Tag Archives: MJ

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

TGIF …


oops to all ref to the small biz bill not passing wrong …

I meant to say Republicans were able to limit the size of  the small business package, comprehensive climate and Jobs Bill. We needed bigger ones for a significant change to happen …sorry, the bills were so watered down- very disappointing

My rants for the day are many but before I go there, I would like to mention the great things that have happened over the last couple of weeks or months are just as many. We have health care, Wall Street reform, we have dadt in consideration for repeal and immigration though not necessarily something anyone in Congress wanted or thought would be brought  into the 2010 light, it has been and now forced into the main arena.

Yesterday, the House of Representatives convened and moved methodically through their calendar of events, which unlike the Senate seemed to be going smoothly. At around 2:15 after much debate a vote for HR4213, the 34billion dollar UI benefits bill passed and quickly moved to the desk of the President with few bumps and definitely not the same process of conflicts as the Senate. The reports are that they are now going to consider what is called the 99’rs. The numbers of people who have run out of unemployment is not clear but given the crisis that forced people off the payroll through no fault of their own the numbers are quite a few. The obvious conclusion to why they are still looking for jobs is that those jobs are gone. It would be in everyone’s best interest to help everyone out not just a select few as the process that got the USA in this mess happened when the a group of people…mostly rich people gambled and lost not only their value but people all over the country lost; they lost jobs,  homes and in some cases their 401Ks. The bets made by a certain group of people who were obviously rich, deep and affected the 99’rs. It is obvious people might need to push their member of Congress. I hope that Congress will see this as an effort to get all Americans back to work and vote not just to implement a program for the 99rs’ but create jobs for them. It is also  time to make bold moves toward a bigger small business package and Jobs Bill package that will be a big resource for getting the US back on track but to move into the 21st Century by starting green business that actually provide jobs for thousands not just a few.

Another issue of mine after all the BS coming out of the mouths of Fox News, Newt, Limbaugh, Beck and others on the right. This is my call for Dems in Congress, Obama admin and We the People to stop listening to the nonsense, the noise and watch what is happening by the likes of Breitbart types and what seems like a complicit relationship. The obvious would be to tell everyone to turn off faux news or at least stop believing in what Fox News is saying and if you questioned whether that comment was valid, will the current or latest event help you out. It is clear there was an organized movement to use the Sherrod video, the NAACP and the Obama Administration in an effort to ruin this President but provided obvious persons who are African-American who must be racists hired by a racist President, which is obviously a lie. It is another moment when We the People need to tune into what is happening on the floor of Congress, see Republicans blocking money from not just some Americans it affects their own constituents as well. Republicans continue to block efforts to create jobs; even McConnell Boehner and other members of the Republican Party admit if they cannot stall or block legislation they will and have managed to water all or most of the legislation down in the Senate and that includes a huge/solid Jobs Bill. We need a bigger small business package, which could create possibly millions of jobs, but as we, all know, if we listen to the carpetbaggers who are at work swaying the attitudes and possibly votes in November on a daily basis. On the one hand they say they too want to create jobs, want ui benefits but all the while they are telling all of their members to vote no to any legislation that will not only help the entire country –it would give President Obama recognition and possibly a second term. This scares them so much that they have decided to throw Americans under the bus to ruin this President and the obvious move into the 21st Century that was needed for years but has been avoided, neglected and possibly unwanted. Now people, all of us have to see without blinders who are actually working for We the People. If you would pay attention, Republicans have no real solutions to offer up or answers what where and how could the bubble that will burst if they are successful be repaired -how many of us have actually seen a bubble get repaired.

I cannot say how upsetting it was to watch and hear the crap from fox news, breitbart and the Media. It would great if the media would stop the nit-pick aspect of Sherrod, the NAACP, and the President and start trying to either research what part fox news played in this movement of gotcha news in an effort to get the President. The number of female reporters paraded in front of the camera standing saying this that or the other was absolutely offensive because everyone was so convinced that the President and the line of blacks… obviously objectionable to Limbaugh beck megynkelly breitbart and others were involved in illegal things. I get it, we Blacks have no work ethics, no integrity no morals. NOT. This group of evil doers is out to help Republicans prove this or at least taint the reputation of our new Administration and our first Black President, by the way, he is of mixed race…that bothers me because his mom was a Caucasian woman we should all recognize because without her he would not be here.

