Saturday, December 31, 2011
3.5 Million Homeless and 18.5 Million Vacant Homes in the US | Occupy America
3.5 Million Homeless and 18.5 Million Vacant Homes in the US Occupy America
In the last few days, the U.S. government census figures have revealed that 1 in 2 Americans have fallen into poverty or are struggling to live on low incomes. And we know that the financial hardships faced by our neighbors, colleagues, and others in our communities will be all the more acutely felt over the holiday season.
Along with poverty and low incomes, the foreclosure rate has created its own crisis situation as the number of families removed from their homes has skyrocketed.
Since 2007, banks have foreclosed around eight million homes. It is estimated that another eight to ten million homes will be foreclosed before the financial crisis is over. This approach to resolving one part of the financial crisis means many, many families are living without adequate and secure housing. In addition, approximately 3.5 million people in the U.S. are homeless, many of them veterans. It is worth noting that, at the same time, there are 18.5 million vacant homes in the country.
In the last few days, the U.S. government census figures have revealed that 1 in 2 Americans have fallen into poverty or are struggling to live on low incomes. And we know that the financial hardships faced by our neighbors, colleagues, and others in our communities will be all the more acutely felt over the holiday season.
Along with poverty and low incomes, the foreclosure rate has created its own crisis situation as the number of families removed from their homes has skyrocketed.
Since 2007, banks have foreclosed around eight million homes. It is estimated that another eight to ten million homes will be foreclosed before the financial crisis is over. This approach to resolving one part of the financial crisis means many, many families are living without adequate and secure housing. In addition, approximately 3.5 million people in the U.S. are homeless, many of them veterans. It is worth noting that, at the same time, there are 18.5 million vacant homes in the country.
Flint Sit-Down Strike's 75th Anniversary Offers Opportunity For Reflection
Flint Sit-Down Strike's 75th Anniversary Offers Opportunity For Reflection
Autoworkers occupied a factory in Flint, Mich., 75 years ago Friday, launching a struggle that would involve tens of thousands of workers and bring the United Auto Workers into the national spotlight.
The Flint Sit-Down Strike, as it is now known, lasted 44 days. The strike marked the first victory of the UAW, which had formed just a year before in 1935.
Although there had been prior strikes at other auto plants, Flint represented a new milestone for the union movement. The strike targeted two critical plants, Fisher 1 and 2. Both belonged to General Motors, the biggest of the big three auto manufacturers in the United States. UAW activists realized the strike had the potential to paralyze the auto manufacturer and give them a platform to organize on a national level.
Autoworkers occupied a factory in Flint, Mich., 75 years ago Friday, launching a struggle that would involve tens of thousands of workers and bring the United Auto Workers into the national spotlight.
The Flint Sit-Down Strike, as it is now known, lasted 44 days. The strike marked the first victory of the UAW, which had formed just a year before in 1935.
Although there had been prior strikes at other auto plants, Flint represented a new milestone for the union movement. The strike targeted two critical plants, Fisher 1 and 2. Both belonged to General Motors, the biggest of the big three auto manufacturers in the United States. UAW activists realized the strike had the potential to paralyze the auto manufacturer and give them a platform to organize on a national level.
Empire - The decline of the American empire
I wish we had a media that talked about thingw with intelligence.
WUWM: News - Recall Organizers Intend to be Visible at Rose Bowl
WUWM: News - Recall Organizers Intend to be Visible at Rose Bowl
A lot of Wisconsin supporters will be out on Pasadena to root on the Badgers and boot out the governor.
A lot of Wisconsin supporters will be out on Pasadena to root on the Badgers and boot out the governor.
Super PACs Dominate Iowa Caucus, Helping Mitt Romney Run Ahead
Super PACs Dominate Iowa Caucus, Helping Mitt Romney Run Ahead
Never before have the Iowa caucuses seen such a campaign by any group other than a candidate committee. And with days to go before Iowans cast their votes, the new political landscape is coming into sharper focus.
Fully aware of the bazooka he had in his back pocket, Romney on Friday jetted off to New Hampshire to campaign for the primary election there, casually planning a return to the Hawkeye State on Saturday afternoon. Calm and assured that his campaign would keep on going past Iowa, he put an op-ed in the State newspaper in South Carolina and spent the morning taking shots at President Barack Obama in a variety of interviews. Opponents were left grappling for third place in Tuesday night's vote.
Gingrich, the target of the pro-Romney super PAC's ammo, was left in a more fetal state. "I can't do modern politics," the former speaker said at one campaign stop. At another, he broke down in tears, as he described memories of his mother.
The 2012 Iowa caucus is, increasingly, not about the individuals running. Campaign finance observers have warned repeatedly that independent groups, enabled by the Supreme Court's January 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission to raise and spend unlimited sums, would alter the balance of campaigns, once run primarily by candidate committees and party organizations. So far, those warnings are looking prescient.
Never before have the Iowa caucuses seen such a campaign by any group other than a candidate committee. And with days to go before Iowans cast their votes, the new political landscape is coming into sharper focus.
Fully aware of the bazooka he had in his back pocket, Romney on Friday jetted off to New Hampshire to campaign for the primary election there, casually planning a return to the Hawkeye State on Saturday afternoon. Calm and assured that his campaign would keep on going past Iowa, he put an op-ed in the State newspaper in South Carolina and spent the morning taking shots at President Barack Obama in a variety of interviews. Opponents were left grappling for third place in Tuesday night's vote.
Gingrich, the target of the pro-Romney super PAC's ammo, was left in a more fetal state. "I can't do modern politics," the former speaker said at one campaign stop. At another, he broke down in tears, as he described memories of his mother.
The 2012 Iowa caucus is, increasingly, not about the individuals running. Campaign finance observers have warned repeatedly that independent groups, enabled by the Supreme Court's January 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission to raise and spend unlimited sums, would alter the balance of campaigns, once run primarily by candidate committees and party organizations. So far, those warnings are looking prescient.
Friday, December 30, 2011
VIDEO Occupy The Rose Parade Jim Nash reports - latimes.com
VIDEO Occupy The Rose Parade Jim Nash reports - latimes.com
The authorities seem to be hyperventilating because occupy will have a parade this year. It will follow rows of police cars.
The authorities seem to be hyperventilating because occupy will have a parade this year. It will follow rows of police cars.
Ten Ultra-Rich Congresspeople Who "Represent" Some of the Most Financially Troubled Districts | Truthout
Ten Ultra-Rich Congresspeople Who "Represent" Some of the Most Financially Troubled Districts Truthout
The hard times that most Americans continue to experience don't seem to be making an impact on their representatives in Washington. Now a new report might shed some light on why. According to a Washington Post story this week, “Between 1984 and 2009, the median net worth of a member of the House more than doubled, according to the analysis of financial disclosures, from $280,000 to $725,000 in inflation-adjusted 2009 dollars, excluding home equity.
”Members of Congress have only been getting richer over the last 25 years.
“Over the same period,” the Post continued, “the wealth of an American family has declined slightly, with the comparable median figure sliding from $20,600 to $20,500.
” Nearly half of all members of Congress are millionaires, the New York Times pointed out, and yet many of them don't see themselves as rich. “I don’t see myself as a man of great wealth,” Representative Ed Pastor, Democrat from Arizona, told the Times. “To say that I’m enjoying a millionaire’s lifestyle — well, I can tell you, I guess a millionaire’s income doesn’t go very far these days.”
The hard times that most Americans continue to experience don't seem to be making an impact on their representatives in Washington. Now a new report might shed some light on why. According to a Washington Post story this week, “Between 1984 and 2009, the median net worth of a member of the House more than doubled, according to the analysis of financial disclosures, from $280,000 to $725,000 in inflation-adjusted 2009 dollars, excluding home equity.
”Members of Congress have only been getting richer over the last 25 years.
“Over the same period,” the Post continued, “the wealth of an American family has declined slightly, with the comparable median figure sliding from $20,600 to $20,500.
” Nearly half of all members of Congress are millionaires, the New York Times pointed out, and yet many of them don't see themselves as rich. “I don’t see myself as a man of great wealth,” Representative Ed Pastor, Democrat from Arizona, told the Times. “To say that I’m enjoying a millionaire’s lifestyle — well, I can tell you, I guess a millionaire’s income doesn’t go very far these days.”
Verizon Fee: Mobile Network Operator Scraps Convenience Fee After Customer Uproar
Verizon Fee: Mobile Network Operator Scraps Convenience Fee After Customer Uproar
Well, isn't that convenient! After public outcry, Verizon has decided that it will not instate a $2 "convenience fee" for customers paying monthly bills with a credit or debit card via the Internet or telephone.
A press release on the Verizon website announced the carrier's change of heart and credited "customer feedback about the plan" for its decision:
Verizon Wireless has decided it will not institute the fee for online or telephone single payments that was announced earlier this week.
The company made the decision in response to customer feedback about the plan, which was designed to improve the efficiency of those transactions. The company continues to encourage customers to take advantage of the numerous simple and convenient payment methods it provides.
