deal effectively the threat from without. I wrote early on during the Obama's presidency that he was "clueless" when it came to foreign policy. Now, after Collins shocking remarks, I'm more convinced more than ever that President Obama lacks the understanding to deal with the terror and military threat from abroad. That will have disastrous consequences for America.
in reference to:"Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R) on Saturday hammered the Justice Department for treating Flight 253 terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab as a "common criminal" -- a move she described in her party's weekly address as a "failure" of the entire justice system. The decision to read Miranda rights to Abdulmutallab -- better known as the Christmas Day bomber -- is symptomatic of the White House's general "blindness" in its handling of the larger War on Terrorism, Collins stressed. ...“President Obama recently used the phrase that ‘we are at war’ with terrorists. But unfortunately his rhetoric does not match the actions of his administration," said Collins, the ranking member on the Senate's Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. “The Obama administration appears to have a blind spot when it comes to the War on Terrorism," she added. “And, because of that blindness, this administration cannot see a foreign terrorist even when he stands right in front of them, fresh from an attempt to blow a plane out of the sky on Christmas Day.""
- Senator Susan Collins: Obama Blind to Terrorism - Power To The People! (view on Google Sidewiki)
Friday, January 29, 2010
Video, Transcript: Obama and Republicans Spar in Q&A (1-29-10)
Judge for yourself whether there was any partisanship hope coming from this get-togehter.
in reference to:"CONGRESSMAN RYAN: I would simply say that automatic stabilizer spending is mandatory spending. The discretionary spending, the bills that Congress signs that you sign into law, that has increased 84 percent. THE PRESIDENT: We'll have a longer debate on the budget numbers, all right? CONGRESSMAN PENCE: Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia. CONGRESSWOMAN CAPITO: Thank you, Mr. President, for joining us here today. As you said in the State of the Union address on Wednesday, jobs and the economy are number one. And I think everyone in this room, certainly I, agree with you on that. I represent the state of West Virginia. We're resource-rich. We have a lot of coal and a lot of natural gas. But our -- my miners and the folks who are working and those who are unemployed are very concerned about some of your policies in these areas: cap and trade, an aggressive EPA, and the looming prospect of higher taxes. In our minds, these are job-killing policies. So I'm asking you if you would be willing to re-look at some of these policies, with a high unemployment and the unsure economy that we have now, to assure West Virginians that you're listening. THE PRESIDENT: Look, I listen all the time, including to your governor, who's somebody who I enjoyed working with a lot before the campaign and now that I'm President. And I know that West Virginia struggles with unemployment, and I know how important coal is to West Virginia and a lot of the natural resources there. That's part of the reason why I've said that we need a comprehensive energy policy that sets us up for a long-term future. For example, nobody has been a bigger promoter of clean coal technology than I am. Testament to that, I ended up being in a whole bunch of advertisements that you guys saw all the time about investing in ways for us to burn coal more cleanly. I've said that I'm a promoter of nuclear energy, something that I think over the last three decades has been subject to a lot of partisan wrangling and ideological wrangling. I don't think it makes sense. I think that that has to be part of our energy mix. I've said that I am supportive -- and I said this two nights ago at the State of the Union -- that I am in favor of increased production. So if you look at the ideas that this caucus has, again with respect to energy, I'm for a lot of what you said you are for."
- Video, Transcript: Obama and Republicans Spar in Q&A (1-29-10) - Power To The People! (view on Google Sidewiki)
Video: Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Tomb in Mexico
Archaeologists in Mexico say they have unearthed an ancient tomb thought to date back to the Maya empire. Video found here.
Retiring Democratic Senator Says Obama Erred By Tackling Health Care First
Sen. Byron Dorgan, who announced he would not seek re-election in November, said Friday that President Obama should have focused his first year in office on improving the economy instead of pursuing health care reform.
In an interview that will air Sunday on C-SPAN, the North Dakota Democrat said Obama made a mistake, not because health care isn't important but because the timing wasn't good.
"Standing in a very deep hole, it's hard to reach as high as you need to reach in order to put together a proposal that can get through the Congress," he said. "I personally would have said, let's work exclusively on restarting the economic engine once again and putting people back to work."
Dorgan's rebuke echoed comments made by fellow Democrat Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, who also said this month that Obama should have focused on jobs first.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Two key Tea Party Convention speakers cancel
Seems to be some friction between the Tea Party movement and the Republican establishment. The GOP only wants only to use a movement that members take seriously.
in reference to:"Two major speakers at next week's first Tea Party Convention are dropping out of the lineup. Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann announced Thursday that they will not be attending the convention, which is scheduled to start late next week in Nashville, Tennessee. Blackburn was scheduled to serve as a featured speaker and also introduce the keynote speaker, former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Bachman was scheduled to serve as one of the convention's kickoff speakers. Both congresswomen are strong supporters of the tea party movement. Blackburn's congressional office says the House Committee on Standards advised her not to participate in the convention, which is being put together by the Tea Party Nation as a for-profit entity. Tea Party Nation is run by Judson Phillips, a lawyer in Tennessee. "I spoke to Judson Phillips this morning and let him know that I could not participate in the convention. I told him frankly that Tea Party Nation's for-profit status has put many of his speakers in an awkward position," Blackburn said in a statement."
- Two key Tea Party Convention speakers cancel - Power To The People! (view on Google Sidewiki)
Report: Hackers Attack House Web Sites
This is not very reassuring. If any punk can infiltrate secure government websites, imagine what the Chinese are doing.
in reference to:"Hackers apparently attacked the Web sites of more than 20 House members overnight, posting derogatory comments about President Barack Obama in place of the representatives' normal pages. The cyber-attack, originally reported by Hotline's Erin McPike, left the following message on the site of Republicans on the House Oversight committee:"
- Report: Hackers Attack House Web Sites - Power To The People! (view on Google Sidewiki)
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Transcript: Obama's State of the Union Address (1-27-10)
Complete transcript of President Obama's State of the Union address (1-27-10):
It's tempting to look back on these moments and assume that our progress was inevitable - that America was always destined to succeed. But when the Union was turned back at Bull Run and the Allies first landed at Omaha Beach, victory was very much in doubt. When the market crashed on Black Tuesday and civil rights marchers were beaten on Bloody Sunday, the future was anything but certain. These were times that tested the courage of our convictions, and the strength of our union. And despite all our divisions and disagreements; our hesitations and our fears; America prevailed because we chose to move forward as one nation, and one people.
Again, we are tested. And again, we must answer history's call.