We need reporters to report the news, the facts not be the machine of manipulation or miss-information news …lies are wrong and should be dealt when it is reported on cable mainstream as truth….that is not news or opinion news they are lies…big difference.

Other News …

**Sneaky Credit Card fees are coming our way…call and make sure you know about them

**US -Russian treaty is facing hurdles in the Senate

**Rangel says he is ready to fight ethics charges

**The House is will be pressured into passing another watered down bill the Senate Thursday stripped out the $20 billion in House add-ons and returned to the House an almost $60 billion measure passed by a bipartisan vote in May. The Senate measure is limited chiefly at war funding, foreign aid, medical care for Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange, and replenishing almost empty disaster aid accounts.  Eleven Senate Democrats and Independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut voted against the House version of the bill. Not a single Republican supported it.huffpost hill

**NH Republican/ brian mergo-time for white people to take a stand-preserve their racial identity

**

C-SPAN …


watch White House Briefing 7/22

watch Sens. Reid & Kerry on Energy

watch NPC: From Earlier read AP: House panel approves tough mine safety bill read AP: Methane gas surged before W.Va. mine blast

watch Hearing on ADA

House Majority Leader Discusses Job Creation

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) will speak today about the Democrats’ effectiveness concerning job creation and the economy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Among the issues he will cover include the challenge of balancing federal spending to increase job growth while taking long-term steps to tackle budget deficits.

Yesterday, President Obama signed the unemployment insurance benefits bill, extending those benefits for more than two million people. The measure had been blocked for more than a month over concerns by Republicans that passing it would add to the federal budget deficit.

watch Rep. Hoyer: C-SPAN at 11:15am ET    watch House Floor Debate: From Yesterday
visit Rep. Hoyer’s Website

Rangel Charged with Ethics Violations

TA House investigative committee charged Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, with multiple ethics violation yesterday. Rangel, who stepped down in March after his ethics were criticized in a different case, faces a House trial on these allegations.

The nature of the allegations will not be publicly revealed until next Thursday, when he appears before the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. The panel will be divided equally between Republicans and Democrats.

Deepwater Horizon Accident Hearing Enters Fourth Day

Employees from Transocean and Halliburton are among the witnesses that are testifying at a joint investigative hearing held by the Coast Guard and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. They are providing information on cementing activities, the alarm system and operations during the 24 hours prior to the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon.

Witnesses include Transocean employee Mike Williams, who is now testifying and who the panel named as a person of interest on Tuesday. He could face criminal charges from the April 20th accident.

Yesterday, John Guide, BP’s direct supervisor of the top BP men aboard the rig, said that money “was not a factor in the decision” not to make recommended safety modifications to the deepwater rig. Halliburton said they warned BP that without these necessary changes there could be a “severe gas flow problem.”

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Women Can’t Wait: Unfair Pay is Bad Business


Tell the Senate: Women Can’t Wait for Fair Pay

Take Action

Paycheck Fairness is simply the right thing to do.

Take Action

Hard-working women everywhere are tired of waiting. Women earning only 77 cents to every dollar made by a man is bad business. You know it, the U.S. House of Representatives knows it, the White House Middle Class Task Force knows it. Now, all we’re waiting for is the Senate to get it.

Fortunately, Senators Dodd and Mikulski have filed an amendment to include the Paycheck Fairness Act in the small business bill being considered by the Senate soon. Tell your Senators that women cannot afford to wait any longer for Paycheck Fairness.

The Paycheck Fairness Act is a common-sense solution to ensure fair pay. Vice President Biden underscored its importance this week as the White House Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force included passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act as its number one recommendation. It’s simply the right thing to do.

Now more than ever, we need the Senate to act. With so many families depending on women’s earnings in the economic downturn, wage discrimination limits our nation’s recovery.

