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Weekend News and Reviews …


Sunday …and it’s Mother Day …

it’s clear BP is having trouble getting the make shift dome into place … which should have been made before drilling … is that a novel idea or maybe just one of many things BP was obviously willing to risk…  maybe a list of things to do or have available if something happens? like an emergency plan? it’s a nice day in the 206… again…drinking coffee watching the screen for our President to announce his Supreme Court Nominee and yes most of us stayed up to watch Betty White; she was great and can’t wait to see her on the new show.

It’s Saturday, the weather here in the 206 is great this morning for shopping antique, thrift and or garage that is …outdoors all the way.  It’s beautiful and hopefully will stay this way.

Apparently, a Ferry in the NYC rammed the Dock … more news to come but looks like engine issues or a stuck throttle  … The BP oil spill has occupied all our minds and has put every thing on hold… the Gulf Coast economy will need major help;  SO… if you live across the country like me and want to help … go to http://www.matteroftrust.org and see if you can do your part… sometimes you just have to.

The move to stop oil drilling; maybe evaluate or even push the need for Wind, Solar and Bio-fuel up to a higher priority and onto a faster track of development in the USA is now; now is the time to stop talking about the plans and start investing in wind,solar and bio-fuel production HERE in the USA .

How tough would it be to see oil cover a beach or lap to shore and have people say that it’s a natural thing ? … it’s not serious and will dissipate …WHAT? clearly the crazies are out in force and hopefully the sane out number them; though is anyone else find it disturbing that those who are pretending to know what is going on or spinning the disaster created on the Gulf Coast as a natural disaster.  These are the same people stating the attempted bombings in NYC are the fault of our current President? uh check your history and admit this started long before the 2008 Presidential campaign and an issue that did not get solved … it’s very disturbing and those who are doing so should stop talking … period.

And just so the Pat Buchanan’s of the world know … The right person is in the office of President … i shudder to think where we would be with a McCain/Palin ticket … think of the flip flop the ex-Maverick has taken think of things he is now walked away from … is it that Purity Pledge that Republicans take ? which includes practicing exclusion? those that sided with the tea party  group who did back McCain are now running from the tea party movement …the tea is not that strong …we have Republicans wanting to strip citizenship away from people, legalize racial profiling give Big Banks more or equal power as an individual and the list can go on.

The Senate vote of  some 27 Democrats against Wall Street Reform is very disturbing; the  financial reform debates are not over and Bernanke stated he is not waiting for Congress; though i am not sure what that means because most talkingheads feel Bernanke was apart of the problem.. is he planning on implementing the reform needed ?  We all know Congress gets paid to work for We the People…& they let us down … ok maybe just me.  While Wall Street Reform is not over yet it is clear that lobbyists and big Corporations have a hold on some on both sides of the aisle and though it does make sense it is disturbing and disappointing … the change that 53% voted for didn’t include those 27 Democrats i guess.

Other News … on Sunday

**Airports in Iceland and nearby are closed due to ash clouds

**

C-SPAN …

Sunday …

Sen. Durbin on Legislative Work of 111th Congress

Joining C SPAN’s Newsmakers, Majority Whip. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) discusses the current debate in the Senate on financial reform legislation. He also looks at the status of other major legislative priorities heading into the 2010 midterm elections.

watch Newsmakers: 10am & 6pm ET    watch Entire Interview
visit Previous Newsmakers

Senate Continues Debate

On Monday, the Senate will begin its second week of work on financial reform legislation. (S. 3217), They are slated to take up Sen. Sanders’ (I-VT) amendment that would allow the Government Accountability Office to conduct limited audits of the Federal Reserve. Last week, Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) urged lawmakers to keep debate to a minimum, saying, “I can’t spend 24 hours on one amendment and accommodate people here.” His remarks came after members spent hours debating Sen. Shelby’s (R-AL) amendment on a new consumer protection agency, which was defeated 38 to 61.