One year ago, I took office amid two wars, an economy rocked by severe recession, a financial system on the verge of collapse, and a government deeply in debt. Experts from across the political spectrum warned that if we did not act, we might face a second depression. So we acted - immediately and aggressively. And one year later, the worst of the storm has passed.
But the devastation remains. One in ten Americans still cannot find work. Many businesses have shuttered. Home values have declined. Small towns and rural communities have been hit especially hard. For those who had already known poverty, life has become that much harder.
This recession has also compounded the burdens that America's families have been dealing with for decades - the burden of working harder and longer for less; of being unable to save enough to retire or help kids with college.
So I know the anxieties that are out there right now. They're not new. These struggles are the reason I ran for President. These struggles are what I've witnessed for years in places like Elkhart, Indiana and Galesburg, Illinois. I hear about them in the letters that I read each night. The toughest to read are those written by children - asking why they have to move from their home, or when their mom or dad will be able to go back to work.
For these Americans and so many others, change has not come fast enough. Some are frustrated; some are angry. They don't understand why it seems like bad behavior on Wall Street is rewarded but hard work on Main Street isn't; or why Washington has been unable or unwilling to solve any of our problems. They are tired of the partisanship and the shouting and the pettiness. They know we can't afford it. Not now.
Poll: Most say stimulus has not helped middle class
Poll: Most say stimulus has not helped middle class:
Only one-quarter of Americans think the federal stimulus plan has helped the middle class, while a majority say it has helped bankers and investors, according to a new national poll.- Join the discussion
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday morning indicates that 25 percent of the public thinks the stimulus has benefited the middle class.
One-third of the people questioned think the stimulus has helped low-income Americans, with just over four in 10 saying the plan has benefited business executives. A majority, 54 percent, think the stimulus has helped bankers and investors.
"Opinions on the economic stimulus bill are colored by the perception that it has helped fat cats, but not ordinary Americans," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "It's possible that the belief that the stimulus bill helped bankers and CEOs is due to the public confusing the stimulus bill with the various bailout bills that were passed at roughly the same time last year."
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Obama’s Credibility Gap
NY Times Columnist, Bob Herbert: "Obama's Credibility Gap"
Mr. Obama may be personally very appealing, but he has positioned himself all over the political map: the anti-Iraq war candidate who escalated the war in Afghanistan; the opponent of health insurance mandates who made a mandate to buy insurance the centerpiece of his plan; the president who stocked his administration with Wall Street insiders and went to the mat for the banks and big corporations, but who is now trying to present himself as a born-again populist. Mr. Obama is in danger of being perceived as someone whose rhetoric, however skillful, cannot always be trusted. He is creating a credibility gap for himself, and if it widens much more he won’t be able to close it.- Discuss
Panel: US not ready for bioterrorist attack
What do you think? Are we really safe from terrorism? And if not what should we do about? I think we need a new agency solely set up to fight terrorism.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Video: U.K. Raises Terror Threat Level
This MSNBC video reports on the U.K.'s raising the terror threat level to 'severe.' Is there an actual threat greater than usual or are the authorities in the U.S. and U.K. jumpy? Or could it be they can't do anything about it and are trying to raise an alarm so they appear less to blame in case an attack does occur.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Video: Japan's New Facial Recognition Security
Japan has a new facial recognition technology that does away with other forms of security. No more need for security ID tags.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Russian YouTube cop arrested
All signs that Russia is plunging deeper into a dictatorship.
in reference to:"Russia's top investigative body says a police officer who has complained on YouTube of abuse and corruption in the country's law enforcement system has been arrested on fraud charges. The Investigative Committee said a court sanctioned Alexei Dymovsky's arrest. In November, Dymovsky posted three videos on YouTube in which he said he was promised a promotion in return for jailing an innocent person. He also accused his superiors of forcing officers to fake reports on unsolved crimes. Within days, the videos were seen by 700,000 people, provoking a public outcry and prompting similar YouTube postings."
- Russian YouTube cop arrested - World - NZ Herald News (view on Google Sidewiki)
Two juveniles arrested after Idaho highway shootings
Killing people has become like some video game. You can bet these teenagers are video game players.
in reference to:"The Latah County Sheriff's Office has arrested two juveniles after responding to the report of a sniper who fired shots at several vehicles for more than three hours on Friday.At 12:57 Friday afternoon, the Latah County Sheriff's Dispatch received reports of passing vehicles being struck by gunfire in the area of Highway 8 and Forks road, just east of Helmer , Idaho.Deputies from the Latah County Sheriff's Office and the Idaho State Police responded to the scene. Responding agencies established a perimeter around the area. Highway 8 was closed for about one hour, from about milepost 29 to milepost 34. Deputies and troopers searched the area, but no suspects were found in the vicinity."
- Two juveniles arrested after Idaho highway shootings - KHQ-TV- msnbc.com (view on Google Sidewiki)
Man plans leap from stratosphere - 120,000 feet up
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Some time this year, Felix Baumgartner intends to step out of a capsule lifted 120,000 feet by a balloon and leap back to Earth, becoming the first man to break the sound barrier without an aircraft.
http://mobile.reuters.com/mobile/m/FullArticle/CUSN/ndomesticNews_uUSTRE60L4MJ20100122?src=RSS-USN
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Two New Yorkers Free After 'Drugs' Turn Out to be Candy
These cops should be fired. This is an outrage.
in reference to:"Two New York men were locked up and left in a jail cell for nearly a week after police officers mistook their candy for a bag of crack. The "drugs" were finally tested five days later and determined to be popular Coco (coconut) Candy. The charges were dropped. The trouble began the night of Jan. 15, as José Pena, a 48-year-old plumber from the Bronx, N.Y., and his longtime pal and colleague Cesar Rodriguez, 33, were headed to a party, and decided to stop at a bodega on 181st Street and the Grand Concourse. When they came out, cops were waiting and asked to search their Ford minivan. "I said ‘Go search.’ I even opened the door," Rodriguez told The Post. An officer rummaged around, came out holding a "Hello Kitty" sandwich bag, and shouted "Bingo!" the men said. "It’s only candy!" Rodriguez said, as the cops handcuffed him and Pena, and several other police cars rushed to the scene. Rodriguez said he buys a 50-cent bag of Coco Candy, a hard coconut-based treat, almost every day. Because it easily crumbles, he puts it in a sandwich bag. "Can you test it? Can you taste it?" Rodriguez asked the cops. "Shut up!" they replied. "I didn’t know having candy was a crime," he said."