Women cannot afford to keep waiting. Urge your Senators to do the right thing and support Paycheck Fairness.

Thank you for continuing to stand up for equal pay. Together, we have come a long way for women, and we cannot rest until we finish the job.

Fatima Goss GravesSincerely,

Fatima Goss Graves
Vice President for Education and Employment
National Women’s Law Cent

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Monday mashup &some News


We are at a moment in time when people need to be looking out for each other because our financial outlook truly depends on the domino that is the government; we the People are the government and we all need help. It starts from the poor and is not limited to the middle class it includes our small business community, the private sector, and government workers. If you have not already heard, first responders, teachers, firefighters, and doctors who get government funds have become the first laid off, cut and or fired left and right. It is beyond my understanding to hear comments from the likes of a Sharron angle. She continues to state that people on unemployment are spoiled, oh and get this she said that Harry Reid’s effort to call NV banks to plead for over 79thousand jobs to be saved based on a local project was wrong to do. In a normal situation, too big to fail should be imposed on most projects if the money is funny but we are not in a normal situation.

Who is putting Political Party and Profits before The People? Who or What do you believe in? The facts or the stuff Republicans are throwing at us, come on even Alan Greenspan who implemented these tax cuts now calls for letting them expire, he went so far to as state that they were all wrong. No one on the Republican side can throw positive rhetoric on what happened to get us into this mess we, thankfully are slowly but surely coming out of because of the Obama Administration.

In addition to the financial rhetoric, we have racial rhetoric that has moved back and forth from SB1070 to coloreds, if you listen to Mark Williams; and do we really need anyone to break down the Mark Williams satire letter? It is quite obvious what he thinks and just to respond to Mr. Williams and others who feel he was not behaving like a racist – There are jerks in every race but there are also Black folks work just as hard have work ethics and integrity and if we were to judge you by your comments -you sir have no ethics. It would be great if he were banned from the airwaves entirely.

Speaking of airwaves, we all wait for news, any news from the various Media outlets who will give us good news about the BP cap because there are reports that something (methane) is seeping out from the bottom, which sounds ominous. We will all hear they have to lift the cap to release pressure on the well then hope that replacing it will be an easy task. We have to wait for the Senate to begin the replacement proceedings of the beloved late Senator Byrd with Governor Joe Manchin’ appointment of Carte Goodwin; this replacement will clinch the Democratic Party’s ability to pass the extensions bill (HR4213) for unemployment and hopefully the small business bill (HR5297) as well. It should be an eye-opening situation for folks who really have yet to decide who they want in power, who they want to govern, who has been working for The People, which includes the Middle and lower class, the poor, average Joe and Main Street instead of those who have turned their backs on those listed here. It is an obvious choice to me but far be it from me to understand why caring for people and their station in life as the wrong thing to do or that it is spoiling them. The US has undergone a financial crisis that began when a group of fairly wealth off people decided to dabble in off the grid behavior. And while it was covered up for who knows how long it all became  too much that folks had to listen to the few regulators doing all but shooting at the moon to get attention someone’s attention at the end became anybody who would listen… hey, go get “House of Cards” by CNBC and grab the whole story for yourself.

We have many things to deal with before our country is back on track and the best way would be for our Congress to all work on a bipartisan basis. And if this cannot happen the Democratic Party needs to blow full ahead to knock the filibuster out and get the votes that help Americans first unlike the last guy who spent and sent money on 2Wars tax cuts that added to the financial problems we now have.

Other News …


C-SPAN …

watch Talk on the Bayou Radio Show

BP Claims Fund Administrator discusses payout process

Kenneth Feinberg, appointed by President Obama and BP to oversee the $20 billion BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill compensation fund, participated in a question and answer session on his role as the Administrator of the Gulf Claims Facility. Hosted by the Economic Club of Washington, Feinberg outlined the process for responding to oil spill claims, and relatee his experiences dealing with the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, the Hurricane Katrina Mediation and other programs.