Saturday …

watch Pres. Obama’s Weekly Address

watch Entire Interview Sen Durbin and Financial Reform

watch News Conference Rep. Markey trip to Gulf Coast

watch State Department Press Briefing Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Philip Crowley

watch Pres. Obama Remarks on Jobs Report

Sec. Clinton: U.S. Committed to Vision of Nuclear Free World

As part of the “irreversible, transparent and verifiable steps” to reduce its nuclear arms, Sec. of State Clinton announced that the U.S. will publicize the number of weapons in its nuclear arsenal. This was one of several actions by the Obama Administration to encourage world leaders to follow its nonproliferation agenda. Sec. Clinton also responded to Iranian Pres. Ahmadinejad’s remarks, saying that Iran has failed to meet its responsibility and is in noncompliance with U.N. safeguard obligations.

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ThinkProgress.org …


UNDER THE RADAR

ENVIRONMENT — AFTER BP OIL SPILL, SUPPORT FOR OFFSHORE DRILLING HAS ‘FALLEN DRAMATICALLY’: After the Obama administration announced in March that it would “approve new oil and gas drilling off U.S. coasts for the first time in decades,” a Rasmussen Reports poll found that 72 percent of U.S. voters believed that offshore oil drilling should be allowed — the highest level of support for drilling that Rasmussen had found in nearly three years of surveying. But now, two weeks after the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Rasmussen has found that support for offshore drilling has “fallen dramatically.” Its telephone survey found that support has dropped 14 points; today, “58% of voters believe offshore oil drilling should be allowed.” Rasmussen notes that while most still support drilling, “69% are at least somewhat concerned that offshore drilling may cause environmental problems. That’s up from 49% in March.” The Rasmussen poll also found that 43 percent of voters rate President Obama’s response to the major oil leak as good or excellent while just 26 percent view the President’s response as poor. Only 29 percent “say the response of BP and Transocean has been good or excellent, while 28 percent rate it as poor.” The BP spill claimed its first ecological victim Thursday, as oil has hit the Chandeleur Islands off Louisiana’s coast. The islands encompass the Breton National Wildlife Refuge and are considered ecological “treasures.”

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New ad from FDL …
FDL Action
Can you chip in $20 to air this ad
in Washington, DC?

Oil just hit land in Louisiana, while the well beneath the sunken oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico continues to gush more than 200,000 gallons of oil a day into the ocean.

There will be untold devastation to wildlife and the environment for years to come.

Offshore oil drilling is far too dangerous as it stands. Expanded offshore drilling shouldn’t be considered in light of the BP oil disaster. But that’s exactly what President Obama plans to do.

We’ve got to show the consequences of offshore oil drilling to put a stop to future drilling plans.

So we’re launching a TV ad against offshore drilling to air in Washington, DC, featuring images of the destruction in the Gulf, and using President Obama’s own words.

Can you chip in $20 to help run our ad against offshore drilling? Click here to donate now and watch our ad:

http://action.firedoglake.com/SpillHereSpillNow

The world learned how unprepared big oil companies are in the case of an accident, and how few remedies exist for such massive spills. We’ve learned how much money big oil spent buying off elected officials, and in turn, how unwilling those officials are to punish and hold them accountable.

It’s difficult to watch the disaster unfolding, knowing there’s little you can do to stop the inevitable destruction. It’s even more difficult to know that President Obama wants to build even more offshore oil rigs and put more of our oceans at risk.

While we can’t do much to stop this spill, we can still do all we can to make sure we don’t invite another disaster by expanding offshore drilling. That’s why we’re running this TV ad in Washington, DC to make our message heard loud and clear.

Click here to donate to run our TV ad telling Obama to say no to offshore drilling:

http://action.firedoglake.com/SpillHereSpillNow

In the wake of the explosion in the Gulf, more than 30,000 people signed our petition to end all plans for offshore drilling exploration. The Obama Administration soon announced that it would put all new offshore drilling projects on hold, pending an investigation of the rig explosion.