- Two New Yorkers Free After 'Drugs' Turn Out to be Candy - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com (view on Google Sidewiki)
On high court's big issues, 5-4 split is the rule
Which constitution are they reading?
in reference to:"It comes down to this at the Supreme Court: If you've got Justice Anthony Kennedy on your side, you can pretty much do what you want. Without him, you're the author of an angry dissent. Thursday's decision to strike down restrictions on corporate campaign spending more than 60 years old was the third time in nine days that the court divided 5-4, with liberals on one side and conservatives on the other. The other cases involved an appeal from a death row inmate in Georgia and the prospect of broadcasting a gay marriage trial in California. As in dozens of earlier cases, Kennedy was in the majority each time. He was the author of the campaign finance decision. The rulings demonstrate the extent to which ideology - not fidelity to precedent or a particular interpretation of the Constitution - is the driving force on the court. The addition of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, replacing Justice David Souter, seems to have changed nothing in this regard. Indeed, it would have been shocking if President Barack Obama's first high court nominee immediately began to line up with the court's conservatives."
- Latest News | Top Stories | News Articles (view on Google Sidewiki)
Friday, January 22, 2010
Rush Limbaugh Now Spewing Anti-Semitism
These are Limbaugh's words:
"There are a lot of people, when you say banker, people think Jewish. ... People who have a little prejudice about them. ... To some people, banker is a code word for Jewish; and guess who Obama is assaulting? He's assaulting bankers. He's assaulting money people. And a lot of those people on Wall Street are Jewish. So I wonder if there's – if there's starting to be some buyer's remorse there..."
Source: http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/8A8_eJABfU0/-ADL:-Rush-Limbaugh-reached-a-new-low
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Should National Enquirer Win Pulitzer for John Edwards Story?
This is what we've come to in America. Gossip is now king in the media world.
in reference to:"The National Enquirer, better known for stories about Bigfoot sightings than hard-hitting investigative journalism, will submit its reports on John Edwards' affair and love child for the Pulitzer Prize, the most coveted award in journalism."
- Should National Enquirer Win Pulitzer for Edwards Coverage? - ABC News (view on Google Sidewiki)
Video: Goldman Sachs Bonuses sets off Backlash
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Transcript: 'Countdown' (1-21-10)
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Transcript: The Rachel Maddow (1-21-10)
"MADDOW: Maybe a shame. It`s a lot of other things besides. Joining us now for his first television interview since withdrawing his name from consideration is the administration`s former nominee to head the TSA, Mr. Erroll Southers."
in reference to:"MADDOW: The reforms that were on the table before this announcement today were already under assault. I mean, not only by Republicans in Congress and -- but by the financial industry. I mean, tens of millions of dollars spent lobbying against even the existing proposed regulations before this tough new ones announced today. The creation of a consumer protection agency, something you`ve been a key advocate for, has been that particular target. The White House now is saying that agency is now nonnegotiable.How are you feeling about the politics here? Obviously, it seems like you got more support -- overt support from the White House than you had in the past.WARREN: You know, I always say about politics -- remember, I`m a teacher. I`m not a politician and I don`t always understand what goes on in Washington. But I feel better than I`ve felt in a long time because what I heard the president saying on the Consumer Financial Protection Agency is it`s not going down. I`m here. I`m not giving up on it. There is not going to be a compromise to cave in on it.I heard him say we`re going to tax those large financial institutions and we`re going to make them pay back all of the money under TARP.And then today, I heard him say, we`re going to break apart too-big- to-fail and we`re going to have an answer so that every financial institution, if it makes big enough mistakes, if it takes big enough risks and loses, every one of them can, in the end, die.And what I hear in that is that, you know, the financial institutions have pushed him hard. They`ve pushed Congress hard. He`s pushing right back.MADDOW: In terms of those specific changes that you just described -- and we`ve all been reporting on this and hearing about it for so long that I think everybody understands those changes even if we didn`t think of ourselves as financially savvy people a year ago -- how can all of those changes be made? Are those all made through legislation?Do they all get made at once? Does it have to happen piecemeal? Are some regulatory or administrative changes? How fast can this be done?I`m asking because I`m trying to figure out how possible it is in this political environment.WARREN: Right. You know, I -- the way I understand this is, look, it took 30 years to get us into this hole. Think about consumer finance by itself. Basically what happened was that the big banks started in in the early 1980s and they captured the regulatory agencies that were supposed to be the cops on the beat. They then poured money into Washington to make sure that no one put any new cops on the beat.And then they started selling deceptive products all over the country. As we all know, that then brought down a lot of households and ultimately brought down the entire economy. They demanded a bailout and got it. And where we really are, is in the last chapter of that story and basically, the next chapter of our -- the rest of our lives. And that is the banks are really in control here or are we going to be able to do something for the people.And what I see is that the president is now going to go straight to the people and he`s not going to let deals be cut in the backroom. He`s not going, you know, to take people off the hook so there are no hard votes.You know, the time is upon us. Either you vote for the banks and do you it in a big, public way, or you vote for the people. And we`ll have it. We`ll count up at the end of the day where that puts everyone in Washington."
- LexisNexis News - Latest News from over 4,000 sources, including newspapers, tv transcripts, wire services, magazines, journals. (view on Google Sidewiki)
John Edwards is on the ground in Haiti
This explains why help is not getting to the Haitians. You have all this celebrities and has-beens clogging up the airport. Everybody trying to revive their careers or reputations can get an easy makeover just by landing at the airport in Haiti. Oh, yes, Edwards is bringing aid with him. Of course.
John Edwards is on the ground in Haiti
Video: Sanjay Gupta Exposes Failed Medicine Distribution System in Haiti
Medicine and supplies are not getting to the sick in Haiti. CNN's Sanjay Gupta goes to airport and shows how easy it is to get medicine. This report shows the insanity of how help is not getting to the people that need it desperately.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Video: Amputees in Haiti get only Motrin
This CNN video exposes the shocking scandal which is the failure to get aid to Haiti's sick and dying.
