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toxic Tuesday &some News


Toxic Tuesday?

Today seems like a day when we all need to breathe in slowly in deeply  -breath out, repeat as needed.

The Elena Kagan confirmation hearings gave me that eerie  feeling of how it must have felt back in the day when folks of colour and women were treated so poorly

A whole lot of folks are engaging in toxic talk that seems embattled and begs us to ask ourselves where Republicans are regarding race. And do they know the public is now seeing on national TV -it effects how immigration as well. America is 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 voice of reason on that strange panel of Republicans for the Elena Kagan confirmation hearing asking questions on national TV that should have people of colour deciding just who they will be voting for in the up coming elections and it is not for Republicans, as the rhetoric seem very racist and disrespectful. The man Elena Kagan clerked for Thurgood Marshall just so happens to have a lot of respect from a hell of many people so the comments will not be forgiven or forgotten.

The latest news reports are that 10 Russian spies were picked up recently because as our President was telling their President they were friends and while the airwaves were wondering if our President knew about it all, I had to laugh at the question itself. The President is Commander in Chief not an actor who is just pretending on camera. The office of President should be given more respect. It would be nice to find out what exactly did President Obama say to Medevei after the information crossed his desk. Though we probably will never find out the total sum of the conversation but one can always hope. If there was a conversation, someone will ask the press secretary and the gist will be watered down and life will go on. In other news that was sad, made me laugh and has to have folks become more aware of Republican hypocrisy to such a degree anyone listening should have cringed.

Yesterday, Elena Kagan’s confirmation hearings started; she has been labeled as an elitist and while she worked hard in school did well and moved on to a prestigious college she is from a modest background as her dad is an attorney, a tenant lawyer and her mom a teacher. I personally do not find her anything but middle class, a great work ethic, and the capacity to excel.

Then we hear Senator Jeff Sessions begin the Republican talk, which by all accounts is not just negative it is offensive. In my opinion, Senator Sessions epitomizes the ridiculous stance most Republicans have but are smart enough to keep it to themselves. The question was it Racism in all its glory on national TV and will it continue? Mr. Sessions has stated in the past, that if he had his choice he wouldn’t have tried any Civil Rights cases and has also known to call Black men “boy” which not only provides evidence that he is out of touch with today’s society another question for him and the other Republicans would be is were they against the decision of Brown vs The Board of Education or not?

It seems like it would be in their best interest not to beat up on Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to serve on the Supreme Court who Kagan clerked for, respected, and has repeated some of his thoughts out of respect and admiration. Senator Sessions and his Republican associates verbally beat up on Marshall as an activist Supreme Judge as if this was a bad thing, so far only a few people have responded with oh please just remember “Citizens United.” It was uncomfortable for me hearing this vitriol coming from human beings let alone coming from people voted into office. In my opinion Senator Sessions was too comfortable making demeaning comments about the President, Thurgood Marshall, and the Democratic Party on national TV, which was a strategy that needs to be challenged. The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to make Corporations equal to individuals without taking into account that Judge John Roberts has cinched the “activist judge” title in my eyes with his ruling for Corporations.

The question is will Judge Roberts and the other four obviously conservative Justices continue trying to be a policy destructor and is his behavior because of some grudge he had during his confirmation hearings and has the power and decided to use it.

and last, can i just say that someone should figure out by now that after being in Afghanistan for 6 to 9 years it seems obvious that the people there are not all in to what it will take to become more self sufficient because if they were the locals would have more control.

