Sunday buzz… while the temps on the East Coast are hot and def out of control the left Coast, depending on what part you live in is cool and or experiencing rain. The ranting and def un-PC raving of MGibson has us all tuned in as he alienates several in a matter of minutes  hey maybe he will get into politics next because he probably will fit right in.  nuff said. In another bit of strange but obviously important to the french is the new law to ban burqas, which still seems odd to me because of the obvious ramifications of being told what you can and cannot wear because …well that part is not clear but it seems very exclusionary to me and maybe somewhat racist -it is a cultural thing that is not meant to offend anyone and i might be wrong but wearing a burqa-style veil has now become a choice; it just seems like such an odd thing for the french to want to control and begs the question again why did they need to implement a law about the way a person dresses because the door is now open to tell people actually force people to accept laws that seem discriminatory. The notion that anyone could be told what to wear is strange -it isn’t about gangs about signs or whatnot it’s aged old cultural ritual that offends the french government? odd

In other odd news while people wait to see if the newest BP cap is still holding the talk seems to have taken another turn to negative and that just is odd. It should be a positive thing to see this cap is holding and the relief wells are being drilled, yet cable heads have decided to take the public on yet another path to what if not this is great. I watched a couple of shows say ok so it is holding but now people are praising gov Jindal for standing up to the government while others are saying he is just doing photo opp… who is dumb enough to think this man is actually standing up to government  when ok he is government a part of our country that wants oil drilling in their area who did not have a contingency plan themselves, did not have the national guard out there asap and why didn’t they insist on respirators, Hazmat suits sooner why didn’t they have some sort of pre authorization in place to put barriers up for the Marshes, Wetlands or beaches in case there was an oil leak or a oil disaster because things do happen and anyone with that much power should have had a plan.  It is my contention that Gulf Coast Government failed a lot of people but that part is not being covered by many.

Saturday thoughts …Are Americans now going to be subject to words of hate, fear and what seems like threats to me from some folks on the right until the November elections? In addition, should we expect them to engage in this ugliness daily? should we be scared, are we going backward, are people listening to the race baiting from Fox News and should our children our future be afraid? equality is worth the fight but we are in the 21st Century and moving forward is a very powerful and an adult thing to do -we should all take part because going backward is not an option.

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

-George Orwell

I sat here listening to Senator Pat Robertson’s response to the President’s morning address, which btw was great but the comments coming out of the mouth of Senator Robertson were negative. I only heard the scare tactics, the fear mongering Senator Robertson and the Republican Party is engaging in. It is offensive and plays into the minds of those most needing the Republicans to vote yes to HR5297 and H.R.4213 not to provoke fear and or violence because the fear this party of No is engaging in has consequences unlike the Obama Administration wanting to help All Americans

On July 16, 2010, our President laid it out for everyone …The President blasts Republicans in the Senate who are blocking unemployment insurance and small business tax breaks to create jobs, even as they push for permanent, massive tax cuts for the richest Americans…

Moreover, as we wait to see if the newest BP cap holds then move into the next phrase, hopefully in front of us. We also have to hear the unbelievable noise from the airwaves, cable, and mainstream TV touting the bad Poll numbers our President has going into the elections hovering around 50%. In  my book 50% is not bad it can be better and probably will; you see i have faith in most Americans to see through the forest of nasty moldy trees such as McCain, Angle, Boehner, Canter, Barton, McConnell, Bachmann and so many who have shown their true colours and where they stand and clearly it’s with Wall Street because they were among others a group of folks using creative accounting procedures which eventually helped to bring this economy to its knees (almost)

I watched the 2008 elections and while the McCain/Palin ticket looked among other things, a sad reminder of what Republicans look like. It was also look at how some can make a joke out of our political process, which could have come close to becoming a reality. Thank goodness, someone turned on the light and 53% of our population saw the light and voted for the only possible person to help lead us out of the ditch the last guy drove us into without a word or warning or a solution. The ditch -in my opinion was worse than the Bush administration told us worse than the Obama administration knew until one silly mismanaged thing happened after another… and while progressives want him to act vote and be more left of center it is by definition that most would then call him the S-word. Its obvious most if not all American Presidents must and have to govern in the middle on most issues. However, it is not lost on me or others that we have issues that most Presidents avoided were unable to redress or introduce because as the group responsible for creating and make laws were if nothing else more conservative than we are today. Though we are literally in the 21st Century, the lawmakers on the Hill are slow to follow or be progressive. This is not to say that debates and or conflicts should not happen as not all legislation though progressive is correct or good for the American public, it would be nice to have the obvious things move through without so much trouble. We will forever wonder what pace our economy would be at if the stimulus amount had been as big as some economist had stated it should be, we will continue to wonder just how bad was it and why did the last Admin wait so long do anything about it.