Video: "Breaking the bottleneck of aid to Haiti"
Brian Williams (NBC) report asks why the delay in getting aid to the people of Haiti.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Jet diverts to Philly over teen passenger's prayer
This is ridiculous. Obviously everybody is jumpy and irrational. It shows how little logic is involved in defending flyers. This nonsense happens so that someone in authority can claim something is being done to prevent terrorism on planes. When in fact it's just a pathetic charade. Does anyone really believe that we are safer because anything remotely resembling terrorism is pounced on? But non of this really gets at the heart of the problem. Until we address the root cause of terrorism we're no closer to be safe.
in reference to:"A Jewish teenager trying to pray on a New York-to-Kentucky flight caused a scare Thursday when he pulled out a set of small boxes containing holy scrolls, leading the captain to divert the flight to Philadelphia, where the commuter plane was greeted by police, bomb-sniffing dogs and federal agents. The 17-year-old on US Airways Express Flight 3079 was using tefillin, a set of small boxes containing biblical passages that are attached to leather straps, Philadelphia police Lt. Frank Vanore said. When used in prayer, one box is strapped to the arm while the other box is placed on the head. "It's something that the average person is not going to see very often, if ever," FBI spokesman J.J. Klaver said. The teen explained the ritual after being questioned by crew members of the flight, which had left LaGuardia Airport around 7:30 a.m. headed for Louisville and was operated by Chautauqua Airlines, authorities said. Officials with the airline, however, said crew members "did not receive a clear response" when they talked with the teen, according to a statement issued by Republic Airways, which owns Chautauqua. "Therefore, in the interest of everyone's safety, the crew decided to land in Philadelphia, where a more complete investigation and follow-up with authorities would be possible," the statement said."
- Jet diverts to Philly over teen passenger's prayer - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)
Latest tea party target: Its own convention
This is grassroots?
in reference to:"The convention is being held at a fancy resort, features $550 ticket prices, a steak and lobster dinner and a guest speaker with a $100,000 speaking fee. It’s sponsored by a for-profit company with a mysterious wealthy benefactor, and its organizers, who have been accused of secrecy and corruption, have threatened lawsuits against dissenters and clamped down on news coverage. Sounds like just the kind of thing that tea party activists, whose populist outrage is directed at the Washington and Wall Street establishments, would be up in arms over. Except it’s a tea party convention. Billed as a pivot point to transition the tea party movement from a chaotic uprising to an organized and sustainable political force and featuring Sarah Palin as its star attraction, the first-ever convention in Nashville from Feb. 6 to Feb. 8 is insead shaping up as a reminder of the problems inherent in holding together a fractious coalition of local groups resistant to authority and pursuing often-conflicting agendas. Red State blogger Erick Erickson made it clear recently what he thinks of the coming event — pronouncing that it “smells scammy” and is inconsistent with the grass-roots energy behind the tea party movement."
- Latest tea party target: Its own convention - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)
Cindy McCain comes out for gay marriage, poses for anti-Prop 8 ad
I smell rat here. I cannot believe John McCain's wife would be coming out for gay marriage without a wink and nod from her husband. This is a way for the Senator from Arizona to have it both ways. He has plausible deniability by shrugging his shoulders and then seeming like a liberal by saying he respects his wife's views. At the same time can insist that he is still against gay marriage. No one would blame the Senator. These people are that cynical. And McCain is the quintessential sneaky politician.
in reference to:"Throughout his career, Sen. John McCain has been a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage. He opposed it during his 2008 presidential campaign and was vocal in his support for California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state. His family, however, is increasingly on the other side of this hot-button issue. McCain's daughter Meghan distanced herself from her father's stance last summer when she posed for an ad for NOH8, a gay rights campaign seeking to defeat Prop 8. Now his wife Cindy is joining in the effort and is also appearing in an ad for NOH8."
- Cindy McCain comes out for gay marriage, poses for anti-Prop 8 ad - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)
High Court Eases Campaign Spending Limits
The supreme court has just dealt our democracy a death blow. America now officially belongs to the corporations.
in reference to:"A major ruling Thursday by the U.S. Supreme Court could change how presidential and congressional elections are funded, possibly opening the floodgates of money from corporations, unions and other groups. The ruling is a blow to activists who have tried to limit the role of special interests in American politics. By a 5-4 vote, the court overturned a 20-year-old ruling that said corporations can be prohibited from using money from their general treasuries to pay for campaign ads. The decision, which almost certainly will also allow labor unions to participate more freely in campaigns, threatens similar limits imposed by 24 states. It leaves in place a prohibition on direct contributions to candidates from corporations and unions. Critics of the stricter limits have argued that they amount to an unconstitutional restraint of free speech, and the court majority agreed. "The censorship we now confront is vast in its reach," Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his majority opinion, joined by his four more conservative colleagues. Strongly disagreeing, Justice John Paul Stevens said in his dissent, "The court's ruling threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions around the nation." Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor joined Stevens' dissent, parts of which he read aloud in the courtroom. The justices also struck down part of the landmark McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill that barred union- and corporate-paid issue ads in the closing days of election campaigns. Advocates of strong campaign finance regulations have predicted that a court ruling against the limits would lead to a flood of corporate and union money in federal campaigns as early as November's congressional elections. The decision removes limits on independent expenditures that are not coordinated with candidates' campaigns."
- High Court Eases Campaign Spending Limits - CBS News (view on Google Sidewiki)
Transcript: Anderson Cooper: People are Dying Unnecessarily in Haiti (1-20-10)
Let me be the first to say (and I've saying it for days) the performance of the U.S. government, and UN, in Haiti is as bad or worse than Katrina. This is an outrage. It's a scandal. Read the complete transcript of Anderson Cooper's report from Haiti. He has been heroic in his reporting. He has denounced the failure to save lives, and does so nightly. Where are the other reporters exposing shocking failure to get aid to the people of Haiti:
COOPER: There have been multiple aftershocks since the earthquake hit, the strongest one hit early this morning as you probably heard; a magnitude 5.9. At the time we thought -- heard initially it was a 6.1, but it was a 5.9. There was panic in the street; there was a lot -- this sort of a surreal wail goes up, people screaming, running away from buildings.
There's a lot of fear here in this city about, you know, what's going to be -- javascript:void(0)what's going to happen and is another big earthquake going to come? So today was a real shock for a lot of people.
At General Hospital which is not too far from where we are right now, close to the presidential palace, there was an evacuation. They actually got all the patients out, moved them out of the building, they were afraid the building might collapse. They then had the structural engineers coming to look at the building and it was okay. But all of the patients were out there for much of the day under the hot Haitian sun.
The Red Cross had put up two tents but they didn't have any more tents, just two, they couldn't fit all the patients under it. It was really a surreal scene. And doctors there wanted us to come and look at the supply situation and why they are having such -- so many supply problems.