Other News …

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) said that he will vote against Congress’s financial regulatory reform bill, arguing that it doesn’t go far enough to prevent future catastrophes. “As I have indicated for some time now, my test for the financial regulatory reform bill is whether it will prevent another crisis,” he said. “The conference committee’s proposal fails that test and for that reason I will not vote to advance it.”TP

Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle “has steadfastly refused to talk to reporters” in the state. “I can’t remember a time that we’ve ever had trouble with interviews,” said Mary Beth Farrell, the news director at KRNV. KRNV finally got an interview with Angle “after weeks of private rejections” by taking the “unprecedented step” of publicly asking her “to explain her positions to Nevada voters.”TP

**Macy’s has become toxic and reports are they might be abusing their employees, UFCW has asked people to boycott Macy’s until they start to respect employees

**Reports are that China and Taiwan signed a landmark deal

C-SPAN …

watch Admiral Allen Daily Oil Spill Update

watch Kenneth Feinberg on Executive Pay

watch U.S. Senate: Byrd Tributes watch Senate Tribute (11/09) watch Sen. Byrd on Memoir (6/05)
watch Booknotes Interview (4/89) watch More C-SPAN Programs read Sen. Byrd official website
read Politico: WV Law Murky on Byrd Succession read Charleston WV Gazette

watch Defense Dept. Briefing

Questioning begins in Kagan confirmation

“One thing I do know is that my politics would be, must be, have to be completely separate from my judging,” said Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan at the second day of her confirmation hearing. Questioning by members of the committee on issues related to the judiciary began on Tuesday and will continue into Wednesday. Outside witnesses are expected to testify on Thursday.

If confirmed, Elena Kagan will replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens on the Court.

Gen. Petraeus faces congress to discuss war in Afghanistan

General David Petraeus is now appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in his confirmation hearing to replace General Stanley McChrystal as lead commander of troops in Afghanistan.

Gen. McChrystal resigned last week in the wake of a recently released Rolling Stone article. In the story, Gen. McChrystal and members of his staff are quoted as criticizing the Vice President and other members of the Administration.

Vice President Biden to Visit New Orleans and Pensacola

Vice Pres. Biden will visit the Gulf today to assess clean-up efforts and tour affected areas. He will stop in New Orleans and Pensacola, visiting the Unified Area Command, the Naval Air Station Pensacola and Pomes Seafood to meet with Gulf residents impacted by the spill. Other government officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and presidential environmental advisor Carol Browner also visited the region.

Tropical Storm Alex, which has already sent heavy rains to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, appears likely to miss Gulf areas affected by the oil spill. However, while current paths predict Alex will pass to the west of the spill site, there is a possibility that strong waves will delay BP’s plan to increase the rate of containment, Adm. Thad Allen said in a briefing yesterday.

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another manic Monday &some News


We are at a moment when Americans should speak up and out for the need to spend, to stimulate our economy, the end of G8/G20 summit showed how other countries are having a tough time with the decision to keep stimulating or to draw back and focus on the deficit;  this week will be full of  event that impact our lives in so many ways in Congress, the confirmation of a new Supreme Court Justice, or President’s second nominee that could change some outcomes on the panel and definitely debates/votes on a Jobs Bill this week.  …take part -call your representative tell them not to give up because rumors are that they will give HR4213 one more effort. Americans should not let the hammer of fear wielded by Republicans get the best of what the Obama Administration campaigned on and can’t do by himself –

Today we all found out that Senator Robert Byrd, the longest serving member of the Senate died at 92. This was a man who was ill during the HCR but came in to vote when he had to even though he was ill, he was once a KKK member and as he lived life he stated that intolerance has no room here on the planet. I have heard all day that this man will be missed. The Elena Kagan confirmation hearings start today and while we have all watched as Sonia Sotomayor was questioned, possibly abused verbally we all need to be aware of what goes on and take part because the Congress will only create laws and or pass legislation with the push of the people at their backs. Republicans and maybe a couple of Democrats will act and or vote with a personal agenda involved, which is okay in a normal situation but we almost had our complete financial system crash, which effected everything else here in the states as well as globally. I would like someone to tell me that should a crisis can be solved in 18 months. The downfall of our economy began a couple of Presidents ago but this particular one has to get it under control before everyone decides to vote for him again or holding votes because of the slow road of progress of DADT, Climate and Clean Energy over his head? Absurd behavior