It's a quick turnaround for Verizon, which just announced the $2 "convenience fee" on its website on December 29; within 24 hours, online petitions had begun to circulate, commenters condemning Verizon's corporate greed had made their voice heard on websites and message boards across the Internet, and even the FCC announced plans to investigate the charge. A day after introducing the so-called convenience fee, Verizon caved to public and governmental pressure and scrapped the charge.
Well, isn't that convenient! After public outcry, Verizon has decided that it will not instate a $2 "convenience fee" for customers paying monthly bills with a credit or debit card via the Internet or telephone.
A press release on the Verizon website announced the carrier's change of heart and credited "customer feedback about the plan" for its decision:
Verizon Wireless has decided it will not institute the fee for online or telephone single payments that was announced earlier this week.
The company made the decision in response to customer feedback about the plan, which was designed to improve the efficiency of those transactions. The company continues to encourage customers to take advantage of the numerous simple and convenient payment methods it provides.
It's a quick turnaround for Verizon, which just announced the $2 "convenience fee" on its website on December 29; within 24 hours, online petitions had begun to circulate, commenters condemning Verizon's corporate greed had made their voice heard on websites and message boards across the Internet, and even the FCC announced plans to investigate the charge. A day after introducing the so-called convenience fee, Verizon caved to public and governmental pressure and scrapped the charge.
Mitt Romney: 'I Am Not A Wall Street Guy, Classically Defined'
Mitt Romney: 'I Am Not A Wall Street Guy, Classically Defined'
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said in an interview Thursday that none of the money that flowed into Bain Capital during his time at its helm in the 1980s and 90s came from Wall Street investors, though he said he doubted that records of such matters will be made public.
"I don't believe any of the funding came from Wall Street, meaning from investment banks or the like," Romney told The Huffington Post on board his campaign bus as he barnstormed this state ahead of next Tuesday's caucuses, which kick off the Republican primary process.
"Our funding came from individuals, and then ultimately we got funding from a church pension fund, endowments -– I think our largest single investor group were endowments, colleges," Romney said. "And then we used those funds to either start businesses, venture capital, or to try and buy businesses in trouble and make them stronger. That's not technically Wall Street, that's not an investment banking function, but it is financial services."
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said in an interview Thursday that none of the money that flowed into Bain Capital during his time at its helm in the 1980s and 90s came from Wall Street investors, though he said he doubted that records of such matters will be made public.
"I don't believe any of the funding came from Wall Street, meaning from investment banks or the like," Romney told The Huffington Post on board his campaign bus as he barnstormed this state ahead of next Tuesday's caucuses, which kick off the Republican primary process.
"Our funding came from individuals, and then ultimately we got funding from a church pension fund, endowments -– I think our largest single investor group were endowments, colleges," Romney said. "And then we used those funds to either start businesses, venture capital, or to try and buy businesses in trouble and make them stronger. That's not technically Wall Street, that's not an investment banking function, but it is financial services."
Why would they have thought that?
Democracy American-style
It was many months ago that I first announced that Romney would be the Republican nominee. Who could have figured? While I could have and I did, even though I left it with the caveat that that they might stick Chris Christie in there if every Republican voter in America found Romney too repubugnant to vote for thus ensuring that Americans would be given no choice. In this case the future Obama-Romney works out even better as they had so many similar positions before Romney had to start appealing to the crazy wing of his party. Both even supported the same health care bill, though Romney now has amnesia about it now.
The choice was already noted here: http://laborspains.blogspot.com/2011/07/who-represents-you-ie-at-least-we-get.html
or when T-Paw made way for Romney before even a vote was cast: http://laborspains.blogspot.com/2011/08/so-long-t-paw-we-never-knew-ya.html
Backlash against the crazies getting too close: http://laborspains.blogspot.com/2011/07/migraine-headachegate.html
Who they work for: http://laborspains.blogspot.com/2011/07/who-they-work-for.html
I think Michael Moore was the first person I heard point out the extreme similarities of the parties during the Bush and Gore debates. During that time he noted how the candidates agreed with each other thirty-two times.
Article is here: http://michaelmoore.com/words/mikes-letter/george-gore-meet-al-bush
Some subjects get endless verbiage, as both sides appear to fall over themselves to please their backers, and others are barely get mentioned until they've largely been relegated to non-issues. Fortunately human intelligence does play a role in the decisions made and it would be hard for me to imagine Al Gore would have been stupid enough to fight several wars on a credit card.
Then there's the computer tallies which tabulates the vote, which last I heard can be hacked into from long distance, in case the "silly citizens" can't even get their marching orders straight and not vote for who their told to.
Silly Wabbit. Democracy requires real choice.
So if you're in Iowa or New Hampshire. Go out. Have some fun. Enjoy pulling the levers. Maybe stop at a bread sticks on your way home. Then maybe you can watch Dancing with the Stars or American Idol so you can participate in the last vestiges of democracy left in this country. Then you can enjoy the next four years of wars around the globe, flushing the constitution down the toilet, watching the heavily armed police force beat the hell out of unarmed protesters all being done in the name of preserving the constitution and teaching the rest of the world about democracy.
Just pathetic
Contractors' Role Grows in Drone Missions, Worrying Some in the Military | Common Dreams
Contractors' Role Grows in Drone Missions, Worrying Some in the Military Common Dreams
"What company do you work for?" Maj. Gen. Timothy McHale demanded of the contractor after he learned that she was not in the military, according to a transcript obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
"SAIC," she answered. Her employer, SAIC Inc., is a publicly traded Virginia-based corporation with a multiyear $49 million contract to help the Air Force analyze drone video and other intelligence from Afghanistan.
America's growing drone operations rely on hundreds of civilian contractors, including some, such as the SAIC employee, who work in the so-called kill chain before Hellfire missiles are launched, according to current and former military officers, company employees and internal government documents.
Relying on private contractors has brought corporations that operate for profit into some of America's most sensitive military and intelligence operations. And using civilians makes some in the military uneasy.
Oops sorry it wasn't us we outsourced it to missiles r us.
"What company do you work for?" Maj. Gen. Timothy McHale demanded of the contractor after he learned that she was not in the military, according to a transcript obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
"SAIC," she answered. Her employer, SAIC Inc., is a publicly traded Virginia-based corporation with a multiyear $49 million contract to help the Air Force analyze drone video and other intelligence from Afghanistan.
America's growing drone operations rely on hundreds of civilian contractors, including some, such as the SAIC employee, who work in the so-called kill chain before Hellfire missiles are launched, according to current and former military officers, company employees and internal government documents.
Relying on private contractors has brought corporations that operate for profit into some of America's most sensitive military and intelligence operations. And using civilians makes some in the military uneasy.
Oops sorry it wasn't us we outsourced it to missiles r us.
Virginia GOP Will Require Voters To Sign ‘Loyalty Oath’ - ABC News#.Tv0SNctTxVs.twitter
Virginia GOP Will Require Voters To Sign ‘Loyalty Oath’ - ABC News#.Tv0SNctTxVs.twitter
Voters do not register with a party in Virginia; thus the commonwealth’s primary is open to all residents, not just members of the Republican party. The oath, which reads “I, the undersigned, pledge that I intend to support the nominee of the Republican party for president,” is intended to deter non-Republicans from participating in the process unless they are serious about supporting the eventual GOP candidate.“
I think there was a desire to try and keep the Republican party for Republicans,” explains Kyle Kondik, a political analyst for the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “It’s the one barrier to entry that the Republican party can put up to try and keep voting limited to people in the club.”
Between loyalty oaths, government ids that prevents a large portion of the electorate from voting to prevent fantasy fake voting is what democracy doesn't look like.
Voters do not register with a party in Virginia; thus the commonwealth’s primary is open to all residents, not just members of the Republican party. The oath, which reads “I, the undersigned, pledge that I intend to support the nominee of the Republican party for president,” is intended to deter non-Republicans from participating in the process unless they are serious about supporting the eventual GOP candidate.“
I think there was a desire to try and keep the Republican party for Republicans,” explains Kyle Kondik, a political analyst for the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “It’s the one barrier to entry that the Republican party can put up to try and keep voting limited to people in the club.”
Between loyalty oaths, government ids that prevents a large portion of the electorate from voting to prevent fantasy fake voting is what democracy doesn't look like.
Jerry Brown On Occupy Oakland: Governor Vows To Help Prevent Port Shutdown
Jerry Brown On Occupy Oakland: Governor Vows To Help Prevent Port Shutdown“I’d give whatever help was needed,” the governor told CBS News. “We don’t look to the Guard for police work except under extreme emergencies. However, there are resources under mutual aid and in Oakland. With some leadership and some imagination, not only can they keep the port open, but they should keep the port open.
”Brown also touched on the movement's lack of specific demands. ”I do think that politicians are listening, but in terms of some programmatic agenda -– that has not been articulated, and I don’t think it ever will be,” he said.
But the governor refused to discuss Occupy Oakland in relation to the city's embattled mayor, Jean Quan. "I don't think Jean Quan needs more critics," he told reporters.