This morning, in fact, they couldn't have surgeries because they didn't have any surgical gloves. Take a look.
...COOPER (voice-over): In the courtyard of General Hospital, the sick, the injured sit in the sun and wait. After the earthquake this morning, the patients were brought here. The hospital building is fine but it will be hours before they can be moved back in. It is hot, it is humid, the patients are quickly getting dehydrated.
...DR. E. BENJAMIN, GENERAL HOSPITAL: We need everything needed for amputation, for sleeping pills, for post-op patient following infected-type of surgery, antibiotics, medication to put people to sleep, to resuscitate them and so on.
(voice-over): Haitian-American doctors and nurses and EMTs from the New York area arrived here Monday. They are stunned by the lack of supplies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have oxygen that I've been looking for the last two hours. I finally found this bag there and a gauge for my tank bag. I can't even find either a (INAUDIBLE) or a cannula and that woman is dying back there for oxygen.
DR. MARNELL MOORE, PODIATRIST, NEW JERSEY: We don't have enough supply. We tell you, you just have a below-the-knee amputation. You know what we are giving the patient for pain medication? Motrin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Motrin we're giving them, with bilateral amputation.
COOPER: Wait. So somebody who's just had an amputation, the only thing you are able to give them is Motrin?.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: But all you have is Motrin?
(voice-over): The hours are long and the patients keep coming. Medical teams are under great stress.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have had enough, okay? I have had enough.
COOPER: There are people here from all over the world trying to help but with supplies so low, they feel they can't do their jobs.
DR. DAVID GRISWELL, VIRGINIA HOSPITAL CENTER: We have been here now several days working and all these medical supplies and other equipment are sitting there at the tarmac at the airport and they are not moving out.
No one has fed these patients now in four days. Some of these people have not eaten in four days.
I just went up to the OR. They are working five cases in the same room. There's no electricity there. I don't know why somebody can't hook up a power generator so they can start giving anesthesia to these people.
Transcript: Obama Interview with George Stephanopoulos (1-20-10)
Read the complete transcript of President Obama's interview by ABC's George Stephanopoulos:
STEPHANOPOULOS: Robert Gibbs was saying that you were surprised and frustrated by the vote. Is that accurate?
OBAMA: Well, I think not last night, but certainly I think a lot of us were surprised about where this was going, about a week ago.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So you saw it coming by then?
OBAMA: By that time, we did. And here's my assessment of not just the vote in Massachusetts, but the mood around the country.
The same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office.
People are angry, and they're frustrated. Not just because of what's happened in the last year or two years, but what's happened over the last eight years.
You've got really hard-working folks all across the country, who have seen their wages flat line and their incomes flat line.
They feel more secure than ever. Then suddenly you've got this bank crisis in which their 401Ks are evaporating, their home values -- their single-biggest investment -- is collapsing.
And here in Washington -- from their perspective -- the only thing that happens is that we bail out the banks.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But you're in charge, now.
OBAMA: No -- well -- absolutely. No, keep in mind the point that I'm making here.
It was the right thing to do for us to salvage the financial system, and I make no apologies for that, at all. But we knew at the time how politically toxic that was.
What it gave people a sense of is, "We're spending all this money, but I'm not getting any help."
And, "Gosh -- I wanted Obama to come in there to start making sure that I was getting help; not the big special-interest and the institutions."
Now if I tell them, "Well, it turns out that we will actually have gotten TARP paid back and that we're going to make sure that a fee's imposed on the big banks, so that this thing will cost taxpayers not a dime," that's helpful. But it doesn't eliminate the sense that their voices aren't heard, and that institutions are betraying them.
And I think that's been expressing itself all year. And they've gotten increasingly frustrated over the course of the year.
So I take complete responsibility for the fact that -- A -- we had to salvage a financial system that could have made things much worse. We had to take the steps that we did at the beginning of the year, in order to stabilize the economy.
And I am actually glad to see that the economy's now growing again, and we have the prospect of a much better economy in 2010. But that doesn't negate the anger and the frustration that people are feeling.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But a lot of the Republicans say that the anger goes beyond the bailout. The financial bailout.
I was talking to Michael Steele this morning -- the Republican National Committee Chair. He says it's repudiation of your entire agenda.
OBAMA: Well, I think if he's suggesting the people voted against credit-card reform, so that credit card companies can't take advantage of people, or prevention of housing fraud reform, or that they were voting against national service, or they were voting against the 4 million children who have health insurance now because of the steps that we've taken... I don't think that's a plausible point.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Dems Seek $1.9T Increase in Debt Limit
These people are plunging us deeper and deeper into the abyss. They are out of control and will destroy our economy and country if we don't do something about it. Start with term limiting these clowns in November.
in reference to:"Senate Democrats proposed on Wednesday allowing the federal government to borrow an additional $1.9 trillion to pay its bills, a record increase that would permit the national debt to reach $14.3 trillion. The unpopular legislation is needed to allow the federal government to issue bonds to fund programs and prevent a first-time default on obligations. It promises to be a challenging debate for Democrats, who, as the party in power, hold the responsibility for passing the legislation. It is hardly the debate Democrats want or need in the aftermath of Sen.-elect Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts. Arguing over the debt limit provides a forum for Republicans to blame Democrats for rising deficits and spiraling debt, even though responsibility for the government's financial straits can be shared by both political parties. The measure came to the floor under rules requiring 60 votes to pass. That is an unprecedented step that could mean that every Democrat, no matter how politically endangered, may have to vote for it next week before Brown takes office and Democrats lose their 60-vote majority. Democratic leaders also are worried that Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, who opposed the debt limit increase approved last month, might vote against the measure. The record increase in the so-called debt limit is required because the budget deficit has spiraled out of control during a recession that cut tax revenues, the Wall Street bailout and increased spending by the Democratic-controlled Congress. Last year's deficit hit a phenomenal $1.4 trillion, and the current year's deficit promises to be as high or higher. Congress never has failed to increase the borrowing limit."
- Dems Seek $1.9T Increase in Debt Limit - CBS News (view on Google Sidewiki)
Does Obama Lack a Political Identity?
Unfortunately, Obama is just another empty suit politician.
in reference to:"Princeton University's Julian Zelizer echoes a growing criticism: that Americans don't know what Mr. Obama stands for. "I don't think Obama has a message yet," Zelizer said "I think he is an elusive figure and a figure that has not defined himself politically." And that elusiveness is especially harmful in a time of economic insecurity. If Americans were asked, in Ronald Regan's famous phrase, "Are you better off than you were a year ago?" - few would answer yes. Not coincidently, nearly half of Americans think President Obama has done too much for banks; more than half say he's done too little for the middle class. Moreover, the very trait that served him well during the campaign - a cool, calm demeanor - may be cutting against him now. To put it another way: "Who's afraid of Barack Obama? "The only way for a President to move forward is to be willing to use the hammer, so to speak, to get people to vote his way," Zeziler said."
