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~ my 2cents ...

Weekend wrap-up &some News …


To be sure MTV Movie Awards  tonight at 9pm in Cali… im thinking pop culture will meet with a lot of political outburst as well… the Sunday buzz … Republicans have a lot more to worry about now …what with jim greer averting funds, more and more Republicans are stating they have ties to the Military… Not  There are reports of a connection between the RNC chairman and jim greer too… oops.

We have another week of elections this Tuesday and hopefully the outcome is that voters get out there and vote for the Democratic Party who wants what is best for Americans not just a select few as it seems Republicans seem to feel.  It’s that old saying “do as i say not as i do,” because Big Banks, Big Oil, Big Insurance and Wall Street …de-regulation are still elements Republican Politicians want for themselves but say …Americans need to be ween themselves from.. strange philosophy coming from a group who just this last week was reported taking money from BP/Halliburton…last month Republicans like Mitch Mcconnell/Boehner Pence and Cantor  were reported  having meetings with Wall Street/Big Banks  asking for advice and money …

For about 39 days the  press/Media were saying President Obama needs to be in Louisiana, on the Gulf Coast talking to this person doing this or that… Now they are saying because he has been down there 2days in one week… he and his political capital is in deep trouble?okay i’ll bite… that is absurd and just one of many comments by the Media that is in my opinion stupid…yes, it’s to make people upset, maybe call in and make comments but the need for Press/Media self control is on the up swing as far as im concerned… it’s election season and talking heads are out to stir whatever trouble among the two Political Parties and among the parties themselves … i get it… but opinion news is tired and old.  If something looks and smells then reporter journalists are great but to latch on to a story that has no legs but meets all the talkingpoints so it gets played and played on national tv …old tired and maybe the reason some cable hosts numbers are way down.  Personally, was proud to see President Obama in Louisiana talking to people and definitely felt his frustration and reject the crap cable is force feeding the viewer…The President might be going to the Gulf Coast again this week and in my opinion it’s a great thing to see because the last guy seemed to have gone out of his way to  avoid places where the needy worked, or lived and needed real help real connection to what was going on and looked for himself.   It might be a hard thing to do but President Obama has and then some… because what folks conveniently forget is the plate full of problems that continuously need fixing and or that keep sprouting up and definitely were left by the last guys in office … do people get that.

Congress will be back in session this coming week and things like Cobra, Medicare payments, unemployment were dropped like a wet rat because it was recess time; the stalling, blocking by Republicans was offensive but will probably continue as they have decided the only way to bring down this President is to stop appointments, vote no on things they wanted and supported before and while Republicans state they want big government, socialized medicine and entitlements out of our lives; fact is most Republicans took the Stimulus money and not only took credit for it they passed it out like candy… i  wonder how many actually used the money to balance their budgets instead of creating jobs and or stopping the layoffs of teachers, police and first responders.  Republicans continue to want the rest of us to do without government until Republicans need it… for themselves and a select few

It’s obvious something strange happened last week and the reports about jobs that came mostly from census workers was wierd …the employment numbers for May were strange and call for some investigation … is the Private Sector holding back hiring …responding to the verbal beating by the Administration and others… if you watch or read enough on cable or newspapers/online it’s obvious that the Private Sector has changed the way they have hired in the past …jobs that were once paid and paid well because they actually are career oriented positions are mostly being offered up as internships to students …other jobs, some don’t necessarily turn into careers are offering commissions and less hours per week; which, is a strange and surprising thing to see because these are jobs that were “regular” Private Sector jobs  still offering insurance coverage but you have to wait 3 to 6 months… since the economy crashed and the verbal beat downs Wall Street and the Private Sector have gotten over the last 18months… the hiring process has changed and  outsourcing has again become the quiet norm

Other News …

**Unified Command in Mobile, AL announced deployment of a program to put unemployed to work  in areas affected by the spill http://ht.ly/1UB29

