Category Archives: ~ my 2cents …

TGIF …&some News


Today, President Obama will be signing the $600million border bill that will increase the effort to protect the border by adding more ICE agents and equipment along the border …this action is more than any other administration has done before. I would like to hear what the Governor of Arizona has to say about this …hopefully to say thank you if nothing else.

The other great things going on this coming weekend is that The President Obama will be going to Panama City, Fl this weekend.  The fact is Florida is a State where many people immigrated to from many many places back in the day Florida passed through the hands of many people of colour, mostly Native Americans. Though at some point that ended… and most if not all immigrants were of Hispanic,Caribbean and European decent; we all know as a port for slave trade and drop-offs back in the day.  However, Today … there are now immigrants from all over the world working and living in Florida. The City our President is going is where some of my people live… YAY!!!

Here’s hoping the oil is far away if just a touch and if it is there they are able to get it cleaned and the people made whole. The BP disaster has damaged so many people on the Gulf Coast hopefully Panama City continues to shine as well as bringing revenue in, tourists, fishing, and everything related to get back on track.

In other News about Race and in my own experience in my own opinion; Words Matter – Words hurt. They incite violence, they promote fear, anger, shame and when misinterpreted by the right people they cause harm; physically and to property and in this 21st Century people like those on the airwaves should know which topics they can or should definitely stay away from. As a person of colour the comments made by a Doctor was in itself offensive but most of all …it ties into this whole uprising about anchor babies or terror babies, interracial-marriage including her use of the N-word over and over again. This kind of behavior by a professional on the airwaves is unacceptable, yet we must all become aware of the new immigration scare tactic and obviously Dr. S is apart of that effort

It is most obvious of things to rant about today is about Dr. S … we all know who she is and though it is funny she is still being talked about her comments and the way she handled herself definitely was not funny whatsoever. In fact on the face of it maybe if she was a newbie on the radio we might be able to warn her and let it slide but this lady and i use that word with control because to be honest she has lost my respect forever so lady is about all i can call her without being nasty. Dr S. is not new to the business and like someone said on radio today Dr. S knows who and what side of her bread is getting buttered and like most folks from the right …she has joined the race-baiting debate. It is my hope that folks all over the world boycott or stop listening to this lady because even with her apology the very words she said are forever imbedded in my mind and will not ever be forgotten.

Other News …

**Thad Allen stated testing will be done on the BP oil well to determine the success of the cap and or seal

**UFCW local 367 asks us to support Macy’s workers in Tacoma due to unfair hiring practices

**Dr S. racist rant is something no one should let move on without hearing

**The Blagojevich trial continues

**In Arizona yesterday, a conservative group along with several Arizona lawmakers launched a lawsuit attempting to block President Obama’s health care overhaul. The Goldwater Institute and Republican Reps. Jeff Flake, Trent Franks and John Shadegg, along with several state lawmakers, filed the suit in U.S. District Court which takes aim at the requirement to purchase health care coverage.

A week after striking down California’s ban on same-sex marriage, U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled yesterday that gay marriages could resume on Aug. 18. He gave opponents about a week to seek an injunction from a higher court. “I am pleased to see Judge Walker lift his stay and provide all Californians the liberties I believe everyone deserves,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is causing consternation within the Pentagon for his budget-cutting plan to reduce the number of generals and admirals by five percent. But, while Gates is advocating certain small cuts, he is urging Congress not to engage in more significant cuts of the defense budget.

**Judge gives green light for same-sex marriage in Cali

**Wikileaks preparing to release 15thou more Afghanistan docs

**The Pentagon is cutting waste

**Waters insists she didn’t break House rules


C-SPAN …

watch State Dept. Briefing

Washington Journal Focusing on Solar Power

The Washington Journal wrapped up its week-long series on energy issues, with a conversation about solar power. Tom Rooney, the CEO of SPG Solar, the second largest solar company in the U.S., joined the discussion to talk about the benefits of solar power and the incentives the government provides to encourage homeowners and utility companies to invest in solar technology.

Earlier this week, the Washington Journal looked at various ways to construct energy saving homes and buildings, explored how public policy regarding electric vehicles affects the industry and the distribution of natural gas and the impact of public policy decisions on the utility industry, as well as wind energy.

Next week the summer series will turn its focus to a weeklong discussion on the financial regulation bill, which was signed into law in July

Rep. Waters meets with reporters; Denies Proof of Ethics Violations

Issuing her first formal public response to ethics charges against her, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) is meeting with reporters to lay out her defense strategy when her ethics trial begins this fall. Earlier this month, the House Ethics Committee announced its investigation into the congresswoman’s involvement with arranging a meeting between OneUnited Bank and Treasury Department officials. Later, the bank received $12 million from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The committee cites a series of emails between Waters’ chief of staff Mikael Moore and OneUnited, where her husband has financial interests, pointing to a conflict of interest. Waters defended her request for the meeting as part of her efforts to advocate on behalf of minority-owned businesses. She is the second House Democrat to face an ethics trial this fall. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) is also facing an ethics trial.