- Does Obama Lack a Political Identity? - CBS Evening News - CBS News (view on Google Sidewiki)
Boy, 5, Found Alive Under Rubble in Haiti after 8 days
CNN:
A 5-year-old boy was pulled alive from a collapsed home Wednesday, eight days after a 7.0-magnitude quake devastated Haiti.
The boy's mother was killed, and his father is missing. It was unclear whether the boy -- named Monley -- had access to food and water, but doctors attributed his survival to resilience and the strength of his young body.
The boy was taken to a hospital. Doctors said he had no broken bones but was suffering from severe dehydration.
The Haitian government said it has recovered 72,000 bodies since last week's earthquake.
However, the Pan American Health Organization, which is coordinating the health-sector response, has offered a preliminary estimate of 200,000 dead.
Group gives Obama a mixed review on human rights
How ironic.
in reference to:"President Barack Obama has stressed the challenge of restoring America's credibility on human rights in his first year in office, but the results are mixed so far, a leading research and advocacy group said Wednesday.DiscussCOMMENTS (0) In an annual report on conditions in more than 90 countries, Human Rights Watch said Obama has improved presidential rhetoric. But Kenneth Roth, executive director of the independent group, said Obama "has a long way to go to transfer that rhetoric into policy impact."While Obama insisted that the CIA abide by military rules in questioning terrorism suspects, he has refused to investigate or prosecute the people who ordered torture or provided the legal justification for it, the 612-page report said.The president also pledged to close the Navy-run detention center for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but he refuses to repudiate the use of military commissions and long-term detention without charge or trial, the group said.Still, the contrast with Human Rights Watch's appraisal of Obama's predecessor, President George W. Bush, is a sharp one. A year ago, the group accused Bush of largely withdrawing from defense of human rights after deciding to combat terrorism "abusively.""
- Group gives Obama a mixed review on human rights - Boston.com (view on Google Sidewiki)
Video: "Violence, Disorder Deepen in Haiti"
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Obama Pressing for Protections Against Lenders
What we need is a consumer bill of rights; with an agency that enforces the law.
in reference to:"President Obama on Tuesday stepped into the middle of a fierce lobbying battle by reinforcing his support for an independent agency to protect consumers against lending abuses that contributed to the financial crisis. The president’s move also signaled a tougher line and a more direct role as Congress weighs an overhaul of banking regulation."
- Obama Wades Deeper Into Banking Debate - NYTimes.com (view on Google Sidewiki)
Homeowner who maimed burglar walks free
The right thing was done here.
in reference to:"A businessman who was jailed for savagely attacking burglars who broke into his home and threatened his family was freed on Wednesday. Munir Hussain 53, had been sentenced to 30 months for grievous bodily harm with intent after he hit Walid Salem with a cricket bat in September 2008. But at the Appeal Court, Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, and two other judges overturned the sentence, replacing it with a two-year suspended term, the Press Association reported. Hussain and his wife and children had returned from their local mosque during Ramadan to find intruders wearing balaclavas in their home. He feared for their lives as their hands were tied behind their backs and they were forced to crawl from room to room. The businessman made his escape after throwing a coffee table and enlisted his brother, Tokeer, to help chase the offenders down the street in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, bringing one of them to the ground. What followed was described at Reading Crown Court as self-defence which went too far, leaving intruder Salem with a permanent brain injury after he was struck with a cricket bat so hard that it broke into three pieces."
- Homeowner who maimed burglar walks free | Top News | Reuters (view on Google Sidewiki)
Gates Warns of Terror "Syndicate"
You just realized this?
in reference to:"A syndicate of terror groups is working to sow violence and destruction across South Asia, and India and Pakistan need to work together to combat the mutual threat, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday. Gates, who spoke during a visit to India, said no nation was immune from terror. He linked Taliban militants operating along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border with Lashkar-e-Taiba extremists accused of orchestrating the 2008 terror attack on the Indian city of Mumbai, saying both groups worked under the umbrella of al Qaeda."
- Gates Warns of Terror "Syndicate" - CBS News (view on Google Sidewiki)
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Radio station in the sky warns Haitians not to attempt boat voyage
Talking about lack of priorities. They are more concerned about Haitians coming to America than saving lives.
in reference to:"A U.S. Air Force plane serving as an airborne radio station is broadcasting messages to Haitians urging them not to attempt ocean voyages to the United States, saying they will be intercepted and turned back home if they do. The plane is broadcasting recorded messages from Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the United States, and announcements of where earthquake victims can go for food and aid. "Listen, don't rush on boats to leave the country," Joseph says in Creole. "If you do that, we'll all have even worse problems. Because, I'll be honest with you: If you think you will reach the U.S. and all the doors will be wide open to you, that's not at all the case. And they will intercept you right on the water and send you back home where you came from." The EC-130J Commando Solo, a large transport aircraft, is flying and broadcasting five hours a day over Haiti, authorities said. In addition to the message from Joseph, it is broadcasting news from Voice of America and instructions on hygiene procedures to prevent disease."
- Radio station in the sky warns Haitians not to attempt boat voyage - CNN.com (view on Google Sidewiki)
Black Hawks bring relief from above for desperate Haitians
This is what I argued that should have been done days ago. Why did it take so long?
in reference to:"American Black Hawk helicopters swooped down onto the grounds of the ruined presidential palace in Port-au-Prince yesterday to disgorge combat troops and humanitarian supplies as both the United States and the United Nations pressed the pace and scope of their relief operations in Haiti. In Washington, officials said the US presence in and around the ruined Haitian capital had reached 11,000, including 2,200 Marines who arrived with earth-moving equipment, helicopters and medical aid, all intended to ease bottlenecks in the supply chain of food, water and medicines and increase the capacity of medical teams to cope with the numbers of sick and injured. One week after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the already impoverished country, governments and aid agencies were still struggling to maximise the impact of their aid efforts while tackling problems associated with risks of spreading disease and deteriorating security."