As budget reductions, begin to happen here in Seattle. You have to wonder just how many people will be affected and how many other states are beginning to cut what they consider non-essential programs and how this is a direct result from the stalling blocking and obstructionist behavior of Republicans in the Senate because they have decided to say NO to a Jobs Bill. For an example, City Light programs like the “Fridge Program” and the popular Skagit Tours programs are suspended for the rest of the year and will not return until 2011. Seattle City Light recommends that people should still unplug your old second or third freezer or refrigerators’. Those people who already have appointments will still get the free pick-up. The domino effect from budgets having to be cut because states will have to cut whatever can be called non-essential will be things that could lead us all into the 21st Century but Congress has said no we cannot help the states we have big deficits. The cuts to our first responders will be deep all over the country and in a time when the gulf coast needs help the failure to pass a jobs bill and tax extenders will increase the problems there as well. The fridge program might seem small but the effort is to bring folks into the 21st Century increase savings by getting old appliances off the grid, apparently the savings can be big.

The Cash for Appliances and City light’s WashWise program is still running and people can get up to $200 by buying qualified washers; you can get a $75 rebate for Energy Star refrigerators. These two programs run until 12/31/2011 or until the funds run out. To get more information go to www.cashforapplianceswa.com or www.washwiserebate.com and for details about Energy Conservation call the help line 206-684-3800. If you want info about visiting the upper, Skagit River or the North Cascades go to www.ncascades.org or http://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm.

Other News …

**Supreme court Justices extended gun ownership rights to everyone w/some limitations

**Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) admitted to David Gregory that he does not agree with Brewer’s fallacious comments, but refused to address whether such gross exaggerations “make the debate harder”:TP

**In his New York Times column, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman warns we are in the early stages of a “third depression.” “This third depression,” he writes, “will be primarily a failure of policy” as the world’s leading governments obsess “about inflation when the real threat is deflation, preaching the need for belt-tightening when the real problem is inadequate spending.”TP

**A USA Today/Gallup poll finds a majority of Americans (53 percent) approve of President Obama’s decision to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal with Gen. David Petraeus. A greater percentage — 58 percent — back the plan to start pulling out U.S. troops in July 2011.TP

**The “headline achievement” of the G-20 summit was an agreement by developed nations to “halve their annual deficits within three years.” Although the U.S. signed on to the plan, President Obama urged continued spending to support growth, stating, “[W]e must recognize that our fiscal health tomorrow will rest in no small measure on our ability to create jobs and growth today.”TP

**Boeing workers voted to ratify a union contract against union leader advice

C-SPAN …

watch Pres. Obama’s Weekly Address watch Republican Weekly Address

watch Pres. Obama Concluding Press Conference

watch From Sunday, June 27 PM Haper G20 briefing

watch Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) in Las Vegas

Sen. Robert C. Byrd (1917-2010)

92-year-old Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) died earlier this morning. First elected in 1958, Sen. Byrd was the longest serving U.S. Senator and Member of Congress in history. He is also the author of five books, including a series on the history of the Senate.

House Majority Leader Discusses National Security Issues

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on the Democrats National Security Strategy. He will likely discuss President Obama’s strategy that was released in May and the prospects for passage of additional funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.Tomorrow, Gen. David Petraeus will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee in a confirmation hearing to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal as lead commander of troops in Afghanistan. McChrystal resigned last week in the wake of a recently released Rolling Stone article. In the story, General McChrystal and members of his staff are quoted as criticing the Vice President and other members of the Administration.

Kagan confirmation hearing begins

The Senate Judiciary Committee will take up the nomination of Elena Kagan to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Judiciary Committee members and Elena Kagan will make opening statements and move to the question and answer session beginning Tuesday. She will be introduced by Massachusetts Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Scott Brown (R-MA).The committee plans four days of hearings with the questioning of the nominee Tuesday and Wednesday and outside witnesses on Thursday. If confirmed, Elena Kagan will replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens on the Court.

watch C-SPAN’s Senate Confirmation Hub Page
watch Opening statements on C-SPAN3 at 12:30pm ET
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Week -end News/Reviews


Sunday Buzz …The US Soccer Team lost 2-1 on Saturday during  extra time and while some people are down it was not enough to turn away from them because they played well and the World Cup was fun to watch on TV and South Africa did a great job hosting it.