”Brown also touched on the movement's lack of specific demands. ”I do think that politicians are listening, but in terms of some programmatic agenda -– that has not been articulated, and I don’t think it ever will be,” he said.
But the governor refused to discuss Occupy Oakland in relation to the city's embattled mayor, Jean Quan. "I don't think Jean Quan needs more critics," he told reporters.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Feds ordered Walker to lift cap on Family Care
Feds ordered Walker to lift cap on Family Care
Good publicity turned bad for Gov. Scott Walker on Thursday when details of a letter from the federal government cast doubt on his motivations for lifting the cap on a state safety net for elderly and disabled residents.
On Wednesday, flanked by advocates for the state's needy population, the governor announced he was lifting the cap on Family Care and would offer legislation to expand by $80 million the program that keeps the elderly and disabled out of nursing homes. The changes had been in the works for month.
But on Thursday the State Journal obtained a copy of a Dec. 13 letter from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ordering the state to lift the cap and immediately enroll people not enrolled since Walker capped the program in July.Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/feds-ordered-walker-to-lift-cap-on-family-care/article_df4458ec-323b-11e1-9bf0-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1hyZ4SRvs
Good publicity turned bad for Gov. Scott Walker on Thursday when details of a letter from the federal government cast doubt on his motivations for lifting the cap on a state safety net for elderly and disabled residents.
On Wednesday, flanked by advocates for the state's needy population, the governor announced he was lifting the cap on Family Care and would offer legislation to expand by $80 million the program that keeps the elderly and disabled out of nursing homes. The changes had been in the works for month.
But on Thursday the State Journal obtained a copy of a Dec. 13 letter from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ordering the state to lift the cap and immediately enroll people not enrolled since Walker capped the program in July.Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/feds-ordered-walker-to-lift-cap-on-family-care/article_df4458ec-323b-11e1-9bf0-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1hyZ4SRvs
U.S. Troops In Iraq Excited To Finally Return To Afghanistan | The Onion - America's Finest News Source
U.S. Troops In Iraq Excited To Finally Return To Afghanistan The Onion - America's Finest News Source
BAGHDAD—Members of the U.S. Armed Forces were reportedly overcome with feelings of joy, nostalgia, and optimism this week after learning they would soon be withdrawn from Iraq and allowed to finally return home to Afghanistan.
"I never thought this day would come," said Cpl. Douglas Robinson, who hasn't seen the barren hills and smoking craters of his beloved Kabul in nearly six years. "Being away from those you left behind, for this long, it definitely starts to take a toll on you."
BAGHDAD—Members of the U.S. Armed Forces were reportedly overcome with feelings of joy, nostalgia, and optimism this week after learning they would soon be withdrawn from Iraq and allowed to finally return home to Afghanistan.
"I never thought this day would come," said Cpl. Douglas Robinson, who hasn't seen the barren hills and smoking craters of his beloved Kabul in nearly six years. "Being away from those you left behind, for this long, it definitely starts to take a toll on you."
Scott Brown would you like some cheese with that whine
I think he's really tri-partican. Republican. Democratic, now that he's running in a Democratic state. And Wall Street, anyone who looks back at Scott with the Koch brothers he couldn't have done it without them.
Ben Nelson's Christmas Gift to America | The Nation
Ben Nelson's Christmas Gift to America The Nation
With his parochialism and narrow concern for his own influence, it’s no exaggeration to say that Ben Nelson represented the worst of the Senate. His retirement is a good thing for Congress and a good thing for the country.
With his parochialism and narrow concern for his own influence, it’s no exaggeration to say that Ben Nelson represented the worst of the Senate. His retirement is a good thing for Congress and a good thing for the country.
» Scott Walker Getting Nearly Half His Donations from Out-of-State While Decrying Out-of-State Money
» Scott Walker Getting Nearly Half His Donations from Out-of-State While Decrying Out-of-State Money
Under Wisconsin state law, the Governor can keep both official and personal calendars, as his predecessor, Democrat Jim Doyle did. But what is of particular note with regard to Walker are his claims that his opponents are using out-of-state money to fund their efforts against him when it turns out that Walker is doing the same thing himself:
Nearly half of the $5.1 million raised by the embattled Republican governor since July 1 came from outside of Wisconsin. In all of 2010, when Walker won a hotly contested election that included a primary, just 8 percent of the more than $8 million he raised came from out of state.
Out-of-state donors accounted for $2.4 million of the amount in Walker’s most recent report, or 47 percent of the total.
In all, Walker has raised $7.6 million in donations since he took office on Jan 3. Of these, $3.2 million, or about 42 percent, came from out of state.
“I’ve never seen any candidate — ever — get close to half their money from out of state,” said Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonpartisan watchdog. “I used to always be stunned when I saw a candidate for state office with 10 percent coming from out of state.”
Under Wisconsin state law, the Governor can keep both official and personal calendars, as his predecessor, Democrat Jim Doyle did. But what is of particular note with regard to Walker are his claims that his opponents are using out-of-state money to fund their efforts against him when it turns out that Walker is doing the same thing himself:
Nearly half of the $5.1 million raised by the embattled Republican governor since July 1 came from outside of Wisconsin. In all of 2010, when Walker won a hotly contested election that included a primary, just 8 percent of the more than $8 million he raised came from out of state.
Out-of-state donors accounted for $2.4 million of the amount in Walker’s most recent report, or 47 percent of the total.
In all, Walker has raised $7.6 million in donations since he took office on Jan 3. Of these, $3.2 million, or about 42 percent, came from out of state.
“I’ve never seen any candidate — ever — get close to half their money from out of state,” said Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonpartisan watchdog. “I used to always be stunned when I saw a candidate for state office with 10 percent coming from out of state.”
CNN Poll: Santorum Surges In Iowa As Romney And Paul Battle For First | TPM2012
CNN Poll: Santorum Surges In Iowa As Romney And Paul Battle For First TPM2012
Did I not predict this weeks earlier. I'm just afraid people might actually start voting before the main stream media declares them the front runner. Put off the Iowa thing for another week. As Andy Warhol said, :Everyone get to lead the Republican primary for at least fifteen minutes."
Did I not predict this weeks earlier. I'm just afraid people might actually start voting before the main stream media declares them the front runner. Put off the Iowa thing for another week. As Andy Warhol said, :Everyone get to lead the Republican primary for at least fifteen minutes."
In Oakland, Mayor Quan Struggles to Put Protest in the Past - NYTimes.com
In Oakland, Mayor Quan Struggles to Put Protest in the Past - NYTimes.com
¶In a dizzying series of reversals, Ms. Quan initially embraced the protest, then ordered the camp cleared, then allowed the demonstrators to return after the police seriously injured one of them, a Marine veteran. Two weeks later, she ordered the plaza cleared again, citing reports that “anarchists” were fomenting violence.
¶Now, Frank H. Ogawa Plaza remains empty most days, but Ms. Quan’s mayoralty is teetering. In a city known for its flamboyant and colorful mayors, she has emerged as one of its most controversial. Conservatives accuse her of coddling the protesters, while former allies on the left are incensed that she ordered the plaza cleared at all.
¶And now two rival groups, one started by a black community activist, the other by a white former mayoral candidate, are vying to have her recalled.
¶“She should have declared a position and stuck with it,” said Dan Siegel, a longtime friend and adviser who broke with the mayor after the police cleared the plaza the second time but who opposes a recall. “The problem was going back and forth, which wound up making everyone angry with her.”
¶In a dizzying series of reversals, Ms. Quan initially embraced the protest, then ordered the camp cleared, then allowed the demonstrators to return after the police seriously injured one of them, a Marine veteran. Two weeks later, she ordered the plaza cleared again, citing reports that “anarchists” were fomenting violence.
¶Now, Frank H. Ogawa Plaza remains empty most days, but Ms. Quan’s mayoralty is teetering. In a city known for its flamboyant and colorful mayors, she has emerged as one of its most controversial. Conservatives accuse her of coddling the protesters, while former allies on the left are incensed that she ordered the plaza cleared at all.
¶And now two rival groups, one started by a black community activist, the other by a white former mayoral candidate, are vying to have her recalled.
¶“She should have declared a position and stuck with it,” said Dan Siegel, a longtime friend and adviser who broke with the mayor after the police cleared the plaza the second time but who opposes a recall. “The problem was going back and forth, which wound up making everyone angry with her.”
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
A Teacher on Teaching: America's Teachers Stink Up the Place Again!
A Teacher on Teaching: America's Teachers Stink Up the Place Again!
Bad teachers and the internet is going to be the savior.
Crime rate going up, bad job by the police.
The fact they that more are in jail, good judges.
Obesity, poor dieticians.
Bad teachers and the internet is going to be the savior.
Crime rate going up, bad job by the police.
The fact they that more are in jail, good judges.
Obesity, poor dieticians.
Romney: Big Bird's going to have advertisements
Mitt you just better not mess with Big Bird. Mitt doesn't play well with others.