- Black Hawks bring relief from above for desperate Haitians - Americas, World - The Independent (view on Google Sidewiki)
Israel accused of silencing political protest
Doesn't sound like a democracy to me. And you won't get much reporting on this in the United States. There is no freedom to criticize Israel in the U.S.
in reference to:"Israel is arresting a growing number of prominent opponents to its policies toward the Palestinians, say critics who are accusing the government of trying to crush legitimate dissent. In the most high-profile case yet, Jerusalem police detained the leader of a leading Israeli human rights group during a vigil against the eviction of Palestinian families whose homes were taken by Jewish settlers. Since the summer, dozens of Palestinian and Israeli activists have been picked up, including those organizing weekly protests against Israel's West Bank separation barrier as well as others advocating international boycotts of Israeli goods. Some of the Palestinians were released without charge only after weeks and months of questioning."
- Israel accused of silencing political protest - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)
Republican Brown wins Massachusetts Senate seat
Tonight was a victory for Independent voters. Even Brown in his victory speech acknowledged that fact. Independents refused to be in the pocket of the Democrats, just as they weren't in the 2008 national elections. The next time it will be a Republican that will suffer the same consequence..
in reference to:"Republican Scott Brown has won the Massachusetts Senate seat held for nearly a half-century by Democrat Edward Kennedy. Brown's victory in the special election gives Senate Republicans the 41st vote they need to block legislation favored by majority Democrats and President Barack Obama."
- Republican Brown wins Massachusetts Senate seat (view on Google Sidewiki)
8 killed in central Va. Shootings
Another mass shooting, another gun state. And again silence from this worthless administration. I will repeat again: those states with strict gun laws are far less likely to have gun murders than lax states like Virginia.
in reference to:"A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation tells The Associated Press that eight people have been killed in shootings in central Virginia. The official asked for anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about the investigation. State police say there were multiple deaths and injuries Tuesday and that a lone shooter was responsible. They say more than 100 law enforcement officials had the suspect circled in woods where they believe he is hiding."
- AP source: 8 killed in central Va. shootings (view on Google Sidewiki)
Nude centerfold: Scott Brown, U.S. Senator
Once again style wins out over substance. The press will have you believe he won on the issues. To some extent that's true. But photogenic counts too much. He contrasted dramatically with Coakley. Remember this is the days ahead when the press makes it sound like it was all about Obama losing. Also notice the double standard. If Brown had been a woman and a Playboy Centerfold we won't even talking a Republican winning the Senate in Massachusetts.
in reference to:"We're pretty sure that, as a young law student some 20 years ago, Scott Brown didn't have the slightest inkling that taking his pants off for Cosmopolitan magazine might come back to bite him in the, uh, rump.But here it is, the naked centerfold he posed for in 1982.And it's been making the rounds on the Internet in recent days as Brown tries to win Ted Kennedy's seat in the U.S. Senate. The election is today.In the June 1982 edition, Cosmo named Brown "America's Sexiest Man." The magazine reported on this picture way back in September, but apparently it's just making the rounds now."
- Nude centerfold: Scott Brown, U.S. Senate candidate - KansasCity.com (view on Google Sidewiki)
Offshore Clinic's Medical Officer: No Orders From Captain To Treat Haitians
Here is another case in where rather than treating the desperately ill of Haiti, we have instead bureaucracy. Why isn't this Katrina all over again?
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/offshore-clinics-medical-officer-no-o
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Transcript: Anderson Cooper Denounces Slow Aid Response in Haiti
I think CNN reporters Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta (whose saved lives by performing surgery) are heroes for the work they've done in Haiti. Cooper, in particular, has not been objective in his reporting. Thankfully. He thinks enough is not being done to rescue and aid the people of Haiti. And he's right.
COOPER: Well, I mean, you sort of wonder, I mean, there is some sort of Haitian government. You kind of wonder where they are. Are they in a bunker somewhere?
Because I mean, they could put -- they could start compiling a list, they could start putting together some photographs. Everyone is sort of like pretending like, you know, oh, you can't say anything about the Haitian government because, you know, they can't be expected to actually do anything.
But I mean, you know, they're adults. They know how to do this. You would think they could at least come out and make some announcements to these people in the park about where to go, what to do.
I haven't heard any sort of official government -- even if the President drove around in a pickup truck with a microphone and a speaker I think an awful lot of people here would be happy. A lot of Haitians would be glad to see their president and glad to hear that you know -- get some actual information because there's not a lot of information being disseminated.
...COOPER: Inflatable that they deploy. I mean of all the people who need surgery out here, they employ these inflatable units to conduct surgery save people's lives. That plane wasn't allowed to land here in Port-au-Prince. Had to land in Dominican Republic then be driven over land here. That must have taken -- I don't know -- six hours or at least eight to ten hours extra not including flight time and organization time.
People die because of these decisions and then you hear that, you know, others sorts of planes are getting in taking out, you know, groups of people. I just don't understand how decisions are being made when the most important thing right now besides search-and-rescue teams is getting doctors on the ground here operating, saving lives, stopping infections from spreading, getting medicine to those who need it.
GUPTA: You know, usually when you ask me a question I have an answer for you.
COOPER: Right. I didn't have a question, that was just like a rant.
GUPTA: I know but I don't know what to say. I mean, it's incredibly frustrating.
And I think that, you know, as a doc and you and I have been on the ground longer than most and seen this happen. We're not making this up. I just don't understand how people cannot -- I'm not saying they don't understand it but they're not making the right decisions. COOPER: Again, I don't want to come off as someone who's criticizing, you know, getting orphans out of here and to parents who desperately need them and will love them. That's an important thing. But just in terms of saving sheer numbers of lives. You could send in -- you could send in a plane load of doctors to go out to every orphanage in Haiti and live with orphans for the next week, you know, making sure everybody has their medical attention and that would still bring in -- get in more supplies than having a plane load, you know, plane loads of people flying out. I mean it would take up less airspace.
GUPTA: The impact would be so dramatic. I mean as doctors we relish this opportunities to have that kind of impact. And I'm sure the Doctors without Borders that are watching these reports or somehow hearing about them have got to be saying we're so irritated by what's happening.
COOPER: I mean, it's not only those two planes from Doctors without Borders -- again worldwide recognized as one of the greatest relief organizations, have had their planes diverted and going to the Dominican Republic it just -- it eats up half a day at the very least.
GUPTA: Yes. And they have to drive this big equipment over the border. I'm sure they're going to arrange vehicles over there, they have to try and get across the border. That can be a challenge.
You and I have done this sort of stuff. We know the details and how hard it can be. Just landing here at Port-au-Prince, they probably could have been up and running today.