The G8/G20 summit ends today and sounds like many ideas are flying around but as the Media has stated no one is agreeing with what the President has said, that we need to continue to stimulate the economy. Far be it from me to say the Media is correct in what they report but they sure do like to report when people seem to be on the opposite side of our President whether the other person or party talking is correct or not. The Deficit will be high but even economists state that stimulating the economy is the way to go but the people we count on are not listening to the President or the economist and that  has got end up with a lot of Americans losing out not to mention the people who are governed by G8/G20 countries.

Reports are that the gay-pride marches are set to happen today. I do believe that the future is now but that future also takes time and in a moment when our lives are moving into the 21st Century people need to remember that Congress is the place where these laws are being created and made… lawmakers are where the anger should be not the President because obviously people don’t get it. We need Congress to step up to the plate of courage for not just DADT but immigration and climate change. It takes more than just the President as the votes come from Congress people- change is something we all have to participate in and Congress needs to hear us …that means Democrats and Republicans but as we all know Republicans have been unwilling to move into the 21st Century

Tell Congress to move DADT immigration, climate and clean energy legislation forward

We all need to watch and listen but we do not have to take cable heads very seriously because stations have clearly set out some sort of effort to make this president look vulnerable to his base. While every President should be challenged, this particular President has been put on a pedestal, treated poorly, judged with higher expectations and standards that no person can possibly achieve. The public needs to know that he is not superman and is being judged by how he has had to clean up the mess left by the last guy and not what he has accomplished and what he ran on …and he has…

This President needs our support when good things are done, challenged when the effort is slow …like immigration and or DADT because these are things he ran on and while people out there are impatient, they need to support him as well. All Americans should challenge him even more but in those challenges we also need to help him achieve his campaign promises by calling our representatives because it seems like folks don’t know or understand that he can lead Congress to accept his agenda but he can’t make them create or implement the laws needed to get America back on track.

We also need to see Republicans for what they really are and it ain’t good –who would throw people under the bus just to create chaos that will or could give them power back. Think about what kind of chaos we all will be in if what Republicans have planned actually works.  Is it possible that we will find ourselves in another recession or depression…more likely a deep depression.

Because of budget reductions here in Seattle, programs like the Fridge program was suspended for the rest of the year and will not return until 2011 but according to city light people should still unplug your old 2nd or 3rd freezer or fridge and people who have appointments will still get the free pick-up.  The domino effect from budgets having to be cut because states will have to cut whatever can be called non-essential will be things that could lead us all into the 21st Century but Congress has said no we cannot help the states we have big deficits.  The cuts to our first responders will be deep all over the country and in a time when the gulf coast needs help the failure to pass a jobs bill and tax extenders will increase the problems there as well.  The fridge program might seem small but the effort is to bring folks into the 21st Century increase savings by getting old appliances off the grid, apparently the savings can be big.  The Cash for Appliances and City light’s WashWise  program is still running and people can get up to $200 by buying qualified washers, you can get a $75 rebate for Energy Star refrigerators. These two programs run until 12/31/2011 or until the funds run out.

This is a time when both Political Parties should work together but Republicans just are not willing to be good citizens.

Other News …


**go get the book “The new Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander ..an eye opener that most black people know but will find their beliefs confirmed

**Elena Kagan confirmation will begin on Monday …keep up with this because the Supreme Court impacts all of our lives

**the next job report on Friday will somehow impact the public view according to chucktodd on msnbc

**The gulf coast is being watched for storms hurricanes and some parts have tornados threats or repeat tornados

Summer on Saturday … I’m not feeling it yet here in the 206 though at best it usually is a fleeting feeling… when the sun comes out a mission is definitely put into motion to get ready quick and very much worthy of all the efforts. It is also a time that folks should remember to throw on sun block …especially those of us that use to bask out in the sun …it can be a dangerous even to people of color.