If You Can’t Beat Them, Enjoin Them (From Voting) | Common Dreams
If You Can’t Beat Them, Enjoin Them (From Voting) Common Dreams
All eyes are on Iowa this week, as the hodgepodge field of Republican contenders gallivants across that farm state seeking a win, or at least “momentum,” in the campaign for the party’s presidential nomination. But behind the scenes, a battle is being waged by Republicans—not against each other, but against American voters. Across the country, state legislatures and governors are pushing laws that seek to restrict access to the voting booth, laws that will disproportionately harm people of color, low-income people, and young and elderly voters.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund have just released a comprehensive report on the crisis, “Defending Democracy: Confronting Modern Barriers to Voting Rights in America.” In it, they write: “The heart of the modern block the vote campaign is a wave of restrictive government-issued photo identification requirements. In a coordinated effort, legislators in thirty-four states introduced bills imposing such requirements. Many of these bills were modeled on legislation drafted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—a conservative advocacy group whose founder explained: ‘Our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.’”
NH8RTT9CB693
All eyes are on Iowa this week, as the hodgepodge field of Republican contenders gallivants across that farm state seeking a win, or at least “momentum,” in the campaign for the party’s presidential nomination. But behind the scenes, a battle is being waged by Republicans—not against each other, but against American voters. Across the country, state legislatures and governors are pushing laws that seek to restrict access to the voting booth, laws that will disproportionately harm people of color, low-income people, and young and elderly voters.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund have just released a comprehensive report on the crisis, “Defending Democracy: Confronting Modern Barriers to Voting Rights in America.” In it, they write: “The heart of the modern block the vote campaign is a wave of restrictive government-issued photo identification requirements. In a coordinated effort, legislators in thirty-four states introduced bills imposing such requirements. Many of these bills were modeled on legislation drafted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—a conservative advocacy group whose founder explained: ‘Our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.’”
NH8RTT9CB693
Morgan Stanley to Cut 580 Jobs in New York - NYTimes.com
Morgan Stanley to Cut 580 Jobs in New York - NYTimes.com
Morgan Stanley will slash 580 jobs in New York as part of a broader wave of layoffs underway at the bank, according to a public filing.
In a notice filed with the New York State Department of Labor, Morgan Stanley cited “economic” woes as the cause of the layoffs. The cuts began Dec. 15 on a “rolling” basis, according to the filing, known as a WARN, or Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification.
Earlier this month, Morgan Stanley said it would cut 1,600 jobs, or 2.6 percent of its work force, by the first quarter of 2012. The bank plans to spread the round of reductions across all divisions, including investment banking and trading.
I guess that means the ranks of the 99% can keep swelling.
Morgan Stanley will slash 580 jobs in New York as part of a broader wave of layoffs underway at the bank, according to a public filing.
In a notice filed with the New York State Department of Labor, Morgan Stanley cited “economic” woes as the cause of the layoffs. The cuts began Dec. 15 on a “rolling” basis, according to the filing, known as a WARN, or Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification.
Earlier this month, Morgan Stanley said it would cut 1,600 jobs, or 2.6 percent of its work force, by the first quarter of 2012. The bank plans to spread the round of reductions across all divisions, including investment banking and trading.
I guess that means the ranks of the 99% can keep swelling.
Security beefed up for Rose Parade | abc7news.com
Security beefed up for Rose Parade abc7news.com
PASADENA, Calif. -- Security is being beefed up for Pasadena's Tournament of Roses next week despite promises of a peaceful protest by Occupy activists.
The anti-Wall Street protesters say there is too much corporate money involved in the Jan. 2 parade.
Occupy the Rose Parade spokesman Pete Thottam says activists have spent more than 20 hours meeting with the Pasadena Police Department and Rose Parade staff.
PASADENA, Calif. -- Security is being beefed up for Pasadena's Tournament of Roses next week despite promises of a peaceful protest by Occupy activists.
The anti-Wall Street protesters say there is too much corporate money involved in the Jan. 2 parade.
Occupy the Rose Parade spokesman Pete Thottam says activists have spent more than 20 hours meeting with the Pasadena Police Department and Rose Parade staff.
Funny
http://www.theonion.com/audio/coalition-vast-majority-of-iraqis-still-alive,12921/
This is funny. Talk about lowering your expectations.
This is funny. Talk about lowering your expectations.
Walker complains about outside money coming in Wisc. as he stops off to pick up some more bags of money
http://ocgopaction.ning.com/events/400-club-reception-with-wisconsin-governor-scott-walker
Governor Walker complains about outside union money coming in but he doesn't think much of collecting money from GOP Repubs eith the Orange county GOP.
Governor Walker complains about outside union money coming in but he doesn't think much of collecting money from GOP Repubs eith the Orange county GOP.
The Michigan dictatorship in action
Pontiac Firefighters Say Plan Would Save Jobs and Money: MyFoxDETROIT.com
If you have trouble let the adults solve your problems, no vote even necessary.From blue cheddar
"The day before christmas eve my husband and I were in a local grocery store and a gentleman standing next to me said,"I like you recall walker buttons, you must be a teacher". I thanked him said no im not a teacher. He said you must be in a union. Again I answered no. Then your husband must be in a union. Again I answered no. He said really, then why dont you... like our governor. My husband laughed and said to him "wow you shouldn't have asked that question". I gave my numerous reasons of the cuts to education, the destroying of our environment in the name of business, the raping of Wisconsin's women in regards to their healthcare needs, and his giving cuts to businesses over his own constituents who desperately need them. He smiled politely my way and said Wow, your reasons are impressive. He then said to me, you see I'm governor walkers worse nightmare, im a hardcore republican, but I have bumperstickers to Impeach Obama on one bumper and on the other I have a Recall Walker bumper sticker. He said you see Im his worse nightmare because he thinks just because I will probably vote for a republican for president that means I will vote for him...this is where he is dead wrong because there are MANY people like me and thats why we will be sucessful with his recall. We wished one another a merry christmas and went on our way. must say it put a smile on my face the rest of the day." - from Kim Schroeder
NH8RTT9CB693
NH8RTT9CB693
From the twitter wire
@shannynmooreShannyn Moore
RT @JohnFugelsang: Senator Ben Nelson, who kept you safe from Gov't Health Care ,will retire & receive Gov't Health Care, paid for by you.
Van Hollen: GOP efforts to drug test unemployed Americans are "insulting"
Maybe the should drug test the GOP Republicans in Washington they don't seem to have done much work in Washington either.
Iran: Strait Of Hormuz, Key Oil Supply Route, Easily Closed
Iran: Strait Of Hormuz, Key Oil Supply Route, Easily Closed
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's navy chief says his country can easily close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the passageway through which a sixth of the world's oil flows.
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's navy chief says his country can easily close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the passageway through which a sixth of the world's oil flows.Adm. Habibollah Sayyari told state-run Press TV Wednesday that the navy is in control of the vital waterway and can readily block it. It was the second such warning from a senior official in two days.
Adm. Habibollah Sayyari told state-run Press TV Wednesday that the navy is in control of the vital waterway and can readily block it. It was the second such warning from a senior official in two days.
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's navy chief says his country can easily close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the passageway through which a sixth of the world's oil flows.
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's navy chief says his country can easily close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the passageway through which a sixth of the world's oil flows.Adm. Habibollah Sayyari told state-run Press TV Wednesday that the navy is in control of the vital waterway and can readily block it. It was the second such warning from a senior official in two days.
Adm. Habibollah Sayyari told state-run Press TV Wednesday that the navy is in control of the vital waterway and can readily block it. It was the second such warning from a senior official in two days.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
It’s Not Just CEOs. Lawmakers Are the 1%, Too | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG
It’s Not Just CEOs. Lawmakers Are the 1%, Too AFL-CIO NOW BLOG
Every wonder why it’s so hard to get a millionaires’ tax passed?
We all know that the gap between 1 percent and the rest us has grown to obscene proportions. Their wealth has soared while ours has stagnated or fallen over the past decade and more.
We picture Wall Street stockbrokers, bankers and CEOs as the top winners in our out of whack economy. But new figures from the University of Michigan and the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) show that members of Congress—where 250 lawmakers are millionaires—are doing better than anybody
Every wonder why it’s so hard to get a millionaires’ tax passed?
We all know that the gap between 1 percent and the rest us has grown to obscene proportions. Their wealth has soared while ours has stagnated or fallen over the past decade and more.
We picture Wall Street stockbrokers, bankers and CEOs as the top winners in our out of whack economy. But new figures from the University of Michigan and the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) show that members of Congress—where 250 lawmakers are millionaires—are doing better than anybody
Ben Nelson Retiring Ahead Of 2012 Election
Ben Nelson Retiring Ahead Of 2012 Election
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) is expected to announce that he will not run for reelection in the 2012 election cycle, Politico reported Tuesday. Nelson is currently in the middle of his second term. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000.
The Washington Post and CNN confirmed the senator's plan to retire.
