Tag Archives: ~ Culture & History

~ Recent Post

tempest Tuesday &some News


Today … President Obama is in Indonesia but will be cutting the visit short due to Volcanic Ash –

When will RTP constituents get it -it was Republicans who had absolutely no control fiscally, engaged in big govt by waging 2wars, 2tax giveaways to the rich without paying for them btw, the last guy permitted mass amounts of deregulation in nearly every sector of business which brought our economy to its knees – Republicans say they are fiscally responsible but what President Obama walked into  does not sound like responsible behavior and it continues with tantrums about wanting to extend the Bush giveaways permanently without paying for them -and on whose backs?

Though we have pulled out most of our troops in Iraq there are over fifty-thousand serving on behalf of all Americans, we have Corporations in the private and or public sector who  are not hiring enough to get us out of this recession, or have changed the rules by limiting the work available, Democrats just got voted out of being the majority in the House but still control the Senate and we have a Democratic President. We have far too many public servants with personal agendas, Tea Party or Teabaggers, who were only a small group a while ago have been able to put a few in the US Congress after the midterm elections. I am not pleased but the current rhetoric or exchanges among themselves is encouraging because it is clear that jobs and or our economy was a distraction used by the RTP and what won them the House. While we are all watching, waiting the truth is going to unfold and folks  who voted them into office will finally see the ugly RTP agenda which is that they are going after President Obama instead of creating jobs or a better economy. We all know this group has very extreme ideas about what they will do when on the floor of Congress and while the voters decided to send a message to the folks on Capitol Hill i am still confused about what voting against your best interest does for anyone but make things even worse. I am upset about it and as a democrat i think people need to take control over their own ability to get good information and dissect it to make intelligent choices. The loss of the House, the things we all wanted as dems, libs and or progressives has been put at risk by all the anger votes made. I want to believe people truly had no idea what was at stake and treated the midterms as the no big deal state based elections. The only problem is only 4.7% of Blacks voted plus women and lgbt voters deciding to lean right is one of the most confusing moves by people who need support from the govt and only time will tell how much we all will suffer or for how long.

If the lean to the right was a tantrum because your group or issue did not get voted on yet or was passed but was not what you wanted that is childish behavior. I would also say people need to stop whining and understand the governing process because if not we all will suffer for it. I cannot ask enough how selfish could someone be to hold their vote hostage or vote right of center just because they are angry is not only offensive but makes me wonder how American is that. It is when Democrats are not united or in solidarity do we lose and only then is when i wish the Democratic Party was more like the RTP in so far as the group mentally they maintain until now did not wane no matter what glitches or tweaks that may be needed. The RTP knows if they can get a bill passed it can be manipulated maybe democratic constituents do not know this –

I will never understand anyone willing to vote against his or her best interests.

It is obvious that our economy was in much worse shape then what we thought maybe worse off than what the last guy told the Obama Administration before leaving never to look back again. . Certainly, it was unprecedented and while it is obvious they were flying by the seat of their pants trying to fix the core of the problem it seemed like there were several branches that if tweaked the wrong way could be big trouble. The Party of No has managed to stifle progress in Congress yet folks continued to hold the Obama Administrations feet to the fire and not the Republicans. In my opinion, Americans have been too impatient, are swayed by “the Media” definitely uninformed and maybe did not care about the facts because of their own status in the world. It is unacceptable to think twenty months is long enough to fix anything as big as the US economy, which reached out globally. That coupled with the overt effort on the part of  i guess the Heritage Foundation, the chamber of commerce, big business and Republicans all decided to stop progress by any means necessary. Who knew that we have a group of people willing to throw Americans from all stages of life under the bus to gain back their country in an effort though the 2008 elections were legal done correctly and 53% of the population voted for Barack H. Obama. If anyone has been watching all the issues being juggled by President Obama which have been many and include jobs, pirates, terrorists, 2Wars, exiting a war, dadt, immigration, racism, signing over 200 bills that definitely will make positive changes to all our lives. The legislation that could have pushed us into the 21st Century probably will likely to be a memory if democrats continue to split off instead of unifying as a group to get things done during the lame duck session.  It is also upon democratic constituents to participate by calling your member of Congress to let them know what is important call the Republicans to tell them you are an American and while they have fooled some we all are watching as they abandon the peoples business for tearing apart our government.