Yesterday, people celebrated the life and legacy of MJ; some were good others were self indulgent prattle from people who will try and try to make money off the man and need to look in the mirror for a moment or two. I would say don’t buy anything that has not been given the estate ok or isn’t giving money to the children; MJ lived his life and had leeches that are still hanging on by the tips of their finger nails; We all need to say it’s time y’all end your money grubbing ways unless you lawyer up. It is time for this family to put their feet down on those so intent on cashing in on the family name and for all those intent on saying this that or the other about the family? this family knows who they are have obviously made their own arrangements and have understood each other all these years though the Media would have you believe otherwise. Families are the only people you can shit on and still be accepted…well most anyway, and the Jackson family is no different. It is nice to see some reporters who obviously made MJ’s life a joke and continued to stir up nastiness with their words now stating they were wrong or at least made more out of the rumors than what may have been the truth.  It won’t bring MJ back and like a couple of Entertainment Stars said last night. Look at what we did to him. I would submit..it is what did the Media do to sway public mind and response to MJ and it wasn’t good and there are still people who feel just fine talking BS about his kids their relationship and the list goes on; it is a shame and if it were anyone else no one would care a rats ass. It’s painful to know that the privacy MJ gave his kids with masks …is gone -they cannot go anywhere now and the paps have invaded their privacy…it is offensive to see those photos from Hi because it’s obvious to me what they were up to; if you look close Prince is not happy and if someone in that family is getting paid for those types…any photos somebody better intervene now before it goes any further… having fun at a distance is ok but these were too close and they were shooting to get specific shots… it’s offensive

Today, Soccer will be just one of many games on TV or in your neighborhood, college or professional arena but the World Cup has been a great distraction the US did what it had to and now they play hard or go home … no more ties, hopefully the ref’s will be the best …people expect that in all sports and today will hinge on great strategy skill timing and teamwork -go US

This last week has shown that while our President has gotten some major things done for Americans in 18months; like health-care reform, financial reform working on climate and immigration reform, the Media tells us the public seems to think we are still going the wrong way? Absurd! The poll numbers are subjective. I would need more information about who they polled who they voted for in the 2008 election before I would actually try to believe them. I decide for myself and the more and more I listen to cable -cableheads have more of an impact on people than I like to hear; it is extremely disappointing because the Republican Party is no different then it was when the house of Bush was in charge. They still prefer Wall Street over Main Street and if anyone had enough evidence of that just ask michelle Bachmann, Joe Barton, john Boehner, Sharron Angle oh they have said more than we ever wanted about where they stand and again folks seem to agree? Is it possible that the people being polled on the extreme right of any poll out there? What would any one voter need to know that would help them understand that their Republican representatives not only practice exclusion they would throw their own constituents under the bus to please Wall Street. The problem includes Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, he too is among those who have to go home and tell those who lost their jobs due to a Bush administration who behaved like spending money was and after thought… hey, let the next guy pay for this and deal with the damage? The damage was big and even as I write I still wonder why Bush has not told the public, why his administration did not know what to do to stop it and why they waited so long to let the bad news out of the proverbial bag right before the Presidential Election? I do not expect to ever know the truth maybe someone anyone if there is a reader out there can tell me because the crash still boggles my senses … at what point did Bush say oh it’s bad -what do we do? Okay just keep sending money to Iraq oh say 10million a month and keep the other war in Afghanistan going …that might distract everyone? Wth happened. Why, when and how are still on my lips though the upside could be that we now have this opportunity to change the things; the negative things that have kept us from progressing into the 21st Century have kept us behind in all things innovative, have brought our country down. We now have people in office or running for office who believe not all people are equal that maybe we all should practice exclusion that the government should be  easier on Corporations and not We the People hey even the Supreme Court ruled against the people stated companies are equal to any person ? That is still a strange ruling …who in their right mind would vote to equate the two as equal? Individuals …how many of us have enough money to compete with any company? There are how many million and billionaires in the world? The ratio should have tipped off Judge Robert of the insane reality that there is nothing similar let alone equal.