Nelson is expected to address his decision on Tuesday afternoon from his homestate of Nebraska.
Awesome news. Ben Nelson know doubt will work for special interests outside the senate rather than inside it as he always has.
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) is expected to announce that he will not run for reelection in the 2012 election cycle, Politico reported Tuesday. Nelson is currently in the middle of his second term. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000.
The Washington Post and CNN confirmed the senator's plan to retire.
Nelson is expected to address his decision on Tuesday afternoon from his homestate of Nebraska.
Awesome news. Ben Nelson know doubt will work for special interests outside the senate rather than inside it as he always has.
The BRAD BLOG : Boehner Offers Quote of the Year
The BRAD BLOG : Boehner Offers Quote of the Year
"Why not do the right thing for the American people even though it's not exactly what we want?"
"Why not do the right thing for the American people even though it's not exactly what we want?"
93-Year-Old Tennessee Woman Who Cleaned State Capitol For 30 Years Denied Voter ID | ThinkProgress
93-Year-Old Tennessee Woman Who Cleaned State Capitol For 30 Years Denied Voter ID ThinkProgress
A 93-year-old Tennessee woman who cleaned the state Capitol for 30 years, including the governor’s office, says she won’t be able to vote for the first time in decades after being told this week that her old state ID failed to meet new voter ID regulations.
Thelma Mitchell was even accused of being an undocumented immigrant because she couldn’t produce a birth certificate:
Mitchell, who was delivered by a midwife in Alabama in 1918, has never had a birth certificate.But when she told that to a drivers’ license clerk, he suggested she might be an illegal immigrant.
Thelma Mitchell told WSMV-TV that she went to a state drivers’ license center last week after being told that her old state ID from her cleaning job would not meet new regulations for voter identification.
How dare she try to get away with voter fraud?
A 93-year-old Tennessee woman who cleaned the state Capitol for 30 years, including the governor’s office, says she won’t be able to vote for the first time in decades after being told this week that her old state ID failed to meet new voter ID regulations.
Thelma Mitchell was even accused of being an undocumented immigrant because she couldn’t produce a birth certificate:
Mitchell, who was delivered by a midwife in Alabama in 1918, has never had a birth certificate.But when she told that to a drivers’ license clerk, he suggested she might be an illegal immigrant.
Thelma Mitchell told WSMV-TV that she went to a state drivers’ license center last week after being told that her old state ID from her cleaning job would not meet new regulations for voter identification.
How dare she try to get away with voter fraud?
Recession or Depression -- Are We Really Better Off Than in the 1930s? - New America Media
Recession or Depression -- Are We Really Better Off Than in the 1930s? - New America Media
Some call this moment the Great Recession. As the hardship has lingered, others
have begun calling it the Little Depression. But equating the hard times of the
1930s with the hard times of today is mostly overblown rhetoric. Or is
it?
On the surface, the comparisons are obvious: a period of great wealth
and exuberance, followed by a stock market crash. After the crash, widespread
economic pain. Millions of people out of work, thousands of homes lost. Families
going hungry.
But much has changed. There is social security,
unemployment insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, none of which existed when the
Depression hit. Breadlines and shantytowns, emblems of the Depression, are
nowhere to be seen. Today, though, there is great hardship out of view. Behind
closed doors, apartments and shelters are overcrowded, and cupboards are
bare.
In interviews with dozens of people who lived through the Great
Depression, both similarities and differences between the eras emerge.
Some call this moment the Great Recession. As the hardship has lingered, others
have begun calling it the Little Depression. But equating the hard times of the
1930s with the hard times of today is mostly overblown rhetoric. Or is
it?
On the surface, the comparisons are obvious: a period of great wealth
and exuberance, followed by a stock market crash. After the crash, widespread
economic pain. Millions of people out of work, thousands of homes lost. Families
going hungry.
But much has changed. There is social security,
unemployment insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, none of which existed when the
Depression hit. Breadlines and shantytowns, emblems of the Depression, are
nowhere to be seen. Today, though, there is great hardship out of view. Behind
closed doors, apartments and shelters are overcrowded, and cupboards are
bare.
In interviews with dozens of people who lived through the Great
Depression, both similarities and differences between the eras emerge.
Massachusetts Senate Race: Airwaves Flooded With Ads Against Elizabeth Warren, Scott Brown
Massachusetts Senate Race: Airwaves Flooded With Ads Against Elizabeth Warren, Scott Brown
The flood of money and ads from outside the state is expected to surge as the Warren-Brown race intensifies.
"Massachusetts is at the end of the spear of what will be the big trend and the big story of 2012," said Ken Goldstein, president of Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks spending on political ads.
Super PACs have been showing their strength in marquee Senate races. The Supreme Court, in a trio of decisions capped by the landmark Citizens United case in 2010, eased restrictions on the use of corporate money in political campaigns and paved the way for such spending. Massachusetts is front and center, with the conservative Crossroads GPS spending $1.1 million on one spot casting Warren as aligned with radical elements of the Occupy Wall Street movement and another that has her siding with Wall Street bankers.
The flood of money and ads from outside the state is expected to surge as the Warren-Brown race intensifies.
"Massachusetts is at the end of the spear of what will be the big trend and the big story of 2012," said Ken Goldstein, president of Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks spending on political ads.
Super PACs have been showing their strength in marquee Senate races. The Supreme Court, in a trio of decisions capped by the landmark Citizens United case in 2010, eased restrictions on the use of corporate money in political campaigns and paved the way for such spending. Massachusetts is front and center, with the conservative Crossroads GPS spending $1.1 million on one spot casting Warren as aligned with radical elements of the Occupy Wall Street movement and another that has her siding with Wall Street bankers.
The First "Attack Ads" On the Screen--Plus a Classic Book
Long before Fox there were phony news clips.
Keeping College Students From the Polls - NYTimes.com
Keeping College Students From the Polls - NYTimes.com
Next fall, thousands of students on college campuses will attempt to register to vote and be turned away. Sorry, they will hear, you have an out-of-state driver’s license. Sorry, your college ID is not valid here. Sorry, we found out that you paid out-of-state tuition, so even though you do have a state driver’s license, you still can’t vote.¶
Political leaders should be encouraging young adults to participate in civic life, but many Republican state lawmakers are doing everything they can instead to prevent students from voting in the 2012 presidential election. Some have openly acknowledged doing so because students tend to be liberal.
If you can't win an election, keep the voters from voting.
Next fall, thousands of students on college campuses will attempt to register to vote and be turned away. Sorry, they will hear, you have an out-of-state driver’s license. Sorry, your college ID is not valid here. Sorry, we found out that you paid out-of-state tuition, so even though you do have a state driver’s license, you still can’t vote.¶
Political leaders should be encouraging young adults to participate in civic life, but many Republican state lawmakers are doing everything they can instead to prevent students from voting in the 2012 presidential election. Some have openly acknowledged doing so because students tend to be liberal.
If you can't win an election, keep the voters from voting.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Warning don't talk politics with a Fox viewer on the holidays. It will only ruin your holiday.
Horatio Alger
Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. There has never been a phrase that has done more damage in American life. It basically comes from the old Horatio Alger stories and it used by people, who largely feel as if they're doing OK, to tell those who complain that things could be more just to "shut the hell up." Only it sounds so much nicer.
The female version Annie and Daddy Warbucks
According to the cult of pulling yourself up by bootstraps, doing nothing really isn't just indifference but actually helps the person you're doing nothing for and all those who are trying to help those who need help are really hurting them. That way if you really screw someone over they shouldn't just stay reticent but they should actually thank you for doing it. The whole problem when you scratch the surface of the Horatio Alger myth you find out how shallow it is. It's miles and miles long and an inch deep. There's usually a great school in the past that the person happened to attend (due to the accident of birth), or an extended family (that they're lucky enough to be associated with), or a relative who watched your kids (while you were able to go to graduate to school). It's at that point that you usually point out to that person that not everyone's bootstraps are of equal length.
I get to hear the myth of Mitt Romney the successful businessman who save Staples - to the great appreciation of all Staple's minimum wage employees.
Running Staples more impressive than running US military
I hear how "at least Romney has held a real job" - as Fox viewers seemed convinced that Obama has never worked. I resist the temptation of saying. "Yeah running the US probably isn't the same as running Staples." I eventually say you know Romney didn't exactly grow up in a log cabin. His father was actually a congressman.
The log cabin Romney didn't grow up in
That seems to be part of the story they like to gloss over. To paraphrase Ann Richards, former governor of Texas, Mitt Romney started off on third base and thought he hit a triple.
Meanwhile self-made man Mitt's father didn't get to meet the president whenever he wanted to
Or this President
They hate the government, they never look behind to see who is actually bribing it. They don't want to talk about citizen's united and corporations having free speech. I tell them I have a problem with my voice and how much I can afford to spend having to compete with GE and how much they have to spend. They know a small businessman who has been incorporated and this person is a job creator hiring a half a dozen people. I feel like saying don't worry your person is a little different from GE and he's not the person who I'm talking about.