**Israel rejects an int’l commission to investigate the Gaza ship raid

**Chrysler recalled 25thou cars for pedal problems

**Don Cheadle has been named goodwill UN ambassador

**Dems need to support real Dems … Halter vs Blanche Lincoln

C-SPAN …

Portion of Leaking Oil Collected

Since the cap was placed over the leaking oil well Friday, it is believed that a quarter to half of the leaking oil from nearly a mile below the surface is being captured. In a press conference Saturday, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen estimated that about 252,000 gallons of oil has been collected in its first full day of use. Six weeks after the Deepwater Horizon accident, the government estimates nearly 50 million gallons of oil has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico. Oil is washing up on the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

watch Adm. Allen Press Conference (6/5)

watch LIVE Undersea ROV Cameras

visit Deepwater Horizon Response

Agriculture Secretary Discusses Future Farm Concerns

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack joined Newsmakers from Des Moines, IA to discuss the Obama Administration’s Rural Tour and how the public response will affect the 2012 Farm Bill. Feedback gained from the tour helped confirm “that we are headed in the right direction,” Sec. Vilsack said. He stressed the importance of educating America on the need for thriving rural economies and shared preliminary proposals on trade agreements and food safety.

In Depth with Martha Nussbaum

The author of 16 books, Martha Nussbaum joins Book TV’s In Depth to discuss her various works, including “Women and Human Development”, “Frontier of Justice”, and “Liberty of Conscience: In Defense of America’s Tradition of Religious Equality.” Martha Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago Law School.

Saturday morning and the great news … the weather is going to finally feel like May and not like the end of Winter.  It will be nice to  see the sunshine; hopefully the temperature will get up to 70 because it would help put a smile on anyone here in the 206; which has been very rainy…typical, but this year spring and summer has been way too cool… cold at times.

The wait for BP’s latest contraption to work is an ongoing feeling of helplessness for most of the country … a lot of misinformation and manipulation to pull the truth to one side or the other is happening on a daily basis and while it’s nice to get any information it should be accurate. The cap is on but the oil will continue to flow and some sort of ship is taking in the oil …maybe there should be more skimmers out there …enough oil plumes to siphon. Reports are that there are about 2000 boats ships on the Gulf working to siphon the oil currently and an update came in … 1% added today to Gulf fishing closure due to Horizon/BP oil spill effective 6pmET…if you have questions call 800-627-NOAA

The news about Republicans using words like backroom deals and or Obama definitely is not removed from Chicago Political behavior and or political manipulation is absurd.  I am not so naïve to think that the political deals being done are new or that both sides of the aisle don’t dabble in playing Chest. It’s obvious that deals are done everyday, so don’t let folks in the Media make you believe otherwise.   Though what is not so clear is who really is working in the best interest of our President ;maybe somebody needs to get moved aside… even more; maybe somebody or some people need to get fired.  I would hope folks remember the deals made by the Bush/Cheney group had a impact played a major difference to all our lives as Americans… like the War in Iraq…why did we go there instead of Afghanistan …why did the top 2% get tax breaks and count how many times they got them, who went out of the way to de-regulate Big Oil, Big Banks, Wall Street and look where it got us… The impact made by really bad decisions has been horrendous and any reporter who gets paid to start the oooooooooooh oh no he didn’t is getting on my nerves.  The offer of a paid job or not to a person in your own party …should be dealt with among the Political Party we all know Republicans do it …they probably make deals among themselves daily and are definitely able to keep it all quiet; however when it comes to We the People and the Peoples work?  we see Republicans who say they don’t want big government, don’t want entitlements for the People they represent that most people should do for themselves and let the market do what is has to and it will correct itself .