Is it just me or have democrats in Congress left the messaging up to the President… oh we have some Representatives like  Patty Murray, Debbie Wasserman Shultz, Alan Grayson, Anthony Weiner, Sheila Lee Jackson, James Clyburn, Keith Ellison , Jim McDermott, Stabenow and McCaskil others but we need more of them getting on the air and touting the legislation as being absolutely positive things for Americans.  The Democratic Party needs to meet and decide what direction they want to go; our President needs to tell them what he wants done and they all need to get on the same page and get it done. The fact that this President did not write the HCR bill himself or let the House  write, create and pass bills, which is their jobs upset folks on the left because it was not single payer pouted and voted for Republican is beyond me. The midterms confirmed how uninformed most of the public is on what it takes to get a bill on the floor of Congress let alone passed and made a law. Again, I may not have been completely satisfied with the legislation but the alternative was much worse and knowing that legislation can be tweaked made it tolerable for me.

Twenty months ago there was a bipartisan agreement to bailout the big banks and since then they turned their backs on President Obama and while apologizing in public they promptly began giving huge bonus’s to their people, have continued to flex their muscles and refuse to lend money to the everyday people that hire folks, insurance companies are inserting millions to fight HCR for all, credit card companies are bashing people with fees, our Supreme Court has caused a problem for our Democracy, reports of at least 12 terrorist  attacks have been waged on the US, republicans have held up the Presidents nominees for his cabinet and recently, we came close to having several planes bombed.  I am sure i forgot something but this President has been busy and is making sweeping changes to a system that was broken. I believe we were in a perfect position to make the changes we voted for and needed but maybe the Obama Admin and the Democrats in Congress did not have a strategy, had idea what was in store for the midterms and had no back up plan or understood how serious that waterloo comment was. Those of us sitting back waiting for change need to become more engaged by making our voices heard in support of this President’s efforts to move Americans into the 21st Century. If you think any President can get legislation passed without the help of their base you are sadly mistaken. The tent of Democrats is huge and though HCR for example was not popular it needed to be dealt with will save money, create more jobs and discrimination based on pre-existing conditions got knocked out, kids in college don’t have to worry about insurance and while there are no death panels in the bill Republicans might create an environment similar by privatizing healthcare, medicare/caid and social security if given the opportunity. The midterm elections had so much at stake but folks voted in anger as Republicans said this that and the other about being fiscally responsible only to get on camera after taking over the House that they are if you pay attention listening are not just going after the President say they can get things done if President Obama does what that want which continues the irrational, uncompromising loud defiant obstructionist behavior Republicans have resorted to for 20 months and begs democrats to rise up against.

Other News …

G20 begins Nov. 12th

The WH does not support stripping out DADT out of defense bill

Missile launched  off Coast of Cali -a mystery

GM lays off Mr Goodwrench

Amazon comes to Seattle with 10,000 jobs?

New Chevy Volt on sale in Seattle next Fall

President Obama will meet with new congressional members Nov.18th

CDC:59.1 million lacked ins in 2009 -outrageous

Seattle bank fees are the highest in the country 2.60 while the average is 2.33

11thousand cribs made in China sold at JCP 2003-2007 models have rail hardware prob

Tony Hayward admits they were unprepared to deal with the BP oil spill

CSPAN …


State Department Press Briefing State Department Press Briefing
Monday
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) Heritage Foundation Speech Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) Heritage Foundation Speech
Monday
Pres. Obama Address to India's Parliament Pres. Obama Address to India’s Parliament
Monday
Defense Department Briefing on Iraq Defense Department Briefing on Iraq
Monday
Weekly Addresses Weekly Addresses
Saturday
Supreme Court Oral Argument: Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Supreme Court Oral Argument: Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants
Friday
Fed Chair Bernanke Q&A with Jacksonville University Students on Monetary Policy Fed Chair Bernanke Q&A with Jacksonville University Students on Monetary Policy
Friday
Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Jobs Report Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Jobs Report
Friday
Georgetown University Review of 2010 Midterm Elections Georgetown University Review of 2010 Midterm Elections
Friday
Weekly Standard Review of 2010 Midterm Elections Weekly Standard Review of 2010 Midterm Elections
Friday
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Urgent Action for Women and Families
Urgent Action for Women and Families
The final days of the 111th Congress begin November 16. With your help, we can make critical progress for women and families, including those who need it most.