GE
Small business who can tell the difference?
When they are losing on points there is usually the statement if you don't like it why don't you move to Russia - which by the way is no longer Communist - or China which is really in business with the US's entrepreneurs.
Where I'm going back to I guess.
And you wonder why, because you want America to be a better more fair place, you have to leave the country and they get to stay. Still you resist the temptation of telling them that they should move to Mexico, central America or some other country that has a ruling elite, who live behind security fences, as the military junta cows the populace.
Where they will be living I guess.
The new president
Kathleen Parker Uses Recent Gallup Poll to Minimize American's Concerns Over Income Inequality | Video Cafe
Kathleen Parker Uses Recent Gallup Poll to Minimize American's Concerns Over Income Inequality Video Cafe
On this Sunday's Meet the Press, conservative columnist Kathleen Parker thought that a recent poll by Gallup was very "interesting" and something to watch, which naturally fed right into the meme that our beltway Villagers love to espouse, which is that Americans really aren't that concerned about income disparity and have bought into that talking point we constantly hear out of the right wing, that "big government" is the source of all of our problems and something to be more concerned about, rather than whether CEO pay is out of control with executives making hundreds of times more money than their average employee.
Parker seemed to be parroting much of what was written by Washington Post columnist Charles Lane, who recently poo-pooed President's Obama's talk about income disparity as "overly simplistic" and who wrote this about the recent Gallup Poll:
Seems like another exciting edition of Meet the Republican Press.
On this Sunday's Meet the Press, conservative columnist Kathleen Parker thought that a recent poll by Gallup was very "interesting" and something to watch, which naturally fed right into the meme that our beltway Villagers love to espouse, which is that Americans really aren't that concerned about income disparity and have bought into that talking point we constantly hear out of the right wing, that "big government" is the source of all of our problems and something to be more concerned about, rather than whether CEO pay is out of control with executives making hundreds of times more money than their average employee.
Parker seemed to be parroting much of what was written by Washington Post columnist Charles Lane, who recently poo-pooed President's Obama's talk about income disparity as "overly simplistic" and who wrote this about the recent Gallup Poll:
Seems like another exciting edition of Meet the Republican Press.
Daily Kos: Newt Gingrich compares his own campaign to the attack on Pearl Harbor
Daily Kos: Newt Gingrich compares his own campaign to the attack on Pearl Harbor
No wonder Newt was paid so much as a historian he just can't stop spewing historical analogies. What a fount of wisdom.
No wonder Newt was paid so much as a historian he just can't stop spewing historical analogies. What a fount of wisdom.
Crooks and Liars
Crooks and Liars
In Ubisoft’s Press Release, Team Rainbow (good guys) face a new threat called True Patriots (bad guys), a “highly-trained, well-organized group of militias. The True Patriots are capitalizing on the growing sense of frustration and anger in a modern day America that they feel is irrevocably corrupted by greedy politicians and corporate special interests. Lead by a calculating figurehead named Tredway, this grassroots, homespun, terrorist organization will stop at nothing to overthrow the government and financial institutions to reclaim their country. Capturing the reality of modern-day terrorist, players will take on the role of a new Team Rainbow member as they face critical scenarios that will require them to make tough ethical decisions in order to stop this new breed of terrorists.”
Got that? It all about making “tough ethical decisions.” Like this one: In the video game’s trailer, Occupy Wall Street operatives murder Wall Street fat cats, kicking down the office door of a banker who looks remarkably like Jamie Dillon, beating the crap out of him before strapping explosives to him and toss him out the window of a New York skyscraper, detonating the bomb just as the banker smashes into the traffic many stories below.
“This is for the jobs you’ve streamlined, the debts you collected,” the Occupy Wall Street baddies mutter. “This is for the homes you foreclosed on, the bailouts you took. You may not answer to the governments, but you will answer to us. We are the true patriots”
A conceptual video released by Ubisoft to give potential punters an idea of what the game might be like to play (while containing no actual gameplay footage) is quite revolting enough. A banker about to enjoy a sexy birthday treat from his wife is interrupted by home invaders, Occupy Wall Street terrorists/True Patriots. One of them, threatening to field-dress the banker’s wife like a deer, and his baby too, tells the banker, “Very nice place you’ve got here. You really did cash in on everyone else getting foreclosed, didn’t you?” The banker is strapped with an explosive belt and told to hold down the deadman switch or he’ll explode, then driven into the city toward Times Square. The terrorists and their victim are stopped on what looks like the Verrazano Bridge by the so-called good guys, one of which I gather is the player as the first-person shooter. The good guys kill the OWS terrorists as well as cold-bloodedly shooting a police officer (the moral justification apparently being you have to kill the cop who is about to shoot the suicide bomber/banker to prevent even more deaths) along with any other random civilians who happen to be in the way. When they finally reach the banker, realizing the Bomb Squad won’t arrive in time, they bodily pick up the banker who’s begging them to save his wife and baby and toss him into the river where he explodes. They do have the courtesy to apologise first, of course, being good guys.
And this, it seems, is what is passing for moral ambiguity and complex ethical dilemmas in video games. Right-wing style.
LP - has a different moral dilema for a video game. A banker loots some citizens (good guys) pension fund and neither the government nor law enforcement does anything about it. Sure it doesn't have all the fire works of a Clancy pot boiler but it is a little closer to reality.
In Ubisoft’s Press Release, Team Rainbow (good guys) face a new threat called True Patriots (bad guys), a “highly-trained, well-organized group of militias. The True Patriots are capitalizing on the growing sense of frustration and anger in a modern day America that they feel is irrevocably corrupted by greedy politicians and corporate special interests. Lead by a calculating figurehead named Tredway, this grassroots, homespun, terrorist organization will stop at nothing to overthrow the government and financial institutions to reclaim their country. Capturing the reality of modern-day terrorist, players will take on the role of a new Team Rainbow member as they face critical scenarios that will require them to make tough ethical decisions in order to stop this new breed of terrorists.”
Got that? It all about making “tough ethical decisions.” Like this one: In the video game’s trailer, Occupy Wall Street operatives murder Wall Street fat cats, kicking down the office door of a banker who looks remarkably like Jamie Dillon, beating the crap out of him before strapping explosives to him and toss him out the window of a New York skyscraper, detonating the bomb just as the banker smashes into the traffic many stories below.
“This is for the jobs you’ve streamlined, the debts you collected,” the Occupy Wall Street baddies mutter. “This is for the homes you foreclosed on, the bailouts you took. You may not answer to the governments, but you will answer to us. We are the true patriots”
A conceptual video released by Ubisoft to give potential punters an idea of what the game might be like to play (while containing no actual gameplay footage) is quite revolting enough. A banker about to enjoy a sexy birthday treat from his wife is interrupted by home invaders, Occupy Wall Street terrorists/True Patriots. One of them, threatening to field-dress the banker’s wife like a deer, and his baby too, tells the banker, “Very nice place you’ve got here. You really did cash in on everyone else getting foreclosed, didn’t you?” The banker is strapped with an explosive belt and told to hold down the deadman switch or he’ll explode, then driven into the city toward Times Square. The terrorists and their victim are stopped on what looks like the Verrazano Bridge by the so-called good guys, one of which I gather is the player as the first-person shooter. The good guys kill the OWS terrorists as well as cold-bloodedly shooting a police officer (the moral justification apparently being you have to kill the cop who is about to shoot the suicide bomber/banker to prevent even more deaths) along with any other random civilians who happen to be in the way. When they finally reach the banker, realizing the Bomb Squad won’t arrive in time, they bodily pick up the banker who’s begging them to save his wife and baby and toss him into the river where he explodes. They do have the courtesy to apologise first, of course, being good guys.
And this, it seems, is what is passing for moral ambiguity and complex ethical dilemmas in video games. Right-wing style.
LP - has a different moral dilema for a video game. A banker loots some citizens (good guys) pension fund and neither the government nor law enforcement does anything about it. Sure it doesn't have all the fire works of a Clancy pot boiler but it is a little closer to reality.
From The Ironic Times
Jobless Claim Drop Signals
Economic MomentumThey're hiring again at soup kitchens.
Economic MomentumThey're hiring again at soup kitchens.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Canada, U.S. GDP: For First Time On Record, Canadians May Be Wealthier Than Americans
Canada, U.S. GDP: For First Time On Record, Canadians May Be Wealthier Than Americans
This year, for the first time on record, Canadians may have exceeded their American neighbours in wealth.
According to estimates from the IMF, flagged by Kevin Carmichael at the Globe and Mail, Canada’s gross domestic product per person is on track to be $51,147 per person in Canada, compared to $48,147 in the United States.
\It’s a reflection of the persistent weakness of the U.S. economy since the financial crisis began in 2008, and the relative strength of Canada’s economy, which has benefited from high commodity prices and surging demand in developing countries.
And according to available data, it may be the first time in history that Canadians have been richer than their brethren south of the border.