What more do people have to hear for them to know that Republicans and or the teabag groups are not for the people in our 21st Century? We are a people of and with diverse backgrounds, families who have lived side by side, some friendly, some not so friendly but I will tell you that the projected 1.2 million people on unemployment are not all minorities nor are they poor, drug dealers or violent. It is time to realize and accept that Republicans would risk our economy solely to grab control of the office governing our country now is offensive… Think people – Don’t we all deserve both sides of the aisle to fix the BS that happened so that we can get on track and then they can fight. We need Politicians to explain whatever happened to the fact that we are all Americans and the BS that the last guy left us has made an impact on every aspect of everyone’s lives and will not go away until Democrats and Republicans work together. The fact remains; who is to say that if Republicans get into office things would get better because we have heard the agenda of what is wrong but they actually have no solutions to date … if they did wouldn’t they try to help? Instead, they decided to be obstructionists and party of no, even as we all speak the states that need much more than BP money have refused to say Yes to extending ui benefits to them. That is hard to believe that Republicans from the Gulf Coast region were on Capitol Hill and were all willing to throw their constituents under the bus … they need ui benefits now more than ever … The BP spill was not a natural disaster it was from people who made a choice to bet against safety and the environment for Profits. I am still unsure that the money being doled out should be taxed -someone needs to look into the division of folks being hired to help and those whose livelihoods have ended because of the BP disaster who is working…getting paid as part of a claim and or what they would get for that day week month or year. It is yet another task the administration needs to be aware of because a claim and salary seem to have become that thing that gets blurred in translation.

Other News …

Storms are coming toward the Gulf Coast

C-SPAN

watch Discussion on Energy and Oil Spill

watch Pres. Obama on Financial Regulations

watch Adm. Allen Briefing

watch CAP Discussion on Health Insurance

global economy tops agenda of world leaders

Pres. Obama and other world leaders wrap up a two day meeting of G-8 countries as they move on to the larger G-20 summit. At the meeting, they were to discuss aid to poorer countries and how to provide that aid given current world economic conditions. They also plan to debate economic conditions and steps that can be taken to strengthen the world economy. Following the end the G-8 meeting, Canadian P.M. Stephen Harper will hold a closing news conference. The G-20 meeting will begin later tonight and continue in to Sunday.
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TGIF …&some News


Day 66 in the BP disaster and no end in sight and though people are pissed this is not the fault of the President …

MJ is being celebrated all over the country; maybe all over the World and the same ole comments about him being strange and or weird by people in the Media is just wrong because these kids are watching listening to folks who said much worse when he was alive but you know what -what happened to respecting the dead? I will not be watching gone too soon because of the ian halprin connection… It is yet another vehicle to make money off MJ and it’s offensive that he and so many others have done so; he stated the payroll or people still living off MJ is offensive … what do you call what he is doing eh?

Storms are moving in all along the Gulf and the country  … in more ways than we all want to think about. It’s time that Americans stir up their own storms all across the country to tell Senator Ben Nelson and Republicans what they have done is unacceptable and will clearly bring us all back to that day when the President announced over 750thousand jobs were lost per month and destroy the efforts already accomplished.

Today the President will be in Canada at the G20/G8 summit, Italy and France both were eliminated in the 1st round of soccer but the US will be playing Ghana Saturday and the players and coaches all say they will be throwing everything they got at Ghana, Florida closes more beaches due to oil washing on shore. Gov. Jindal has made some comments about the impact that is being made from the previous moratorium that seems odd to me as a mom, worker, and safety-first advocate. It is obvious that those who worked for oil rigs in the area have lost their jobs but who would begrudge a President from wanting to have each well checked for safety given the history that BP seems to have and it apparently is not the best. The Gov of LA stated that the moratorium should be overturned because it would affect their economy. Yes, it is true and the Alabama judge agreed with Governor Jindal. It just seems strange that we have yet to fix the current oil well gushing into the Gulf with Reporters stating that other wells may need to be adjusted and or at least new rules need to be implemented. It is obvious the Feldman decision will be appealed.