On November 16, the House and Senate will reconvene for a lame duck session to complete the business of the 111th Congress. On the agenda are issues of great importance to women and families. The National Women’s Law Center is pulling out all the stops to get a just and fair outcome on these critical issues.

Please make an emergency donation for women and families today.

Here are some of our urgent lame-duck session action items:

1. Responsible Taxes

The Bush-era tax cuts will expire on December 31 unless Congress acts. The Center is working to ensure that cuts for individuals earning more than $200,000 and couples earning more than $250,000 a year expire as scheduled and that recent improvements in tax credits for working families are renewed. Otherwise, a single mother with two children working full-time at the minimum wage will lose nearly $1,500 and the very wealthy will receive an average tax cut of more than $100,000.

2. Pay Equity

Women in America still make only 77 cents for every dollar men earn. To narrow the wage gap and strengthen wage discrimination protections, the House passed the landmark Paycheck Fairness Act in January 2009. We expect the Senate to take the bill up next week. Your support will help us mobilize even more women and men to tell the Senate that Women are Not WorthLess and that it should pass the Paycheck Fairness Act now.

3. Unemployment Insurance Coverage

The federal emergency unemployment insurance program for workers out of a job more than 26 weeks expires at the end of November. More than a million people will face cutoffs in December alone if Congress does not act quickly. With your support, we will urge Congress to extend this emergency program.

4. Child Care and Head Start

Congress must complete a final spending bill to prevent funding cuts to child care, Head Start, and other essential programs. If Congress fails to act to preserve recent increases in funding, newly opened classrooms will be forced to shut down, child care providers may find themselves out of business, and parents will lose essential child care. We’ll press policymakers to pass a spending bill that averts these devastating consequences.

_________________________________

Our experts are working round the clock to urge Congress to act on these and other critical fronts, including confirmation of 23 highly qualified judges who have been waiting for months for a floor vote and lifting a ban on abortion care for U.S. servicewomen using their own private money in military health facilities overseas.

Only days are left to enact these urgent measures. For women and families across the country, please make an emergency donation today.

Sincerely,
Nancy Duff Campbell Nancy Duff Campbell
Co-President
National Women’s Law Center 		Marcia Greenberger Marcia Greenberger
Co-President
National Women’s Law Center

P.S. For more than 35 years, the National Women’s Law Center has led the fight for women and families through good times and bad. We’re used to winning tough fights, and we have a track record t
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Update: Shirvell dismissed from MI Attorney General’s office


CNN Wire Staff

(CNN) – An assistant Michigan attorney general has been fired for harassing the openly gay president of the University of Michigan student body, Attorney General Mike Cox said Monday. Andrew Shirvell “repeatedly violated office policies, engaged in borderline stalking behavior and inappropriately used state resources,” Cox said.

Related: Michigan employee with blog on gay student takes leave of absence

Earlier: Michigan attorney general defends employee’s right to blog

Earlier: Assistant attorney general blogs against gay student body president

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

GOP’s Test START


Despite Tuesday’s elections, the work of the 111th Congress is far from over. Chief among the urgent tasks that must be completed before the end of the year is the ratification of the New START treaty. President Obama  stated yesterday in a meeting with his cabinet that the START treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) “is something that traditionally has received strong bipartisan support. … This is not a traditionally Democratic or Republican issue, but rather an issue of American national security and I’m hopeful we can get that done before we leave.” The New START Treaty poses the first real test of the seriousness of the GOP as a governing party. The treaty contains modest reductions in U.S. and Russian nuclear arms and importantly updates and extends the verification and monitoring measures of the original START treaty, which helped maintain nuclear stability since the end of the Cold War. Thus far, the New START treaty has been one of the few areas where bipartisanship has largely prevailed. The treaty received significant bipartisan support in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote in September, and the treaty is supported by a who’s who of Republican foreign policy figures. It looks as though there are the 67 votes needed to ratify the treaty in the upcoming Senate lame duck session. But despite the entire U.S. military top brass insisting that the treaty is needed now, the question remains whether the Republican leadership in the Senate will insist on being the party of no and block the treaty.

