AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth

Moldy Peaches

2009-11-07T05:44:00.000-05:00

So much great music from the Juno soundtrack and I love Kimya Dawson. It's the perfect tune for getting started on a lazy Saturday morning. The sun is out though so it's time to get on the bike before the rain comes back. Again.

Iranian student criticizes Ayatollah Khamenei in person

2009-11-07T03:50:00.000-05:00

The exchange was recorded and was first published on Khamenei's website. Lots of talk about this story but for now, it's more a mystery that will be answered later. The Guardian:

He may be the bravest student in Iran or an unwitting stooge of the Islamic regime – or both. Either way, Mahmoud Vahidnia has gained instant fame after breaking a taboo by criticising the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to his face.

The 25-year-old maths student has been lauded by opposition websites after reportedly telling Khamenei that he had been turned into a "grand idol" who was above criticism. But in a twist demonstrating the inscrutable nature of Iranian politics, the incident has been used by Khamenei's supporters to show how he embraces criticism. Vahidnia has remained unmolested since his 10-minute critique, which condemned the recent brutal post-election crackdown and denounced the state broadcaster, IRIB, for biased coverage. But his most remarkable comments were reserved for Khamenei himself.

Underwater kites for energy

2009-11-07T00:23:00.000-05:00

Another very interesting new possibility for generating energy. What's also interesting is the brief mention inside the article about UK energy consumption being a third of US households. That is quite a difference and it's going to have to change in the future. Also inside is a link to a computer generated video of what it would look like underwater.

A completely new concept of underwater wave energy using a simple 7 ton kite turbine design has been developed by Minesto; which is a spinoff from the Swedish military and aircraft design firm Saab. The Deep Green underwater turbine captures the power of the ocean just like a kite in wind.

The system could generate 18 terawatthours of energy annually, enough to provide nearly 4 million British households with reliably green electricity every year. UK households now use about a third of what average US households use in energy.

Cows are eating chicken what?

2009-11-06T23:01:00.000-05:00

The new FDA is getting back in the business of protecting consumers after an eight year drought. This sounds like a reasonable request. I don't eat at McDonald's but well done for joining the call for change. A large buyer like that carries a lot of weight which in this case, is good news.

A coalition of food and consumer groups that includes Consumers Union and the Center for Science in the Public Interest has asked the Food and Drug Administration to ban the practice of feeding chicken feces and other poultry farm waste to cattle. McDonald's Corp., the nation's largest restaurant user of beef, also wants the FDA to prohibit the feeding of so-called poultry litter to cattle.

Members of the coalition are threatening to file a lawsuit or to push for federal legislation establishing such a ban if the FDA doesn't act to do so in the coming months.

NBA and NHL teams also in front of others for H1N1 vaccine

2009-11-06T21:25:00.003-05:00

First Wall Street and now the millionaire athletes. Most in need or most in greed?

Ontario health minister Deb Matthews vowed Thursday to investigate whether Toronto’s NBA and NHL players jumped the line for the swine flu shot while other groups are being forced to wait as the province’s supply dwindles.

Matthews said she shares the outrage sparked by reports that Maple Leafs and Raptors players got the shot even though the province doesn’t have enough yet to vaccinate school-age children.

Fortunately in the case of Canada, someone was fired for giving special privileges. Maybe it's too much "change" to do the same in the US.

UBS traders dumped losses on clients

2009-11-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

Obama really needs to find better people to golf with besides CEOs from companies like this. What is also interesting to note here is that yet again, here is a big player who has been caught yet we're not seeing a perp walk. No, apparently that's only for smaller players who aren't white, nor part of the traditional who's who of the finance industry.

The losses involved here are considerably higher than the alleged $25 million ripoff from Galleon Group. Now the status quo media is comparing Galleon to the mob. Maybe, but there certainly appeared to be a lot of that going around in recent years. If you look at the billions that went down the drain during the credit crisis, either of these amounts are laughable. And to think these are the companies that Obama is giving preferential treatment to for the H1N1 vaccine.

Four former dealers at UBS plundered customer accounts to trade and dumped the resulting losses on them, Britain's financial regulator said, further denting the battered Swiss bank's reputation.

The scandal has cost UBS more than $55 million as the Financial Services Authority slapped on an 8 million pound ($13.2 million) penalty — its third largest ever — and the bank compensated clients by more than $42 million.

Tancredo storms off set after Markos takes him down

2009-11-06T18:40:00.001-05:00

Oh my God. This is priceless video. Just happened a short while ago.