New Economic Indicators Point to Stalled Recovery

A series of key indicators have painted a weak economic outlook, according to economists. Reacting to fears of trouble in the domestic and global markets, the Dow Jones industrial average saw its biggest one-day drop since last month, dropping 2.5 percent; while the average New York Stock Exchange slid 3.3 percent on Wednesday. Setting off this reaction of events was Tuesday’s announcement by the Federal Reserve that its previous assessment of the national recovery may be “more modest in the near term than had been anticipated.”

As part of its assessment, the central bank referred to the high unemployment levels and its impact on the economy. With jobless figures hovering at 9.5 percent, a new report shows that first-time claims for unemployment reached its highest number since February, totaling to a seasonally adjusted 484,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday.

In an attempt to address the problems facing jobless Americans, the Treasury Department will allocate $2 billion under the Hardest Hit Fund to help unemployed homeowners living pay their mortgages. Paid for by the Troubled Assets Relief Program, the program focuses on those in the 17 hardest hit states, including California, Arizona and the District of Columbia.

thoughtful Thursday &some News …


Today, In another effort to help All Americans The Senate Democrats will offer a unanimous consent resolution on border security legislation at 10 a.m. In addition, the Senate plans to adopt a resolution honoring the memory of former Senator Ted Stevens.

President Obama will be heading to Panama City, FL to assess the BP oil disaster,  what is going on with the people,  the various businesses affected and evaluate the progress of any an all  clean-up happening or that needs to happen in order for everyone and everything to become whole in the present and future.

Though November is not a Presidential election year folks on both sides of the aisle have been talking about who may or may not be the best choice to go up against President Obama. If you tuned into msnbc and listened to the stupid noise of Jenk you would be quite disappointed, he was so bold to say he supported Hillary and moved on from there. There quite a few folks on twitter were not happy and hopefully his guest appearances will be less and less maybe reduced to YouTube again. Hey, that is where he belongs. In other rants of mine includes the right promoting presidential candidates that have now decided to come to national TV and state the 14th Amendment needs to be looked at and because of what it represents i personally became very concerned and so should most people of under-represented groups. The notion that SB1070 was suppose to enhance the federal laws has been challenged and is in the appeal process which also brought out the anchor baby clause… how awful does that sound? It is a terrible comment that was coined by someone on the right i guess but buried in SB1070 and now has become a topic, a tool to scare people into voting for Republicans. I say it goes against what Americans stand for and those who choose to represent this ugly side of America should not be holding any type of Political office.

Now, sadly AG McCollum and Senator Snyder of Florida, which has a rich history of immigrants are trying to continue the effort to round-up illegals with a Papers Please legislation. I have to suggest reading the article by the CNN Wire Staff …the proposal is def offensive and compares the undocumented to gangs and is using a gang statue these men worked on and passed in 2008. Cheryl Little stated, “This bill would hurt our economy, public safety and individual rights, adding chaos instead of working on realistic solutions for our broken immigration system.”

To continue my rant; how could anyone promote and vote for a person to be the President of the free world who clearly  feels they could only represent a select few, a specific people. My only conclusion is that it could be and would be truly an un-American thing to do… We the People should always be aware of that when voting for the President of the USA, because they represent all Americans not a few, some or a select group.

A person who believes and practices exclusion, discrimination, sexism, racism should never be allowed or considered the leader of the free world unless of course they want to be dictators and maybe that is what Republicans want who knows because they keep saying wow wait until 2weeks and we will tell you what we stand for? that is joke, offensive and helps no one ..will Republican constituents  Please open up their eyes!!!!

The only thing i see, hear, or understand about people in this so-called tea party movement is anger, fear mongering, and hate. I have not heard anyone from the movement be specific about what big government means to them and when they try to explain it the only information they  have, has been personal issues that have impacted their entire lives by our crashing economy, which, if anyone has common sense? The crash affected all of us not just the Democratic Party.

I watched the marches with nasty words about the President, signs with nasty pictures of the President, as well as people dressed in costumes that represented a time when both women and minorities were not treated well, i saw mostly white faces angry about the country being taken over by a Black man who quite possibly could be a socialist. These ideas were implied, promoted, and provoked by Sarah Palin several times during the 2008 campaign for President. The right and or extreme right is definitely upset they are not in charge, they also feel a personal threat over the fact that our population in the United States is growing in numbers for minorities. The notion that Republicans want to bring in more people into their base definitely is not an invitation to minorities. Even with Michael steele as RNC chair it is obvious his party, who gives purity tests is a party of exclusion, only accepts a select few and if you pay attention to the words of Republicans do not believe in compassion for others. We could really use a little social-ism right about now.