COOPER: There are probably doctors watching in the United States right now, who could get on a plane, fly to the Dominican Republic, get a van load of supplies at a pharmacy in the Dominican Republic if they wanted to, drive across here and start treating people faster than some of these aid organizations.
GUPTA: That's right. And you know, I've gotten so many e-mails from people saying exactly that. We can get into a DR and come across the border and do that stuff. Wouldn't it be so much faster if they could just start taking care of people now?
Again, going back to this measured in minutes and hours things as opposed to days and weeks.
COOPER: You actually performed surgery today on the USS Carl Vinson which is just incredible. They saw you were here and called.
GUPTA: That's incredible and everything, but you know what, that highlights the point actually. Why was I -- I was delighted and honored to do it. No question about it. But why isn't there a neurosurgeon? There could be by this point; it is a week later.
There could be a neurosurgeon on that carrier. There could be neurosurgeons within the country right now.
GUPTA: I'm delighted to be able to take care of patients, and I'm sure you're delighted to help people as well. At this point...
COOPER: Right. Seven days, tomorrow is the one-week anniversary, and I mean, I'm a broken record on this. But there are people dying from things that -- I don't even understand -- but they're incredibly simple to heal, an infection.
I didn't even know when I came here that if you break a leg, you have an open wound and it gets infected, it can spread through your body and you can die from that. And people have died from that and that's easily healed.
GUPTA: These are called preventable deaths. And that's the worst thing in medicine; a death that could have been preventable because it's something we know how to do. Sometimes it's easy things to do.
COOPER: I'd like to be able to start looking at who is making the decision about what gets to land. Everybody here is doing the best they can and trying as hard as they can. But it's interesting to me that, you know, a governor of a state gets a plane in no problem to take out a couple dozen kids who could be maintained here safely whose lives are not hanging in the balance and they're not dying of disease and they have enough rice and water and basic supplies to last. You could get food aid to them, sustain them for the next two weeks to a month and I know it would be tough for them.
But in terms of sheer number of people whose lives you would save, you would save more lives getting a plane in of cargo supplies for Doctors without Borders than almost anything else I can think of.
GUPTA: Who is making these decisions?
COOPER: I don't know. We should -- I'd like to be able to try to call.
GUPTA: Maybe we'll try to call.
COOPER: Yes. I'm not sure we'll have phone calls returned at this point.
Anyway, again, a lot of good people here doing incredibly hard work, working around the clock, doing touch logistical work and making tough decisions, but I don't know. We got to start asking these questions.
...GUPTA: Much in the way that happened after the tsunami.
Regarding the aid thing, you know, it was interesting because did sort of say, look, the United States is sort of picking up half the load of things that are going on here. I said, how can it be that the Israelis have already set up these operating tents with ventilators, with pain medications, real pain medications and instruments and we were so far behind?
That was sort of his answer. We're getting there.
COOPER: My sense is that -- what I've heard anecdotally, and we'll have to look into this more tomorrow is that the U.S. military and some of the assets in the United States were sort of waiting for assessment teams to assess what the overall needs are. And because groups are used to working with the host government, in fact there is virtually -- there is no real government here. Not a government that actually meets the needs of its people. You talk to most Haitians, they don't actually -- they've never had a government that actually met their needs or seemed to respond to the things that were important to them.
They've had, you know, generations of dictatorships and now it's a democratically-elected country -- democratically-elected government but it's still not a government that on a level that anyone viewing this program in the United States would expect it actually meets the needs of the people. You know, not enough gets done.
GUPTA: And with medical stuff, you know, what you're alluding to is this idea that you can't wait that long. You know, we're not making -- reinventing the wheel here. We have some data based on previous natural disaster on what the needs are going to be. So to have to come in on the ground and assess for so long, it's simply too long.
And I think maybe people will learn something from this? I don't know for the next natural disaster which will inevitably occur.
COOPER: Again, the point is -- also we have to learn these lessons tomorrow and the next day because this thing is going on. This is not going away anytime soon, and there's still decisions that need to be made. The fact that, again, this plane from Doctors without Borders is denied permission to land tonight at 8:00 when it was supposed to land and apparently it was denied permission totally we're not sure where the planes going to go.
And yesterday this medical -- this surgical medical inflatable medical unit had to go to the Dominican Republic. Again, I just don't understand that decision, and allowing Democratic governor of a state to fly out a group of orphans who weren't severely injured but, you know, who God knows deserved to go to the United States and be united with parents.
'Tea party' activists feel slighted by GOP
They shouldn't surprised. Republicans want to use tea partyers for their own benefit without having to take their demands seriously. That's part of the arrogance of the two-party system.
in reference to:"Just when the Republican Party appears poised for big pickups in the 2010 midterm elections, a ragtag band of grass-roots conservatives millions strong and fiercely motivated, but with no national leader, threatens to split the Grand Old Party in two. Leading figures in the burgeoning "tea party" movement complain they are being ignored by the Republican National Committee, despite having already shown their clout in taking down moderate Republicans in a New York special House race and the Florida Republican Party hierarchy. "I have called into the RNC many times, and they still haven't called me back," said Dale Robertson, head of TeaParty.org, which he claims has upwards of 7 million members. "I've called them, lots of times. I called them this morning. I called them yesterday. It's like they ignore you as they try to figure out a strategy on how to defeat you.""
- 'Tea party' activists feel slighted by GOP - Washington Times (view on Google Sidewiki)
Gang members in Haitian slum profit from disaster
If it weren't bad enough that food, water, and medicine are not getting to the people. But, additionally, they have to worry about being terrorized by gangs because the U.S. refuses to supply troops for protection.
in reference to:""If you don't kill the criminals, they will all come back," a Haitian police officer shouts over a loudspeaker in the country's most notorious slum, imploring citizens to take justice into their own hands. The call for vigilantes comes as influential gang leaders who escaped from a heavily damaged prison during the country's killer earthquake are taking advantage of a void left by police and peacekeepers focused on disaster relief. In the sprawling Cite Soleil slum, gangsters are settling into the haunts they dominated before being locked up and resuming struggles for control that never really ended once they were inside the walls of the city's notorious main penitentiary. "The trouble is starting," said Jean-Semaine Delice, a 51-year-old father from Cite Soleil. "People are starting to leave their homes to go to others." As police urged residents to fight criminals themselves, Delice said, "I think it's a message we should listen to.""
- Gang members in Haitian slum profit from disaster - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)
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