CLOCK’S TICKING:  335 days have passed since the original START treaty expired last December. Since that time, on-the-ground inspections of Russia’s nuclear arsenal have stopped. Now, U.S. inspectors are sitting idle; others are simply leaving the field taking their experience and expertise with them. Meanwhile, the U.S. military’s understanding of the make-up of Russia’s nuclear forces is eroding. This is dangerous and poses a severe potential threat to nuclear stability. Ironically, some Republicans have attacked the treaty, because they don’t trust the Russians, but without the new treaty, the U.S. will be forced to just blindly trust Russia in regards to its nuclear arsenal. The New START treaty would fix this verification gap , as it updates and extends the verification and monitoring measures that were negotiated by Ronald Reagan. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell stated, “This treaty is absolutely critical to the effectiveness of our nuclear arsenal, our knowledge of Russian nuclear capabilities and U.S. national security overall. … We’re advancing it at this time and pushing for ratification because we need this. And we need it sooner, rather than later.” If the New START treaty is not ratified by the end of the year, the entire ratification process would have to start from scratch, needlessly preventing the resumption of inspections of Russian nuclear sites for months, and even prompting concern about the treaty’s ultimate ratification.

VOTES ARE THERE:  Following the election, there have been multiple media reports speculating that the outcome of the election means trouble for New START. But in reality, the election changes almost nothing. The composition of the Senate remains virtually unchanged for the lame duck session. The only change is that instead of 59, there are now 58 Democrats and Independents in the Senate for the lame duck (due to the election of Republican Senator-elect Mark Kirk in Illinois, which will take immediate effect). For START to be ratified, it needs 67 votes. That means nine Republicans must vote ratify the treaty. While that seems impossible in the present political climate, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote in September START received the votes of three conservative Republicans: Bob Corker (R-TN), Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN). Six more Republicans are now needed to ratify the treaty. But with the support of the four moderate Senators from New England, retiring Senators George Voinovich (R-OH) and Bob Bennett (R-UT), and potentially a number of other more moderate Senators, such as Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Lindsey Graham (R-TN), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), there are enough potential Republican votes to ratify the treaty.

TEST OF THE GOP:  While there may be enough Republican support to ratify the treaty, the Republican leadership in the Senate could still resort to obstructionist tactics to block the treaty from coming to the floor during the lame duck period. The New START treaty therefore represents a first clear test of the seriousness of the GOP as a governing party. The GOP is still not trusted in its ability to govern, as a recent ABC/Washington Post poll indicated, only 40 percent of the American people trust Republicans with governing the country, compared with 45 percent for Democrats. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) himself admitted yesterday that “voters didn’t suddenly fall in love with Republicans.” While obstructionism has been the norm in the Senate, following the election the question now becomes whether the GOP is willing to responsibly govern. Rejecting or obstructing START — a treaty originally negotiated by Ronald Reagan and that is unanimously backed by the U.S. military and has overwhelming bipartisan support from senior foreign policy leaders, including Republican officials like Henry Kissinger, Stephen Hadley, Brent Scowcroft, James Schlessinger, Colin Powell, George Schultz, Sen. John Warner (VA), and James Baker— would send a clear signal that the GOP is not stepping up to the challenges. John Podesta, the President of the Center for American Progress, explained last night on MSNBC that the START treaty will tell us where the GOP stands : “Will Senator McConnell… get [START] done and go along with [the President]. … If he says no we are just going to be into obstructionism and the just-say-no-party — we’ll at least know where the Republican leadership stands.”