I still do not understand what Republicans stand for. How can a group of people promote exclusion when it is obvious they prefer the elite, have said no to both the middle and lower class, which are also of varying racial backgrounds. They want the government out of their lives but feel they have a right to tell women what they can do with their bodies, have said no to Teachers, First Responders, Native Americans and Black Farmers yet they think the Bush Tax cuts should not be allowed to expire. The question for them is who and how will these Tax Cuts be paid for and if you watched David Gregory last week not one Republican was able to respond directly to his question. The cost of the Bush Tax Cuts is over 700billion dollars and if you ask me, they would be glad to have tax payers keep them in the elite category. Hey, no one is perfect but the C’street group should not have members that are serving in Public Office, if for nothing else than for the Separation of Church and State, which, obviously they are not adhering to. Just ask the people of Uganda, maybe in other countries as well. I would call for an investigation into just what are Public Servants doing in Uganda promoting religious exclusion and or something even more sinister.

Most conservative and or tea party members want to get rid of Medicare, Medicare, Social Security, which are all entitlements; my question is how would most of their parents or grandparents live if not for these programs? I just do not understand. Now, the voices of or from tea party members are said to be from a wide range of people. I have to be honest, the tent of democrats is a lot larger, and when people say there are extremes on the left as well? I wonder what kind of extreme are they talking about. Socialism? The fact is … for me the last ten or so years of the bush White House has been life on the sidelines, working and not getting wage increases, that was during the Bush years, even then corporations were flexing their muscles, no increases but you can keep your health care…if you don’t have this that or the other. I do not think tea party folks truly understand what they want, if it’s what Republicans stand for then, at least for me, we are in great trouble.

The Bush administrations gave 2tax cuts to the wealthy and did not pay for it, he committed to two wars, and these were not paid for. The spending the last guy did absolutely drained the government surplus, which was left to him by a democratic President. Bush had 2terms and i still cannot think of anything positive this man did while in office for eight years for All Americans. I am not in the top 2% so i definitely did not enjoy the wealth. The wars did not make sense to me, 9/11 still makes no sense to me.

We have a President who has changed the way the world sees us, he has extended a hand of peace, a willingness to talk. Not-    my way or no way as our previous one did; this is a good thing but that would be eliminated if Republicans and or their fringy element called tea baggers get into office. The Democratic Party needs to unite against the crap that the right is offering up and it is clear to me that it is not anything that will help ALL Americans …that is un-American.

Other News …
**The BP oil disaster drilling resumes after 96hrs of storms
**Jurors deadlock on some counts in the blogojevich trial
**A vote in San Fran will determine if folks can marry while prop8 is in the appeal process
**Obama signs bill to help US manufacturing
**Florida Senator AG proposes immigration legislation
**GM posts a 1.33Million dollar profits

Senior voters

Senior voters

Several senior citizens from Auburn and Enumclaw explain what issues will influence their votes in the upcoming elections.

watch State Dept. Briefing

watch Pres. Obama Bill Signing Manufacturing Enhancement ACT

watch White House Briefing

Senate Convenes to Pass Border Security Bill, Honor the Late Ted Stevens

The Senate will convene this morning for a short session to consider two items. Picking up after the House passage of the border security bill (H.R. 6080) on Monday, the Senate is set to approve the legislation by unanimous consent. The chamber will also take up a resolution in memory of former Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), who died Monday in an plane crash in southwest Alaska.

Washington Journal looks at Wind Technology as an energy resource

The Washington Journal continues its week-long series focusing on energy issues. Virginia Tech’s George Hagerman, who conducts research on wind energy, will join us to talk about the industry. The Energy Department has earmarked $5 million this year for wind research and development with a $45 million increase in 2011.

Friday the series will conclude with a conversation about solar power.

Earlier this week, the Washington Journal looked at various ways to construct energy saving homes and buildings, explored how public policy regarding electric vehicles affects the industry and the distribution of natural gas and the impact of public policy decisions on the utility industry.

Educational Summit Aims To Stop Bullying Nationwide

As a new school year begins, the Department of Education is hosting its first ever summit on preventing bullying. Today’s discussions will focus on policy efforts at the local level to prevent bullying.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan stressed the importance of the topic, saying that children can’t learn in an environment in which they feel threatened. “Every child is entitled to feel safe in the classroom or in the hallways of school and on the playground. Children go to school to learn, educational opportunities must be the great equalizer in our country,” he said.