Historical data shows the U.S.’s per capita GDP in 1900 was $4,096 in constant U.S. dollars, while Canada’s was $2,758. In 1950, the U.S. was at $9,753, while Canada was at $7,047. By 1973, the U.S. led Canada $16,607 to $13,644.
Sorry maybe the Canadians hate our freedom as we continue our war on reality. Reality has a liberal bias.
This year, for the first time on record, Canadians may have exceeded their American neighbours in wealth.
According to estimates from the IMF, flagged by Kevin Carmichael at the Globe and Mail, Canada’s gross domestic product per person is on track to be $51,147 per person in Canada, compared to $48,147 in the United States.
\It’s a reflection of the persistent weakness of the U.S. economy since the financial crisis began in 2008, and the relative strength of Canada’s economy, which has benefited from high commodity prices and surging demand in developing countries.
And according to available data, it may be the first time in history that Canadians have been richer than their brethren south of the border.
Historical data shows the U.S.’s per capita GDP in 1900 was $4,096 in constant U.S. dollars, while Canada’s was $2,758. In 1950, the U.S. was at $9,753, while Canada was at $7,047. By 1973, the U.S. led Canada $16,607 to $13,644.
Sorry maybe the Canadians hate our freedom as we continue our war on reality. Reality has a liberal bias.
A Christmas Message From America's Rich | Common Dreams
A Christmas Message From America's Rich Common Dreams
It seems America’s bankers are tired of all the abuse. They’ve decided to speak out.True, they’re doing it from behind the ropeline, in front of friendly crowds at industry conferences and country clubs, meaning they don’t have to look the rest of America in the eye when they call us all imbeciles and complain that they shouldn’t have to apologize for being so successful.But while they haven’t yet deigned to talk to protesting America face to face, they are willing to scribble out some complaints on notes and send them downstairs on silver trays. Courtesy of a remarkable story by Max Abelson at Bloomberg, we now get to hear some of those choice comments.
...
What makes people furious is that they have stopped being citizens.
Most of us 99-percenters couldn’t even let our dogs leave a dump on the sidewalk without feeling ashamed before our neighbors. It's called having a conscience: even though there are plenty of things most of us could get away with doing, we just don’t do them, because, well, we live here. Most of us wouldn’t take a million dollars to swindle the local school system, or put our next door neighbors out on the street with a robosigned foreclosure, or steal the life’s savings of some old pensioner down the block by selling him a bunch of worthless securities.
But our Too-Big-To-Fail banks unhesitatingly take billions in bailout money and then turn right around and finance the export of jobs to new locations in China and India. They defraud the pension funds of state workers into buying billions of their crap mortgage assets. They take zero-interest loans from the state and then lend that same money back to us at interest. Or, like Chase, they bribe the politicians serving countries and states and cities and even school boards to take on crippling debt deals.
Nobody with real skin in the game, who had any kind of stake in our collective future, would do any of those things. Or, if a person did do those things, you’d at least expect him to have enough shame not to whine to a Bloomberg reporter when the rest of us complained about it.
It seems America’s bankers are tired of all the abuse. They’ve decided to speak out.True, they’re doing it from behind the ropeline, in front of friendly crowds at industry conferences and country clubs, meaning they don’t have to look the rest of America in the eye when they call us all imbeciles and complain that they shouldn’t have to apologize for being so successful.But while they haven’t yet deigned to talk to protesting America face to face, they are willing to scribble out some complaints on notes and send them downstairs on silver trays. Courtesy of a remarkable story by Max Abelson at Bloomberg, we now get to hear some of those choice comments.
...
What makes people furious is that they have stopped being citizens.
Most of us 99-percenters couldn’t even let our dogs leave a dump on the sidewalk without feeling ashamed before our neighbors. It's called having a conscience: even though there are plenty of things most of us could get away with doing, we just don’t do them, because, well, we live here. Most of us wouldn’t take a million dollars to swindle the local school system, or put our next door neighbors out on the street with a robosigned foreclosure, or steal the life’s savings of some old pensioner down the block by selling him a bunch of worthless securities.
But our Too-Big-To-Fail banks unhesitatingly take billions in bailout money and then turn right around and finance the export of jobs to new locations in China and India. They defraud the pension funds of state workers into buying billions of their crap mortgage assets. They take zero-interest loans from the state and then lend that same money back to us at interest. Or, like Chase, they bribe the politicians serving countries and states and cities and even school boards to take on crippling debt deals.
Nobody with real skin in the game, who had any kind of stake in our collective future, would do any of those things. Or, if a person did do those things, you’d at least expect him to have enough shame not to whine to a Bloomberg reporter when the rest of us complained about it.
A Conservative Christmas Carol of Scrooge, Marley, Gingrich and Romney | Common Dreams
A Conservative Christmas Carol of Scrooge, Marley, Gingrich and Romney Common Dreams
The poor are still with us, as are the Scrooges. We’d best bless them all, even the Gingriches, with hopes that the Ghosts of Past, Present and Future will again visit the Republicans who refuse to accept that this is not 1843.
The poor are still with us, as are the Scrooges. We’d best bless them all, even the Gingriches, with hopes that the Ghosts of Past, Present and Future will again visit the Republicans who refuse to accept that this is not 1843.
'Anonymous' Stratfor Hack Reportedly Start Of Weeklong Assault
'Anonymous' Stratfor Hack Reportedly Start Of Weeklong Assault
LONDON -- Hackers on Sunday claimed to have stolen 200 GB of e-mails and credit card data from United States security think tank Stratfor, promising a weeklong Christmas-inspired assault on a long list of targets.
Members of the loose hacking movement known as "Anonymous" posted a link on Twitter to what it said was Stratfor's secret client list – including the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, Goldman Sachs and MF Global.
"Not so private and secret anymore?," the group taunted in a message on the microblogging site.
Anonymous said it was able to get credit details, in part, because Stratfor didn't bother encrypting them – an easy-to-avoid blunder which – if true – would be a major embarrassment for any security company.
Stratfor said in an email to members that it had suspended its servers and email after learning that its website had been hacked.
LONDON -- Hackers on Sunday claimed to have stolen 200 GB of e-mails and credit card data from United States security think tank Stratfor, promising a weeklong Christmas-inspired assault on a long list of targets.
Members of the loose hacking movement known as "Anonymous" posted a link on Twitter to what it said was Stratfor's secret client list – including the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, Goldman Sachs and MF Global.
"Not so private and secret anymore?," the group taunted in a message on the microblogging site.
Anonymous said it was able to get credit details, in part, because Stratfor didn't bother encrypting them – an easy-to-avoid blunder which – if true – would be a major embarrassment for any security company.
Stratfor said in an email to members that it had suspended its servers and email after learning that its website had been hacked.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Voters are leaving main parties in droves – USATODAY.com
Voters are leaving main parties in droves – USATODAY.com
More than 2.5 million voters have left the Democratic and Republican parties since the 2008 elections, while the number of independent voters continues to grow.
More than 2.5 million voters have left the Democratic and Republican parties since the 2008 elections, while the number of independent voters continues to grow.
People & Power - The Koch Brothers
Sadly to get any journalism you have to leave the country. No wonder they want to close up the internet to keep the sheeple ignorant.
Brad Miller's North Carolina Race Tests Progressives' Fundraising Mettle
Brad Miller's North Carolina Race Tests Progressives' Fundraising Mettle
The first major test of the activist progressive fundraising machine for the 2012 elections is developing in North Carolina, where a Republican-engineered redistricting plan will likely pit Democratic Reps. Brad Miller and David Price against each other.
If it survives a civil rights challenge, the redistricting plan would radically change the entire North Carolina political map, with Miller's seat in the 13th District a prime target. Miller and Price have similar, fairly liberal voting records, rely on campaign money from the same interest groups -- unions and lawyers -- and live less than 20 miles from each other. But some believe there's a reason Miller was targeted: his work to reform Wall Street.
"It's a terrible redistricting map and it's certainly not fair to Brad," Price said. "They really went after him."
The Republican redistricting plan would dramatically change the North Carolina political map, likely shifting the House delegation from the current mix of 7 Democrats and 6 Republicans to one with just 3 Democrats and 10 Republicans. About half of the state's African American population -- 21.5 percent of the state -- would be situated in just three districts, making a successful civil rights challenge to the redistricting a very real possibility.
The first major test of the activist progressive fundraising machine for the 2012 elections is developing in North Carolina, where a Republican-engineered redistricting plan will likely pit Democratic Reps. Brad Miller and David Price against each other.
If it survives a civil rights challenge, the redistricting plan would radically change the entire North Carolina political map, with Miller's seat in the 13th District a prime target. Miller and Price have similar, fairly liberal voting records, rely on campaign money from the same interest groups -- unions and lawyers -- and live less than 20 miles from each other. But some believe there's a reason Miller was targeted: his work to reform Wall Street.
"It's a terrible redistricting map and it's certainly not fair to Brad," Price said. "They really went after him."