… What happened to doing the Peoples business, helping Americans? we see the dirty deals by Republicans every time there is a vote in Congress to help Americans move into the 21st Century except Republicans choose to be the Political Party of No because their agenda is … to bring down this President and sacrifice any and all things that would get America back on track… that is a huge smack in the face … to all Americans not just those who choose to be apart of the Democratic Party … it’s all us …we all lose when Republicans vote No on all things American …what do they represent when they are holding meetings with big Banks Wall Street characters and lobbyists determined to keep their control on all of Congress not just a part of it… what do Republicans represent when they vote No for helping Americans …the No votes affect Republicans out of work, doctors who aren’t getting helped, people who are discriminated by the insurance industry the list is way too long … and does anyone out there get it… if they continue to say No our system will continue on the same path the last guy left us on… that’s my take on what they want …when did he know the crash was coming, where was he and why didn’t he and his group stop it or stall it or do what people vote a person in for? people say oh when will we all stop blaming the last guy and make President Obama responsible? when Republicans realize that the governing body was voted in by 53% and let the governing begin… but it hasn’t  …the corrections Democrats feel are needed to fix our entire Financial system are being blocked and stalled by Republicans; unless and until they accept our President and who is in office… The Democratic Party, everything done before this administration still belongs to the house of Bush and his Republicans.

It’s sad that Republicans want government out of all our lives unless they need it personally and scream and yell about it and when government is supposed to help when no one or entity can…  they vote No on the floor of Congress but hold ribbon cuttings give out big stimulus checks and take credit for any and all monies given to their community, actually its not just sad it’s offensive.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The Gulf Coast


Yesterday, I visited Caminada Bay in Grand Isle, Louisiana — one of the first places to feel the devastation wrought by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. While I was here, at Camerdelle’s Live Bait shop, I met with a group of local residents and small business owners.

Folks like Floyd Lasseigne, a fourth-generation oyster fisherman. This is the time of year when he ordinarily earns a lot of his income. But his oyster bed has likely been destroyed by the spill.

Terry Vegas had a similar story. He quit the 8th grade to become a shrimper with his grandfather. Ever since, he’s earned his living during shrimping season — working long, grueling days so that he could earn enough money to support himself year-round. But today, the waters where he has worked are closed. And every day, as the spill worsens, he loses hope that he will be able to return to the life he built.

Here, this spill has not just damaged livelihoods. It has upended whole communities. And the fury people feel is not just about the money they have lost. It is about the wrenching recognition that this time their lives may never be the same.

These people work hard. They meet their responsibilities. But now because of a manmade catastrophe — one that is not their fault and beyond their control — their lives have been thrown into turmoil. It is brutally unfair. And what I told these men and women is that I will stand with the people of the Gulf Coast until they are again made whole.

That is why, from the beginning, we have worked to deploy every tool at our disposal to respond to this crisis. Today, there are more than 20,000 people working around the clock to contain and clean up this spill. I have authorized 17,500 National Guard troops to participate in the response. More than 1,900 vessels are aiding in the containment and cleanup effort. We have convened hundreds of top scientists and engineers from around the world. This is the largest response to an environmental disaster of this kind in the history of our country.

We have also ordered BP to pay economic injury claims, and this week, the federal government sent BP a preliminary bill for $69 million to pay back American taxpayers for some of the costs of the response so far. In addition, after an emergency safety review, we are putting in place aggressive new operating standards for offshore drilling. And I have appointed a bipartisan commission to look into the causes of this spill. If laws are inadequate, they will be changed. If oversight was lacking, it will be strengthened. And if laws were broken, those responsible will be brought to justice.

These are hard times in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast, an area that has already seen more than its fair share of troubles. The people of this region have met this terrible catastrophe with seemingly boundless strength and character in defense of their way of life. What we owe them is a commitment by our nation to match the resilience they have shown. That is our mission. And it is one we will fulfill.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell


President Obama has pledged to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” And the House passed a bill last week that would make good on this promise.

But there is real opposition in the Senate — and some Republicans are vowing to do whatever it takes to block a vote. The only way to get them to back down is to speak up.

I just added my name to the growing list of Americans in support of repealing this discriminatory law.

Will you join me?

http://my.barackobama.com/RepealDADT-share

Thanks!