Duncan went on to announce that his department is launching a pilot program granting federal funds for intervention proposals at schools with the greatest bullying problems.

tame it Tuesday &some News …


Today is definitely one that needs taming, the air is thick with pollen and by the end of the week, the 206 should be experiencing high temps again…

Ten years ago a procedural vote on HR1586 in the House of Representatives took place ..a Vote to help Teachers, Govt workers, Firefighters, and 1st Responders..it extends the stimulus money to help States pay Medicaid, a $26Billion Bill.   …in a time when a deep recession has occurred and need to pump money into the system is obvious …Republicans want tax cuts for the wealthy and no one on the right seems to know how or who would pay for the $830Billion needed to pay for them, they don’t want reform they only want what will keep the upper 1-2%happy and made threats using Wall Street back then now it’s average Americans that are a target.  The action republicans continue to engage in is offensive and All Americans should be outraged …it’s time to open your eyes people. If you are listening … the target in on the Poor, Impoverished, and People who they continue to believe are dragging them down? because they want to spend money on the wealthy without paying for it? I will say this over and over again… All citizens have been made a victim and for Republicans and a few conservadems have shown themselves to be unworthy to be in Congress …that is supposed to represent the People

No Doubt the Democratic Party is working for the People and NOT against Us. The Speaker of the House called Congress at least those that are in the House of Representatives back into Session. The reports back then were that they would only meet on Tuesday and vote to fund Teachers, First Responders in this time of financial crisis that Republicans have and continue to vote against Americans whenever possible and apparently, things haven’t changed.

The House of Representatives were in Session Monday night for about 2-3 hours, which was a surprise to see this morning. Republicans started saying No 20 months ago and have not stopped, have voted time, and time against their own constituents. We the People have to stand up against this come to the November elections.

It is so offensive to think Politicians not only would want to say No to workers in such a deep recession of the US but run away from all things called Reform. It is obvious we need to reform a whole lot of things the last guy left us –because that  is who pushed us into the ditch. We did not fall completely over the edge but if we give Republicans control, we definitely will not just be in a deep recession but a depression. If it sounds cynical well it is because for 20 months not one Republicans has given us concrete plans to get Americans back on track

Today seems like a day when we all, maybe it is just me because i do need to breathe in slowly in deeply -breathe out, repeat as needed. –

–With all the noise coming from the right about stripping citizenship from children of immigrants , how SB1070 had hidden consequences and definitely an intent to oust Brown people out of Arizona, which, if you know your history has only been a US state since 1912. It begs the question of who owned Arizona before right? well, we all know but it points to the class system and how people of privilege seem to be rearing their ugly head.  The crap that upsets me is equality is a right not a privilege and no one especially Politicians should not forget that. I know this much is true…If my Ancestors had not gone through the journey to America …good bad and possibly ugly as well as those who gave in to their passion and love for each other, my family would not exist and i thank them for taking the risk

There are so many things going on in the News right now that should bother all of us and while clearly as a whole we are in a better place,  it is the 21st Century and the ugly struggle continues. Yet, the whole Elena Kagan confirmation hearings gave me that eerie feeling of how it must have felt back in the day when folks of colour and the women were treated so poorly. There seemed to be a whole lot of folks engaging in specific toxic talk that seems embattled and begs us to ask ourselves where Republicans are regarding race. They have to know the public is watching the conversation on national TV right so it was very confusing to hear people, voted supposedly into office to create and pass laws for all people have made a choice to put Party and Profit before the Peoples business.

Now, Republicans seem to be using old white strategy, reasonable suspicion, and the14th Amendment to scare; I guess White people. There are people in the News or analyst stating that when there is a recession of the kind we are now having people get restless and start to look for a target and unfortunately, it seems to be the other… Well, for me that is just not acceptable. We live in a country made up of immigrants and while it is true that we need comprehensive immigration the nonsense coming from Politicians on the right saying we need to look at changing, adjusting, or stripping the 14th amendment because it is outdated or for whatever reason just crosses the line of sanity.

America is a country of diverse backgrounds and if you listen to the vitriol being put out there, on the airwaves you would have to wonder if racism is coming from folks we vote into office and how can we stop that before they get there. Is there a test, criteria to be met before you can run for office? Ok, I know there are far and few because if there were rules laws then we definitely would not be seeing even half of who is currently sitting in the Senate.

Is there a voice of reason in the Republican Party of No? Because the Elena Kagan confirmation hearing if nothing else brought the Republican stank out and into the open. It was obvious to me that it should have people of colour deciding just who they will be voting for in the upcoming elections and it cannot be for Republicans, as the rhetoric doesn’t just seem racist it is that and with that disrespect follows. The comments about the man Elena Kagan clerked for, Thurgood Marshall who just so happens to have a lot of respect from a hell of a lot of people were disrespected on national TV. I still wonder what these nasty Republicans felt like when his Widow walked into the ceremony for Elena Kagan. The fact that she was there was covered by the Media and cable but nothing was said about any remorse or apologies or possible embarrassment Republicans may have felt considering the things that were said during the confirmation hearing.

 

 

 

thorny Thursday &some News …


Today, President Obama is in Chicago talking about our progress and fundraising for Democrats running for office and the November elections.