The Republican redistricting plan would dramatically change the North Carolina political map, likely shifting the House delegation from the current mix of 7 Democrats and 6 Republicans to one with just 3 Democrats and 10 Republicans. About half of the state's African American population -- 21.5 percent of the state -- would be situated in just three districts, making a successful civil rights challenge to the redistricting a very real possibility.
Brad Miller's North Carolina Race Tests Progressives' Fundraising Mettle
Brad Miller's North Carolina Race Tests Progressives' Fundraising Mettle
The first major test of the activist progressive fundraising machine for the 2012 elections is developing in North Carolina, where a Republican-engineered redistricting plan will likely pit Democratic Reps. Brad Miller and David Price against each other.
If it survives a civil rights challenge, the redistricting plan would radically change the entire North Carolina political map, with Miller's seat in the 13th District a prime target. Miller and Price have similar, fairly liberal voting records, rely on campaign money from the same interest groups -- unions and lawyers -- and live less than 20 miles from each other. But some believe there's a reason Miller was targeted: his work to reform Wall Street.
"It's a terrible redistricting map and it's certainly not fair to Brad," Price said. "They really went after him."
The Republican redistricting plan would dramatically change the North Carolina political map, likely shifting the House delegation from the current mix of 7 Democrats and 6 Republicans to one with just 3 Democrats and 10 Republicans. About half of the state's African American population -- 21.5 percent of the state -- would be situated in just three districts, making a successful civil rights challenge to the redistricting a very real possibility.
The first major test of the activist progressive fundraising machine for the 2012 elections is developing in North Carolina, where a Republican-engineered redistricting plan will likely pit Democratic Reps. Brad Miller and David Price against each other.
If it survives a civil rights challenge, the redistricting plan would radically change the entire North Carolina political map, with Miller's seat in the 13th District a prime target. Miller and Price have similar, fairly liberal voting records, rely on campaign money from the same interest groups -- unions and lawyers -- and live less than 20 miles from each other. But some believe there's a reason Miller was targeted: his work to reform Wall Street.
"It's a terrible redistricting map and it's certainly not fair to Brad," Price said. "They really went after him."
The Republican redistricting plan would dramatically change the North Carolina political map, likely shifting the House delegation from the current mix of 7 Democrats and 6 Republicans to one with just 3 Democrats and 10 Republicans. About half of the state's African American population -- 21.5 percent of the state -- would be situated in just three districts, making a successful civil rights challenge to the redistricting a very real possibility.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Robert Reich (Why the Republican Crackup is Bad For America)
Robert Reich (Why the Republican Crackup is Bad For America)
The underlying conflict lies deep into the nature and structure of the Republican Party. And its roots are very old.
As Michael Lind has noted, today’s Tea Party is less an ideological movement than the latest incarnation of an angry white minority – predominantly Southern, and mainly rural – that has repeatedly attacked American democracy in order to get its way.
It’s no mere coincidence that the states responsible for putting the most Tea Party representatives in the House are all former members of the Confederacy. Of the Tea Party caucus, twelve hail from Texas, seven from Florida, five from Louisiana, and five from Georgia, and three each from South Carolina, Tennessee, and border-state Missouri.
Others are from border states with significant Southern populations and Southern ties. The four Californians in the caucus are from the inland part of the state or Orange County, whose political culture has was shaped by Oklahomans and Southerners who migrated there during the Great Depression.
This isn’t to say all Tea Partiers are white, Southern or rural Republicans – only that these characteristics define the epicenter of Tea Party Land.
And the views separating these Republicans from Republicans elsewhere mirror the split between self-described Tea Partiers and other Republicans.
In a poll of Republicans conducted for CNN last September, nearly six in ten who identified themselves with the Tea Party say global warming isn’t a proven fact; most other Republicans say it is.
Holiday Spirit
Hopefully they won't have the honor of serving Wisconsin much longer. I'm just wondering how many free meals are being served for the people for the people he laid off because they can't find the jobs that he totally failed to create.
Thoughts on the Haymarket riot, the occupy movement, and the use of force
I have just finished reading James Green's Death in the Haymarket which I would give a big thumbs up. At the same time I received a twitter feed that I am being followed by a group that doesn't feel the Occupy Movement has accomplished enough and seems to advocate for a more forceful approach.
It is clear that since the bombing and the trial that followed the events surrounding the case have become a political football. Whenever the country lurched to the right the four people who were hung back in 1887 become Socialist, Communistic scum. Whenever it lurched left they became martyrs trying to achieve a better world for the collective whole. The truth no doubt lies in the way that the reader sees the world.
The Haymarket riot is a cautionary tale for the occupy movement and anyone who advocates for an abandonment of non-violence. Once change occurs and a movement steps into violence it gives the authorities an excuse to bring all their weight to bear on the protesters and to close off public debate. The authorities are already doing this to a degree; but as they do more people wonder why they feel the need to do this to unarmed people and they are getting their butt kicked in the public relationship war. Give them an excuse and all that will changes. To quote John Lennon, "When you talk about destruction. Don't you know you can count me o...o...o...out."
I think of how much the world has changed since 1887:
Back then, America seemed to believe in jury trials as there were no such thing as indefinite rendition and the authorities had to at least follow the pretense of law. The strongest weapon that the police had were billy clubs and they weren't armed like they were something out of a robocop movie. They didn't have tanks, drones, tazors or pepper spray. Back then, there was still in active movement that believed in world peace and the brotherhood of workers in different countries. Since that time many see themselves as individual cogs in a collective war machine being threatened by hidden others, as they get individually screwed, as they send those under the individually off to fight in their leaders collective and multiple wars.
In later time the Chicago police force took in active role in beating anti-war demonstrators at the 1968 rally. Putting on trial the Chicago seven where one of the defendants was actually gagged in a chair during the trial. The police force certainly have had their problems with the first amendment in the past.
Studs Terkel talked about the Haymarket riots and the role labor has played in America. At the centennial he called the event "one of the most traumatic moments in American labor history." According to Terkel, "It was all about the fight for freer workplace...(Some young workers) bad mouth unions... (but they accept the freedom union gained for workers). But did they know how it came about, how many blacklistings, how many busted heads, how many busted lives it took? Whatever benefits American working people have today didn't come from the big heartedness of those who employed them, There were hard-fought gains, through hard-fought battles."
With that, it remains to be seen that if no one agitates or protests it will clearly slide back as it has for the last seventy years in an America that is complacent in their accomplishments.
It is clear that since the bombing and the trial that followed the events surrounding the case have become a political football. Whenever the country lurched to the right the four people who were hung back in 1887 become Socialist, Communistic scum. Whenever it lurched left they became martyrs trying to achieve a better world for the collective whole. The truth no doubt lies in the way that the reader sees the world.
The Haymarket riot is a cautionary tale for the occupy movement and anyone who advocates for an abandonment of non-violence. Once change occurs and a movement steps into violence it gives the authorities an excuse to bring all their weight to bear on the protesters and to close off public debate. The authorities are already doing this to a degree; but as they do more people wonder why they feel the need to do this to unarmed people and they are getting their butt kicked in the public relationship war. Give them an excuse and all that will changes. To quote John Lennon, "When you talk about destruction. Don't you know you can count me o...o...o...out."
I agreed with John Lennon then and I agree with it now. And it's not because I believe peace, love and understanding - which I do - but also because as a strategy of more violence strikes me to be a very short sighted path.
I think of how much the world has changed since 1887:
Back then, America seemed to believe in jury trials as there were no such thing as indefinite rendition and the authorities had to at least follow the pretense of law. The strongest weapon that the police had were billy clubs and they weren't armed like they were something out of a robocop movie. They didn't have tanks, drones, tazors or pepper spray. Back then, there was still in active movement that believed in world peace and the brotherhood of workers in different countries. Since that time many see themselves as individual cogs in a collective war machine being threatened by hidden others, as they get individually screwed, as they send those under the individually off to fight in their leaders collective and multiple wars.
Monument to the policemen who entered the Haymarket. The monument for policemen who entered the square which seemed to set off the riot. The monument was blown up twice during the 1960s during another turbulent time. The state eventually packed the statue of where is was hidden on the grounds of the police academy.
In later time the Chicago police force took in active role in beating anti-war demonstrators at the 1968 rally. Putting on trial the Chicago seven where one of the defendants was actually gagged in a chair during the trial. The police force certainly have had their problems with the first amendment in the past.
Chicago in the 1960's looking like an Occupy movement forty years later. The problem is why does the police feel it's ok to beat Americans when they are exercising their first amendment right.
Studs Terkel talked about the Haymarket riots and the role labor has played in America. At the centennial he called the event "one of the most traumatic moments in American labor history." According to Terkel, "It was all about the fight for freer workplace...(Some young workers) bad mouth unions... (but they accept the freedom union gained for workers). But did they know how it came about, how many blacklistings, how many busted heads, how many busted lives it took? Whatever benefits American working people have today didn't come from the big heartedness of those who employed them, There were hard-fought gains, through hard-fought battles."
With that, it remains to be seen that if no one agitates or protests it will clearly slide back as it has for the last seventy years in an America that is complacent in their accomplishments.
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