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

TGIF and some News …


Today, the President will be in Louisiana …the Gulf Coast to talk to those who live and work there.  It is my opinion that it is not the Media’s job to sway or make sure we are all pissed at the President; their job is to report the News and time and time again we hear cable talking heads using the time to stir-up trouble.  It’s getting tiring to see people like tamron hall and others possibly trying to get better rating numbers by joining the bash the President brigade. People in the Press and or Media need to stop pointing fingers and help get this thing solved. I say change the channel

…Lakers Win Game 1 109, Celtics 89; Game 2 is on Sunday at the Staples Center.  The public or 60% of the public say they are upset with the President’s efforts on the Gulf Coast disaster… is it possible that the Media is not giving our President a platform… thank goodness Larry King did the interview …even though it is Larry’s 25yr celebration it was a moment that the public got to hear, see and realize how the President has been feeling as well as how he actually is handling BP and Associates. It can all be improved but clearly the government is not in the oil clean-up biz and anything said can possibly make the 3stooges abandon the site if pushed …they seemed to have decided to pay for damage control spots… odd because that money could be used to pay for the damages …to families of the dead, businesses dying and for more equipment to fight this spill… it should tell everyone exactly where these guys stand … and hopefully the President knows … BP seems to be putting Profits and damage control before the People.

The pictures and video’s of the oil goo, globs and blobs let alone the video of what some of the wildlife are going through was bad enough to make parents all over the country scream and turn the channel.  The photos are outrageous and while people are yelling where are the people/ and people need to clean this up… who is letting the viewers know that the air is that bad; it’s so unsafe for folks to be working there without some sort of mask or more hardcore -that is why the area is empty; this is not being conveyed to the viewer …we all need to see the awful things; this  should help Americans get it; we need to move toward Green Energy unlike how Gov Jindal seems to  feel …we don’t like big Gov’t, we want less spending but on the other hand Govt is not acting fast enough or spending enough money to get us out of this mess. It is unfortunate that people on the state level turned their heads while a lot of deals and money exchanged hands; like the current reports of money being given to Republicans as recent as last week from BP and Halliburton and it’s offensive.

It’s Friday, almost 2 months into what seems like an endless stream of bad news and photos from the Gulf Coast that prove what deepwater drilling does to the environment without proper equipment and lack of emergency procedures.  It is another day that 11people need to be recognized and condolences made to their families; the truth behind the accident will show the lack of safety features and hopefully used to recoup funds from the 3stooges.

And as the next BP procedure gets adjusted and or new procedure has to be used; We the People wait for the video the live shot or the reporter lucky enough to get both.  It’s not lost on me that the junkshot,  topkill, tophat and caphat procedures only seem to happen when it’s dark … why? out of sight out of mind or maybe less stress? anyway, it’s frustrating not being able to see the procedure happen; if nothing else we would all get a better idea on how far technology has come when it comes to getting something that has the value of gold but prefer to take extreme risks where worker safety is concerned. There are reports stating profits from oil is insane; probably the only reason why folks get into the oil business, willing to risk the environment or the people vs absolute profits

Hurricane season is here and while those of us outside the Gulf Coast sit and wait for things, something, anything positive to happen the reality that at any moment the whole area will need to be cleared out because the next natural but nasty thing is going to make a major impact on the Gulf Coast.  The weather is being watched closely by most weather experts and hopefully those responsible for the people on the Gulf Coast and their safety are as well because it’s clear  being prepared not only is a cliché; it’s one of many missing elements that could have prevented this type of incident.  It’s obvious this disaster has made  more people actually consider our future ,consider solutions that do not include fossil fuels but about moving toward Solar, Wind Biofuel, smart grid, batteries and more.