Republicans and Tea party members keep saying they think Obama has it out for and against the constitution, even Palin, Boehner, Bachmann and most Republicans talk about the state of our constitution and try to use it against the Obama Admin. They say that they have to get their country back because the constitution is being misused,  now all of suddenly the 14th Amendment is not good enough, right for Americans now and needs to be adjusted, changed, or taken out completely. Is seems to me that what these people are afraid of is what our world of Americans looks like and what it will look like in the future and it will be more brown than these people want to accept.

In my continued effort to convince people politics and pop culture whether it is good, bad and the really ugly collision like ronald reagan happen constantly I offer up more proof. The very obvious one being Kevin Costner who has spent millions probably billions on machines that help with oil spills and apparently he not only is committed to our environment but put money where his words and efforts were and came through for his fellow man.  Then there is the show Jeopardy. It has updated their quiz show with an array of questions about the current Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Republicans like Mitch McConnell and more though i wonder what kind of questions any Republican is worthy of having on national tv. The last bit of News would be Wyclef, though he has stated he will run for President of Haiti he is getting a lot of opposition from the likes of sean penn, which is odd because it begs the question of how long has sean penn been helping Haiti and yes anyone running for such a high office should be looked at with cautious eyes sean penn wants to know what happened to the 400thousand that Wyclef was suppose to donate to Haiti. It is a question among others that should be answered but to just slam the man without much other than a statement is not right. It has been well known that wyclef jean has always been involved in helping the Haiti people with charities and comments here in the US about what the people of  Haiti’s need. I believe if you have a tie to Haiti know the politics have a plan to help get the financial system, political system back on track he should have to surround himself with the best the most honest group of people. Haiti and the people deserve the best should be ruled by its own people and that is important to me …Haiti is filled with riches whether it be a  great place to visit, vacation people from the US and France have done things in the past that are worrisome and though Haiti is independent it is also the poorest of the poor of countries …think about that and tell me why with all that it has to offer its people are not able to enjoy the obvious riches Haiti has …and that problem needs to be solved. Wyclef jean, born in Haiti has strong ties to the Country and must like people do here in the US prove why he would be a good President. My hope would be that Haiti remains independent and that any corrupt if there was or is any is crushed and the people can start small business for themselves and not have foreigners going into Haiti to pay low or minimum wages to use another country  people for sweat shops or cheap labor. People go to the Caribbean to vacation and Haiti though used by foreigners it doesn’t seem to reap the benefits and again has to be top priority to Wyclef jean if he is to be successful in his bid for President ..the economy and jobs because something is foul when millions of Haiti Natives have nothing but foreigners are visiting the prime parts of Haiti and parting…Haiti was Best Destination of 2010…great but there are millions still living  in tents after the earthquake because not only has the government been out of the picture some of the donations have not been paid yet. That is shameful -so, if Wyclef can ease all the tensions get people housing that is earthquake ready, a political system that works for everyone, financial system that works so everyone reaps the glorious Haiti riches not just some and get the corrupt foreigners out of there holding onto the best parts of Haiti and keeping Haitians from being apart of it. All you have to do is see the photos for yourself and know something isn’t right. Haiti may be the Best Destination of 2010 but at the expense of all of the People of Haiti , my question is who is at fault and responsible for  this, hopefully more will be done to help Haiti and its People because they deserve the help to stay independent, all Haitians deserve an opportunity for education, financial upward mobility and more of the revenue to solidify the future of Haitians needs to be dealt with differently…Wyclef knows and this will be more important as Haiti tries to solve a whole lot of issues.

Talk about more, what a month, only 5 days into August and there has been a lot of movement from legislation and judges with more good news day after day which is turning into great news … First we hear that not only did Judge Susan Bolton overturned parts, essential parts of SB1070 that would give the local police a legal right to engage in racial profiling and even her appeal was delayed until September. This action should and will set a precedent how laws like SB1070 actually try to override the federal law and cannot. It also shows just what folks like Gov Jan Brewer and Sheriff Arpaio were up to and while we all first thought the intent was solely to legalize racial profiling. It actually was an attempt to challenge the 14th Amendment and or change the language to keep children from being deemed legal citizens of the USA. This has been or should be a revelation for all Americans because we are a nation of immigrants. The prop8 ruling has people on the right scared and saying things that are outrageous, unkind and really just nasty. The prop8 ruling is about equality and in this 21st Century people should have the right to love and marry who they want, it will not damage the fabric of our lives or families  it just brings all of us into the new family and it is complicated for some and not so much for others. If a person or couple are not hurting you or your family why do you care? family values should apply to us all but it doesn’t say what makes a perfect family because by definition family or that whole village it often takes to raise children is made up of so many folks and what right do i have to say uh your this is that so your family cannot be together? people like Palin talk about family values and gotta say hers are questionable for me as a parent but that is my opinion but i don’t expect a law to say she was and is an unfit mom because she her child engaged in and had a child while still a minor? it’s food for thought thought when people try to push their ideology on you even though they don’t seem to be practicing it themselves.