I have some theories about the need to make change we can all believe in if the system is so bad, so corrupt, so needing its band-aid ripped off that the 2 month window helped create a moment when the road to change was all too obvious. We were in trouble the solutions just as bad but Barack Obama stepped up, was willing, able,  who is supported by most members of Congress and who 53% voted for. The notion that the stars were in alignment is such a cliché but just think about it. Is it possible the last guy finally saw the problems for what they were and could no longer keep the masque on the financial numbers that someone somewhere saw it too and meetings and deals had to be made…  happening way before the 2008 election, question is when and this was kept from the public.

It would be in the best interest of voters if the Democratic Party met regularly to get on the same page that says this is the agenda we need to work on in both Chambers of Congress. Though Democrats might not always agree on political policy, they all agree we need to fix the problems so they will transition into the 21st Century. We need to have our system function beyond what other countries are now and become that the nation that was number one in so many things only to have gotten us in the current condition and still digging our way out. I don’t know what happened in Canada but they have improved so much faster than we have though we have what 300mil people and obviously a bigger financial system -maybe it’s time to confer with a neighbor or two to find out just what did they do to rectify their countries financial system. just sayin

Other News …

**Neo-nazi leading patrols on the AZ border

C-SPAN …

Pres. Obama on Gulf Oil Spill

Oil Spill Cap Continues to Stop Leak

BP announced last week that oil had stopped flowing into the Gulf after engineers closed three valves on the new capping stack. President Obama described the sucessful capping as “good news” but added that more work is needed to permantly contain the oil.  Engineers will continue to monitor the pressure within the well to determine if the cap can hold the oil without leaking from other locations along the pipe. The results of these integrity tests will provide BP with insight into how to proceed with their efforts to seal the leaking well. National Incident Commander Thad Allen reminded the public that the cap was not designed to be a permanent fix – it will allow four vessels to contain the oil and assure redundancy in the event of severe weather. BP hopes two relief wells will provide a permanent solution; the first well is within 5 feet of its target and should be completed sometime in August.

National Commission on Oil Spill (Day 1)
National Commission on Oil Spill (Day 2)
Admiral Allen (Ret.) Daily Oil Spill Update (7/15)
Admiral Allen (Ret.) Daily Oil Spill Update (7/16)

Arizona senate GOP candidates square off in debate

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) met Friday night with his primary challengers vying for the Republican nomination in Arizona’s U.S. Senate election this fall. Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) and conservative “tea party” activist Jim Deakin debated the four-term Senator in the first of two televised Republican primary debates. During the one-hour debate, the three candidates discussed a host of issues including immigration policy, financial legislation and health care. While they each sought to establish their positions on issues, Hayworth criticized McCain’s voting record, Deakin called his opponents “career politicians,” and McCain referenced his voting record against the President’s policies. Senator McCain also noted the support he’s received from many conservative organizations stating, “They know I’m going to go back to Washington not only to fight, but to lead.”   The second and last debate before Arizona’s Aug. 24 Republican primary will be held tonight in Tucson, AZ.

AZ GOP Debate: (7/16) WJ: Discussion on AZ Debate at 8:30am ET
AP: Arizona Senate Debate Arizona Daily Star: Republicans Square Off

Entire Hearing on Airline Fees (7/14)
GAO airline report Politico: House panel – Regulate airline fees
CNN: Airlines getting billions from new fees

Book TV Live From Harlem Book Fair

This weekend, Book TV will be live from the 12th Annual Harlem Book Fair at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Panels will include discussions on religion, Barack Obama, human rights and reading in the digital age. The Harlem Book Fair will also hold a tribute to Book TV, presented by Max Rodriguez, founder of the Harlem Book Fair. The Harlem Book Fair’s mission is to partner with local and national leadership organizations to promote literacy. The Fair is the nation’s largest African American literary event celebrating family literacy, community empowerment, and community cooperation.

Harlem Book Fair: C-SPAN2 at 11am ET
Book TV: Previous Programs
Book TV Receives Harlem Book Festival Award
Harlem Book Fair