immigration … after watching the press conference that the Gov of Arizona held it appeared like she was nervous and uncomfortable but tried to seem like she got the best of the President …maybe she thinks that the written word will stop police officers who now have to act like ICE agents from negative behavior; that the written word will keep their emotions in check  but it won’t; racial profiling is used on a daily basis by the police  and while against the law, it’s accepted behavior … It is a side of human nature most of us know is bad but it’s there and this Governor just doesn’t get it … the video of a Seattle Police Officer was definitely an example of how some police officers can and do act … no all police officers will cross that line but it’s 2010 and this guy yelled shouted and called the so-called pert a racial slur… he must have felt safe that he would not be caught on tape …21st Century technology kept him in check…the written word of a law is only as good as the officer who takes the words written into law seriously.  Just ask people of colour who drive great cars and get pulled over; who visit parks and get questioned because they looked reasonably suspicious but there was no probable cause …this law seems  unconstitutional, will alienate minorities and drive undocumented people back into the shadows which is bad for the overall good of the state of Arizona.

Other News …

**Private Sector Companies are starting or have been outsourcing jobs …sending the jobs to China

**Changes today to  Gulf fishing  closure due to oil spill effective 6pm; call 800 627 NOAA for info or view map at http://ht.ly/1UbJx

Though Republicans are seizing on the Gulf oil crisis to attack President Obama, their “embrace of offshore oil drilling and their skepticism of ‘big’ government may hamper the party’s efforts to gain politically” from Obama’s handling of the disaster. “They’re kind of stuck because they’re the party of ‘Drill, Baby, Drill,’” David Lanoue, head of the political science department of the University of Alabama, told Bloomberg News.TP

**Vann Jones will be on Bill Maher tonight

**Griffey will work for Mariners

**The Gov and Mayor got into a fight over the Tunnel … they mayor does not want the tunnel the Gov let the mayor know he was not listening.

**Republicans believe they will gain more govenors

**The cap is on but the vents have not been closed yet …doug suttles states they will do so later on today

Myanmar has reportedly acquired components for a nuclear weapons program, including technology for uranium enrichment and long-range missiles, according to a defector from the nation’s Army. “The purpose is they really want a bomb. That is their main objective,” said defector Sai Thein Win.TP

C-SPAN …

watch Pres. Obama Remarks

Primary Elections Update

Democratic Governor’s Association 2010 Strategy

Eric Holder Remarks on Civil Rights

Cap placed on oil leak: President to Gulf to assess progress

President Obama returns to the Gulf region today to assess the latest efforts to contain the largest oil spill in U.S. history. This is his third visit to the region since the spill began in April and the second visit in just under a week. The White House said yesterday that the government will be sending BP and other responsible parties a bill for $69.09 million for costs of the response and recovery operations relating to the BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.   Yesterday, crews cut through the pipe from the leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico and this morning BP said it has placed a cap on the pipe and that some oil is flowing thru pipes to tanker ships.

watch LIVE Undersea ROV Cameras watch Adm. Allen (6/3)

Unemployment dips to 9.7%: 430,000 jobs created but most were temporary census workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released it employment statistics for the month of May. It finds that 430,000 jobs were created but 411,000 of those jobs were temporary census workers. The unemployment rate dropped from 9.9% to 9.7%. The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits dropped last week, but figures show the job market continues to remain weak.

watch LIVE NOW: WJ on unemployment numbers
read BLS May Report:

Book TV Spotlights 2009 & 2010 Pulitzer Prize Winners

Tonight’s Book TV theme highlights three Pulitzer Prize recepients and their recently awarded books.

David Hoffman, former Moscow bureau chief for the Washington Post, begins the evening when he recounts the final decade of the Cold War and the nuclear and biological munitions that remained following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Dead Hand was the recipient of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction. Then, author T.J. Stiles outlines the life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who was central in the ascendancy of the American corporation and whose fleet of steamships and railroad holdings allowed him to possess one of the largest fortunes in world history. T.J. Stiles’ The First Tycoon won the 2009 National Book Award for Nonfiction and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. And finally, Liaquat Ahamed recounts four of the world’s central bankers who attempted to rebuild the global economy following WWI in his 2010 Pulitzer Prize book for history, Lords of Finance .