The fact is The United States was built by immigrants at various points of our history and we cannot forget what Ellis Island means to so many people and impacts all our lives whether people want to admit it or not. If it were up to me my 1st Native people would take back their land which…ok it is just a thought not reality but it should give people food for thought about the people shoving and acting like we should go back in time not move forward, it’s upsetting offensive and very stupid. The jobs bill and the UI benefits that have been filibustered repeatedly had a break through yesterday when two Senators, Snowe, and Collins vote yes to cloture to move the bill forward with a 61-38.

The next report out there was that Speaker of the House has called her members back into Session from vacay to finish the deal. It is obvious people are not getting the full list of the incredible things being done by the Obama Admin and the Democratic Party in both Chamber of  Congress to get America and Americans back on track people need to take note that the changes happening are good for all of us but getting informed before deciding where you stand. It is important that people get the facts and make an informed decision to up and for President Obama or not getting all the information to make, an intelligent decision is the most important thing. My take on why people are not supporting the President as much is that folks are listening to the wacky noise on the right. The so-called News on various stations blowing out news you can use but should definitely be cautious of because you can get fooled … we all did and folks got hurt, jobs lost and businesses derailed to list just a few ACORN, Vann Jones, Shirley Sherrod and more for all we know. The thing that most of us need to ask ourselves is what is the common denominator of all the people who have recently been affected by a so-called writer and news station that cater to folks on the right. Just saying.

The BP disaster on the Gulf Coast has all but taken care of. The reports are that the static kill is in its final stage and while most folks are hoping for the best the clean up of the beaches, marshes and wetlands slowly begins its next phase because know one truly knows what impact the oil will have to the oyster beds, turtles, shrimp and bottom fish. However, there have not been enough reports to say whether the impact will take weeks, month’s maybe years to figure out the real damage to the fishing industry. Its my contention that oil spills in the past have on occasion showed up in our food and in two headed this or that and lack of certain fish runs and so on and so forth. The BP disaster will take years to document and hopefully a group or organization will keep track of the Gulf Coast on a monthly basis because as reported by many at the beginning of this thing back in April eggs were being laid, spawning interrupted and all of which may have been affected short but long term yet determined.

There are reports that an event will be held in memory of the Katrina disaster on August 31 and on September 1. The disaster was one I hope never happens again but begs the question …did the Government learn anything that has made them update emergency plans efforts that should have been put in place five years ago. I would also like to say that those levees and other barriers need stimulus money to take care of what they obviously did not do sufficiently after being warned by those that knew and told the State of LA what could happen. If memory serves there was a report a mock up and test of what would happen to the levees if they failed, which they did and need repairing on so many levels its not even a joke.

Other News …

Yesterday during a speech at the Center for American Progress, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner criticized the GOP talking point that allowing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy to expire will hurt small businesses. The Republican claim is “a political argument masquerading as substance,” he said. Geithner also noted that letting the cuts expire would affect fewer than 3 percent of small businesses

While participating in talks with the FCC on net neutrality, Verizon Communications Inc. and Google Inc. “have struck their own accord on handling Internet traffic.” The prior adversaries reached a compromise restricting Verizon from “selectively slowing Internet content” over the wires but “wouldn’t apply such limits” on mobile phones.

When the Senate returns from recess next month, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) plans to take up debate on the question of whether to extend the Bush tax cuts for the rich. “We’re surveying members to see what could be in a package that wins 60 votes and protects the middle class,” said a Democratic source.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) “has blocked the nomination of James Clapper to be director of national intelligence,” just days after Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) lifted his own hold on the retired Air Force lieutenant general. Coburn’s office would not explain the hold, but it may involve the administration’s plan to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba

Contrary to several media reports, Kentucky U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul (R) “never received a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University.” Paul left Baylor “early when Duke accepted him in its School of Medicine.” The Paul campaign said it never corrected the record because it was “not aware of the erroneous claim.”

After a federal judge struck down California’s ban on same-sex- marriage yesterday, the White House issued a statement explaining that President Obama “has spoken out in opposition to Proposition 8 because it is divisive and discriminatory” and “will continue to promote equality for LGBT Americans.” But gay marriage advocates note that Obama “has not been clear is how he squares his position for equality with his refusal to embrace actual equality in marriage.”

C-SPAN …

watch Pres. Obama at AFL-CIO

watch Senate Hearing: From Earlier

watch White House Press Briefing

watch Senate Hearing on For-Profit Schools

60 Senators Commit Support for Kagan Nomination, Assuring Confirmation

At least 60 Senators intend to support the confirmation of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, C‑SPAN has confirmed. With 60 votes potentially needed to bring debate to a close, and only 50 required for final approval, Kagan’s confirmation appears assured. The Senate is expected to vote on Thursday. Through two days of floor debate, Democrats have largely touted Kagan for “fair-mindedness” and a “non-ideological agenda.” Republicans have criticized her lack of judicial experience and characterized her as more driven by politics than rule of law. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) defended Kagan yesterday, saying she “will do her best to consider every case impartially, modestly, with commitment to principle and in accordance with law.” Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions (AL) called Kagan an activist who would “advance her own causes” under the pretext of being a judge.