The question is -what happens if there is another accident, does that mean Gov Jindal is directly responsible if anything happens? Did you know that only 33 wells out of 36 hundred were placed in moratorium status  and while people would be out of work for 6 months over 3thousand are still functioning and maybe it’s just me but couldn’t the workers from the 33 be distributed to the over 3000 functioning wells to work on? in addition, how strange is it that Jindal and the rest of the Republicans wanted the moratorium overturned because of jobs but they refuse to help the rest of the country with a YES to the jobs bill… talk about hypocrisy.

Reports are that the conferees committee voted to move reform forward and was and are a great achievement but this is not the final vote. It sounds like this committee tried to have courage but felt any true reform might make folks run to other countries to keep their money. The bill will need to go through both Chambers of Congress before a final vote but this is a start to reforming Wall Street which will need adjustments to reflect what is going on in the world as well. I admit it is good that the President was able to take the agreement with him to the summit and just heard this reform was bigger than any other since the depression.

Other News …

C-SPAN …

Conferees Approve financial regulation bill, 27-16 on Thursday evening

The House-Senate conference committee on the financial regulations bill wrapped up its work early today following a marathon 20-hour session. The measure passed out of conference on a party line vote, with 27 Democrats voting for it, and 16 Republicans voting against. In remarks this morning before his departure to Canada for the G-8 summit, President Obama praised the conferess for passing what he said is the “strongest financial reform since the Great Depression.” The legislation now goes back to both chambers for final consideration. The House Conference Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) said he hopes to see the legislation signed into law by President Obama before July 4th.

Oil Creeps Along Florida Coast; Moratorium Remains Overturned

Portions of Pensacola Beach are closed in order for workers to remove oil from the sand. At least 33 miles of Florida’s Panhandle beaches have health advisories suggesting that people should not swim or fish in the water.  Yesterday, a federal judge denied a request to keep a deepwater drilling moratorium in place, pending a government appeal. The moratorium prohibits drilling in more than 500 feet of water and prevents new permits from being issued.
BP replaced the containment cap over the underwater well Wednesday night after an accident that morning forced BP to stop their containment efforts. Earlier this week, Adm. Thad Allen announced that authorities are exploring whether pipelines could be extended from the well to several platforms elsewhere in the Gulf where oil could be captured or sent to a different reservoir. This option would allow containment to continue in the event of a hurricane.
World Leaders meet to discuss global issues

World Leaders meet to discuss global issues

TodayPresident Obama and seven other world leaders are in Canada for the two-day G-8 “Group of Eight” summit. The leaders will likely focus their talks on regional and global issues, disaster relief and health related issues. The countries being represented at the G-8 include: United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada and Russia.

Following the two-day forum will be the larger G-20 meeting, an economic forum summit set up to discuss strategies for restoring global growth, and measures for reforming global trade and financial governance.
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thorny Thursday &some News


It is a day to take a deep breath and slowly let it out … and repeat if needed.

Tell cable heads to stop saying that Polls matter – they are subjective vehicles that none of us with brains takes too seriously —take that Msnbc and Cnn- people are smarter than this and if there are questions about why our President poll numbers are so low -how about telling your representative to help the President achieve what he campaigned on instead of looking out for their own skins… our President can lead Congress to the well or list of things that need to be reformed on his agenda but Congress has to have the courage to do what’s right, so far CONGRESS has been the let down, not our President.  The low numbers are from progressives who are willing to throw someone under the bus when things get tough instead of getting strong tough and making those calls to the various members of Congress to let them know we support the President …it’s time you did as well.  Congress is the place where the laws are made people not the President -he has set out his agenda but Republicans have continued to block him; this will continue to happen unless Republican constituents finally see where Republicans stand and it ain’t with the people. Ask yourself why a Politician would bet against the failure of a Democratic Party who is doing the peoples business for an agenda that supports big Banks, Wall Street, most if not all Republicans truly feel BP got the raw deal and that they support BP and not the people of the Gulf Coast.  It is a sad state of affairs to know any Republican would say that the spill should be paid by the taxpayers, that this was a Chicago style shake down, ask the families of the 11 men who died, ask all those people who made their living from the beauty and land of the Gulf Coast.  I have to say 1st nations people and those who kept the land in a pristine state before oil rigs, big tourism and hotels would be  greatly disappointed that this is what progress looks like to the people here today.