But just putting offshore drilling on hold is not enough. We need to keep pressuring the Obama administration to do the right thing and cancel all future drilling plans.

We want to run this television ad in Washington, DC to show that expanding offshore drilling is too dangerous, and delivers too few benefits. And we’re going to do it by showing what happens when millions of gallons of oil spill into our oceans.

Donate $20 to help us run a television ad in DC pressuring President Obama to end all future plans for offshore drilling. Click here to donate:

http://action.firedoglake.com/SpillHereSpillNow

Thanks for all you do.

Jane Hamsher
Firedoglake

P.S. Firedoglake will continue our daily coverage at our dedicated BP Oil Disaster resource page, featuring reporting, photos, video, volunteer information and action alerts. Check it out:

http://firedoglake.com/bp-oil-disaster
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What is Fox afraid of? Veterans? Clean energy?


There’s an ad that Fox News doesn’t think you should see. The bigwigs at Fox just don’t get it, and they think you aren’t smart enough to get it either — so they’ve refused to run it.

Fox reportedly turned down as “too confusing” an ad from the progressive veterans’ group VoteVets.org — one that explained how passing clean energy legislation is good for our nation’s security. The VoteVets.org ad states that a clean-energy agenda reduces the power oil-producing dictatorships like Iran can exercise over the United States by reducing our dependence on oil.

Confused? Fox News is. It’s absolutely baffled.

Click here to tell Fox: Run VoteVets.org’s ad.

However, Fox hasn’t proved incapable of grasping the arguments of ads funded by right-wing groups, like an ad from the Employment Policies Institute featuring children pledging allegiance to “America’s debt.” And it has no problem running ads arguing that the only defense against “an economic meltdown” is a “Survival Seed Bank,” or offering convicted felon G. Gordon Liddy’s advice on buying gold.

So maybe “too confusing” is a laughably thin excuse for Fox to block a message that contradicts its own political activism. Maybe what it’s worried about is presenting a message that counters its outright political advocacy and the myths it sells every day on foreign policy and energy policy.

So it’s been decided: Fox News just won’t run the ad.

That’s not acceptable. If Fox wants to contend that it’s a news organization and not a political machine, it needs to treat all advertisers equally, not pick and choose based on transparently political motives.

Click here to tell Fox: Run VoteVets.org’s ad.

Thank you for your efforts to hold Fox News accountable.

Eric Burns
President, Media Matters for America

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Primaries matter … 2010


How often do we all hear how the GOP will be picking up a significant amount of seats in Congress … we have a special election coming up for Hawaii.  And to make it even more complicated, in the Hawaii election not only is there a Republican on the ballot, but Republican voters will be voting too. That means, it’s two Democrats vs. one Republican but only one winner takes it all.

The  Democratic Party needs to get out in front of any election, plan for transportation and do whatever helps to GOTV, which goes without saying but then  …

This morning a Msnbc host stated that his party(Republican)…should do whatever it takes to win but do it quietly and behind closed doors… Dems need to give all the Community Organizers available the tools to win any and all elections …special or not.  My take is that most Democrats get involved in major elections but it’s a new day, now everyone should get involved at every level to keep Democrats in office on track to getting our broken down system back on track.  We all know what happened and who shoved us toward an enormous ditch; they bet and spent, spent, spent  money without enforcing regulations.  While it’s possible a lot of people saw the problem no one did a thing until it was too late and passed it on to the next Administration.

So, what’s my point to Primaries matter? This is not the time to move away from Democratic ideology, move away from getting things done unlike Republicans, it’s not the time to give up. We have to demand action from Congress.  We need to move into the 21st Century; while Republicans fight to keep us from progressing into a country that has health care for all, climate change because we care about our earth, our children.  We need to demand regulations and financial reform for a failed financial system that they took advantage of. Congress needs to make a good faith effort to reform the way people come into the US … immigration is not going away and the Arizona laws definitely are a catalyst

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