So far, Nebraska Democratic Senator Ben Nelson is the only member of his party who intends to oppose Kagan in the final confirmation vote, though he will vote to end debate and move the nomination forward to a final vote. Only five Republican Senators have announced their support for the nominee: Susan Collins (ME), Lindsey Graham (SC), Richard Lugar (IN), Olympia Snowe (ME) and Judd Gregg (NH).If confirmed, Kagan would replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens and become the fourth female Justice in the Supreme Court’s history. Following the vote, the Senate is expected to recess for a five-week break, returning in mid-September.

Trustees Release Annual Checkup on Federal Programs

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who also sit on the Board of Trustees, join a news conference to release a new report on the fiscal condition of Social Security and Medicare. The briefing follows an earlier announcement by the Obama Administration, projecting that new spending cuts would save the Medicare program $8 billion dollars by the end of 2011.Under the new health care law, signed by the president in March, Medicare spending will increase by 5.3 percent a year over the next decade and allow the program’s trust fund to remain solvent until 2029.

However, Republicans have argued that the cuts will undermine the system and question if the changes will be permanent. Critics also claim that any savings made from the spending cuts would actually be negated by extending coverage for more than 30 million uninsured Americans.

The largest cuts in Medicare spending include reductions to projected payment increases to hospitals and other healthcare providers over the next 10 years. The Medicare cuts are expected to begin immediately for private insurance plans, while being gradually phased for health providers.


Dems Manufacturing Policy Pressed in committee
With the unemployment rate of 9.5 percent on the mind of voters, the House Democratic Caucus has introduced their manufacturing agenda called “Making-it-in-America.” Democrats and the Obama administration created this agenda from a package of existing legislation in hopes to improve manufacturing and some aspects of U.S. trade policy.A Senate Banking subcommittee is taking up the legislative work by examining the current state of manufacturing in the U.S. and review the proposed legislative package. They are questioning industry experts from the Commerce Department along with William Strauss, a senior economist from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

wacky Wednesday &some News


Today millions of people are singing Happy Birthday to our 44th President, Barack H Obama on his 49th birthday. It is exciting and hopefully millions signed that virtual card… He will give the 2nd highest award available …Presidential Citizens Medal to Eureka’s Betty Chin

There are reports that the Deep Horizon BP well has been killed by the Static kill procedure and thus the Static Condition is now in full effect ..The fact is that President Obama and thad allen were the ones that got this Well dealt with asap…with clear and precise research and concise communication we can give super props to the Obama crew based on his advisors and science. Please do not think the Obama Admin is feeling this whole thing is done with he and his administration will be watching this for quite awhile. I do believe our President has to get into the mix of how people are getting or in most cases not getting their money and or how it is being dispersed.

And another note on President Obama, given the Mid-term Election season is in full effect I had to bring up that we are in a moment we have to continue …The slogan YES WE CAN …or Si Se Puede  and i my own version  … damn we have to. This is not the time for folks who wanted President Obama to take a hard left of all issues or legislation to stir up trouble by making comments on the airwaves.  If anyone is even looking at the public response folks are saying this President lied to get into office and is now blah blah blah… though these clearly are talking points they seem to be loaded with a lot of ok yes i heard it on cable or the radio and they have to be right don’t they? NO and hell NO. If you believed McCain truly wanted Palin as his VP then you are a lost cause. The media on every level will tell the public as much BS as it can until they are told to stop and that includes people on the left. It cannot be lost on most people that this is the United States first Black President (bi-racial) and if that was not enough, he has a funny name and a father from Kenya, which Republicans have used in a much negative way but then we have people in Congress in both Chambers and possibly on both sides of the aisle that may not want to work with him. It is obvious that Republicans have made a choice to take not only a hard right but some of those Republicans who seemed honest, intelligent and so forth appear to be apart of the lemming family and following the teabaggers off the ledge. It would be great if folks did their homework and find out why he made moves toward the center or right because if you really cared the problem was as the months moved forward Republicans began to go further right. In addition, as Republicans continued to bait Democrats in Congress, which if the public would fing open their eyes, Republicans are not only voting against the President they are bringing the American people with them.

The notion that the No votes, the stalling or blocking of legislation in Congress only affects Democrats is not lost on me. It seems like the Political Party of No hopes people will agree that bringing the economy down even further is a good thing and if we Democrats fail to go to the voting booth they will bring us down and i predict a big fat fing depression is in our future. That is not a scare tactic it seems like a fact because solutions coming from right are far and few if any at all which is not only offensive it is truly un-American the failure of our system happened to all of us and should be dealt with on a bipartisanship way.