The other things that upset me about Republicans? Is that Republicans are hawks, we see them  giving President Obama the thumbs up when it comes to fighting Wars and spending money somewhere else instead of on the people in their own country. I am not into fighting any War. I do understand why he is in that area and though it might seem like a move that most folks on the left disagree with they must remember Obama did not start the Afghanistan or the Iraq Wars he does feel the right War was Afghanistan and has pursued it. Only time will tell and possibly We the People will need to march against any Wars in a time when money any money should be spent here in the States. The War is not an issue any President should take lightly, though it might seem the last one did. This President’s decision to pursue War or continue the Afghan assault was not decided on a whim, and the public should understand, have patience, and put themselves in the President’s shoes regarding any decision to put the lives of our  men and women in jeopardy. It was something the house of Bush decided quickly and set out on 2Wars and left no real window to leave especially after 9/11, not to mention those imprisoned at Gitmo finding their way back home only to join terrorist groups against Americans.

It is a time to stand with the President not run and or vote to give the President a message – We all need to call our representatives in Congress because they are the ones who create and pass laws people. The President can lead them to the agenda that 53% of us voted for but if they have their own these things will not get done. I have to wonder if people really understand what the process is because to be honest people say the President should use his executive order and do something and maybe he will have to when it comes to the jobs bill but it could be repealed in the future and that is the down side.

If Congress, specifically Republicans would realize that it’s time get our system back on track instead of stalling blocking and hoping the public will become so disheartened they will opt to have Republicans take over.

As Americans we must see through what Republicans have in store for us and vote against the corporatist that they are and call our representatives to make a hard left away from Wall Street and reform all things that have cripple this economy

Other News …

**the judge who overturned the administrations request for a stay for a 6 month moratorium has stated he will not delay his ruling

**a man has been stopped with weapons/tools and a chainsaw in his car near the location of the G20 meeting

watch Conferees: Part 1 watch Conferees: Part 2 House/Senate Cmte

watch Hearing on U.S.-China Relationship

watch Hearing on MedPAC

watch Hearing on MMS Reorganization

C-SPAN …

Congress focuses on IRAQ as President replaces U.S. commander in Afghanistan

The Senate Armed Services Committee is considering two military nominations regarding the leadership of U.S. troops. General Ray Odierno, who currently serves as the Commanding General of the U.S. Forces – Iraq, has been selected to lead the U.S. Joint Forces Command. Lieutenant-General Lloyd Austin has been tapped to replace Gen. Odierno as the top U.S. Iraq commander. Yesterday, President Obama accepted the resignation of the top Afghanistan war general Gen. Stanley McChrystal over critical remarks he made in Rolling Stone magazine. The President has picked Gen. David Petraeus as his replacement. His confirmation hearing is expected to take place early next week.

Economy, iran two issues to be addresed in Obama-Medvedev meeting

Leading into this weekend’s G-8 and G-20 economic summits, President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hold a bilateral meeting today on U.S.-Russian relations. The two leaders are likely to discuss policy toward Iran and global financial issues. After their meeting, they will hold a joint news conference followed by an address at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to U.S. and Russian business leaders.

watch News Conf.: c-span.org at 1:45pm ET    watch U.S. Chamber: c-span.org at 3:05pm ET
read LA Times: DC prepares for Russian president

Conferees to Wrap up Financial regulations legislation

The 43-member House and Senate Conference Committee moves into its final day of deliberations on financial regulation legislation. Members plan to wrap-up the two chambers’ different versions of the regulatory overhaul bill, including work on derivatives, which is one of the biggest components. They’re also expected to have more debate on the Volcker Rule, a proposed ban on some speculative trading by banks with federally insured deposits.

During the meeting yesterday, Conference Chairman Frank (D-MA) told members they would finish work on the bill by the end of the week, even if they had to stay late into the night. The committee hopes to have a bill approved by both chambers of Congress and signed into law by President Obama by July 4th