Coast Guard Holds Investigatory Hearing into Deepwater Horizon Explosion

The Coast Guard is holding a week-long series of hearings in New Orleans to develop conclusions on the “how” and “why” the Deepwater Horizon explosion happened in late April. This is the third session of hearings intended to collect facts and produce recommendations which will aid the Coast Guard and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement in their research. Witnesses will provide information concerning the structure of the well, the explosion itself, and the leaks associated with the blowout preventer.  According the federal officials, tests revealed last night that oil is seeping out near BP’s blown-out oil well. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen (Ret.) did not provide further details on the size of the leak but indicated scientist have focused on the spot and are conducting evaluations.

President Obama, P.M. Cameron to discuss economy and oil spill

President Obama will host Prime Minister Cameron at the White House tomorrow, where they are expected to discuss Afghanistan, the economy and BP’s handling of the Gulf oil spill. The two leaders last met at the G8 and G20 meetings in Canada last month, where the Prime Minister revealed he wanted to withdraw troops from Afghanistan within five years.  On the eve of Cameron’s first visit to the White House as Britain’s Prime Minister, political editor for Sky News, Adam Boulton joined the Washington Journal to discuss US-British relations. One topic of discussion was the oil spill and recent revelations that BP lobbied the British government over a prison transfer agreement for the Lockerbie bomber while negotiating a major oil deal with Libya.
~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Week -end Wrap -up & News


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

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

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

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

-George Orwell

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other News …

**Neo-nazi leading patrols on the AZ border

C-SPAN …

watch Pres. Obama on Gulf Oil Spill

Oil Spill Cap Continues to Stop Leak

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

Last week, the national commission investigating the cause of the Gulf Coast disaster held a public meeting in New Orleans. President Obama established the bi-partisan commission in May to investigate the oil spill and give recommendations on ways to prevent and lessen the impact of future oil spills resulting from offshore drilling. Witnesses included the Interior Department’s newly appointed Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Michael Bromwich. He talked about the Interior Department’s second moratorium order to stop deep water drilling.

Arizona senate GOP candidates square off in debate

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

Lawmakers Look Into Airline Fees; Impact on Industry

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently reported that airlines earned $7.9 billion from additional fees in 2008 and 2009. Many of these fees include a variety of unbundled services for food; extra carriers; blankets; bathroom use; priority seating and more. On Wednesday, the House Transportation Aviation Subcommittee questioned whether the airline industry should better disclose these fees to flyers.  Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello (D-IL) agreed with the GAO’s findings and supported statements from witnesses representing the GAO, Department of Transportation and associations for air travel and travel agents. “I frankly do not believe that we are going to get where we need to be unless we do this either through rulemaking or action taken by the Congress,” Rep. Costello stated.

Book TV Live From Harlem Book Fair

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

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

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Video: Mr. Karder goes to Washington …Repower America


What keeps me fighting is the folks we’re fighting for.

And one story that’s stuck with me is Michael Karder’s. He’s struggling to bring manufacturing jobs back to Akron, Ohio building wind turbines — because he knows clean energy is the future of our economy.

This video is exactly why I’m in this movement — and you should see it.

Watch Michael Karder’s story and help him fight for our clean energy future.

Michael’s voice and the voices of others like him are so powerful that next week we’re planning to bring hundreds of Americans — Gulf Coast residents, veterans and clean energy manufacturers — to Washington, D.C. to remind our Senators why they need to be champions for clean energy and climate.

But their voices will be even more powerful if we join ours with theirs.

You can stand with these real American voices for clean energy by signing our letter to the Senate demanding strong climate and clean energy legislation, and our grassroots advocates will deliver it during their meetings in the Senate.

We already have 67,000 signatures — ask your friends and family to sign on and support people like Michael.

It’s bewildering that despite catastrophic disasters and undeniable public outrage, so many Senators are still struggling to find their backbone on comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation.

Next week, we’re going to remind them why we need action in a powerful way, and you can be a part of it.

Watch Michael’s story and ask your friends and family to add their names before we deliver it to the Senate

Thanks,

David Boundy
Campaign Manager
The Climate Protection Action Fund’s Repower America

DONATE
Contributions or gifts to the Climate Protection Action Fund are not tax deductible.