On Jan 20, 2009 we all became apart of history. It will be history that we all believed would bring change even though that change is slow, we can honestly be proud that we participated in. In addition, if you believe in moving into the 21st Century, believe in health care for all, if you believe, it is a right not a privilege that the overhaul is long overdue, will help most if not all of us, and is not as people are portraying it. The HCR bill is not just for the poor and financial reform will help everyone as well but we have more to do and that means climate change, immigration, clean energy, education and more.

I do not believe that parents with kids in college would say they are poor and now days most families have two or more children in college at the same time. Unfortunately, the first year at college is usually filled a whole lot of illnesses because they do not sleep, eat, or drink enough water and then there are other reasons. I say that because i remember what it was like and living in dorms can be fun but not always. We all know college is not cheap so those who say HCR is only for the poor are just wrong. This Bill will benefit everyone …  and more… get informed

As a woman, we can now look forward to less discrimination because of HCR and you do not have to be poor to benefit … can i just say that again, women will NOT be discriminated against anymore. It would be naïve to believe some doctors and or hospitals will not try but the law is there to refer to now and covers All Americans not just some. I believe that Bart Stupak and the pro-lifers don’t understand that every part of a woman’s health is subject to being penalized and that includes abortion, which, is not a choice but a situation that is always possible and is apart of healthcare. It is bad enough that among other ridiculous laws that need to be voted on The Hyde law must be voted on every year; here is hoping people who truly want smaller government will also stop trying to control women

We need to move swiftly forward to deal with education, energy, more jobs, comprehensive immigration and more.

Other News …

**Parts of SB1070 has been over turned

**Reports are that Tom Brokaw will moderate the Brown/Whitman debate

**Reports are that Republicans plan to repeal, replace and restart the status quo and Bush governing ways if in control and reports are that is due to 2Wars, 2tax cuts

**Reports are that 3/4 of the oil has evaporated that the oil was crude oil and organic so microbes and evaporation took care of it and while the relief wells are being worked on the procedure of Static Condition is now in full effect

**There is a Free Clinic scheduled to be held August 31st/Sept 1 to remember Katrina but donations are needed so go to freeclinic.com

**Call Tacoma Macy’s to tell them you will boycott -due to unfair hiring practices

**MO. passed legislation that will challenge the new health care law –

**Prop 8 decision is due today sometime mid-afternoon

**

C-SPAN …

watch White House Briefing

watch Pres. Obama Town Hall

watch Admiral Allen Daily Oil Spill Update

Discussion On The Health Care Savings Account

C‑SPAN’s Washington Journal continues with its week-long series looking at issues arising from the new health care law. This morning, Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute takes a look at how individual health savings accounts are impacted by the recent changes to health coverage.

Tomorrow, the Washington Journal will explore Medicare Part D and on Friday, two state Attorney Generals will share their views on how the health care law affects their state.

During the summer, the Washington Journal will look at issues in the news, covering various topics from financial reform to politics.

Static Kill Working; Senate Holds Joint Hearing on Oil Dispersants

“Static kill,” the latest attempt to permanently plug the blown-out well in the Gulf, began yesterday. BP engineers are pumping heavy drilling mud into the well in an attempt to force the oil back underground. National Incident Commander Thad Allen said yesterday that the entire process could take anywhere from 33-61 hours, but reminded the public that “the relief wells are the answer.” Allen will join others today at the daily White House briefing to provide an update on the “static kill” procedure.

The Senate Environment Committee and a Senate Oversight Subcommittee are holding a joint hearing to discuss the use of oil dispersants and to gain a better understanding of the known long-term effects on the regional environment. Congressional investigators are accusing the Coast Guard of giving BP too much leeway to use chemical dispersants to break up the oil on the surface. Thad Allen said that federal regulators did not ignore environmental guidelines and decisions to use more dispersants were made on a case-by-case basis.

The EPA released a study earlier this week showing that dispersants used to break up oil are no more toxic to aquatic life than oil alone.

Senate Continues Debate on Kagan Nomination

Some Republican and Democrats clashed on their opinion of Solicitor General Elena Kagan during the first day debate on her nomination to be the next Supreme Court Associate Justice. Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Sen. Sessions (R-AL) maintained that Kagan would not be able to keep her political views from the bench, nor would she be a judge “committed to restraint.” Read More »

Meanwhile, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) defended Kagan and said she “will do her best to consider every case impartially, modestly, with commitment to principle and in accordance with law.”

Senate members will pick up the Kagan nomination debate today after finishing work on other legislative business. A final vote will likely take place on Thursday. If confirmed, she would replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens and become the fourth female Justice in the Supreme Court’s history.

So far, Nebraska Democratic Senator Ben Nelson is the only Democrat who has announced their opposition to Kagan. Conversely, Republican Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and Judd Gregg (R-NH), have announced their support for the nominee.