Sorry Cliff Clavin, but democracy did not originate in America

2009-11-06T18:31:00.000-05:00

As if we haven't had enough stupidity from the Teabaggers, the actor who played Cliff Clavin reminded us again what a bunch of fools they are. Maybe the ancient Greeks might have something to say where democracy started. (Hint: it wasn't in Alabama.)

Actor John Ratzenberger, known partly for his role as Cliff Clavin in the 1980s sitcom "Cheers," slammed the Democratic bill as a form of socialism.

"These are Woodstock Democrats," he said at the rally. "We have to remember where their philosophy comes from. It doesn't come from America. It comes from overseas. It comes from socialism. And socialism is a philosophy of failure."

As for socialism being a failure, maybe Cliff hasn't been to Europe where it's doing just fine. Somehow people don't seem upset with having world leading health care and work stability.

US guaranteed $4.3 trillion during financial crisis

2009-11-06T16:49:00.000-05:00

It saved the overall economy from something much worse and for Wall Street, it saved them from complete ruin. The problem now is that because no strings were attached (even now, it's weak) Wall Street sleeps comfortably, knowing that no matter how crazy they behave, the US government will be there to back them up, again. The risky bets are back as are the fat bonuses courtesy of the expensive guarantee. Without risk, how cautious will Wall Street really be? A Congressional Oversight Panel is reviewing this issue though whether Congress will act is another question.

"This apparently positive outcome, however, was achieved at the price of a significant amount of risk," the panel said in the report. "A significant element of moral hazard has been injected into the financial system and a very large amount of money remains at risk."

Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard Law School professor who heads the Congressional Oversight panel, said the guarantees also produced significant distortions in private markets, drawing funds to assets that had backstops.

"The fact that there is no upfront cost is both the beauty and danger of guarantees," she told a conference call on the report. "They are perhaps too tempting."

Hey Rep. Kissell, can we have our $485,795 back?

2009-11-06T15:42:00.000-05:00

Chris Bowers at OpenLeft informs us of another Democrat who sought our money during the election, and now is turning his back on us and real health care reform.

With a vote looming on Saturday night, the whip in the House for the health care bill remains very close. According to the whip count at The Hill, 43 Democrats are no, leaning no, or undecided. With 258 House Democrats, if every Republican votes "no" then 41 Democratic defections will defeat the bill.

One new "no" vote that just appeared, and is not on the list at The Hill, is freshmen Democrat Larry Kissell. This is noteworthy, given that in 2006 and 2008, Larry Kissell raised $485,795 on Act Blue. Some of that was raised directly by the campaign, but most of it came in through blog-organized fundraising pages.

Obama administration officially (finally) supports House health insurance reform bill

2009-11-06T14:36:00.001-05:00

The official Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) on H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, has been released. It's official: The Obama administration supports the bill. However, someone at the White House wanted to make it clear there is a "but" to this support. As John noted, with this crowd, "There's alway a but..." At least the SAP clears the way for Obama to actually push members of the House Democratic Caucus to support the legislation.

Jon Walker at FDL Action is liveblogging the House Rules Committee meeting, which is currently in progress. The Rules Committee will set the parameters for what will happen on the House floor during the debate this weekend.

The full SAP is after the break.

Via email from the White House:

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY
H.R. 3962 — Affordable Health Care for America Act
(Rep. Dingell, D-Michigan, and 6 cosponsors)
The Administration strongly supports House passage of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, a bill that represents a critical milestone in the effort to reform our health care system. H.R. 3962 will provide needed insurance reforms for Americans with insurance, expand coverage for those who do not have insurance, lower costs for families and businesses, and begin to reduce the Nation’s deficit. It meets the President’s criteria for health insurance reform: it assures that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care that is there when they need it and does so without adding a dime to the deficit.

This legislation is the product of unprecedented cooperation and countless hours of hard work by Members of the House of Representatives who share the President’s conviction that the Nation cannot wait another year for health insurance reform. They have forged a strong consensus that represents an historic step forward.

The House legislation includes critical reforms to the insurance industry, so that Americans will no longer have to worry that they will be denied coverage, or that their coverage will be dropped or watered down when they need it most. It covers virtually all Americans and ensures that all Americans with health insurance are protected against high out-of-pocket spending. The Administration is pleased that the bill includes a public health insurance option offered in an exchange. As the President has said throughout this process, a public option that competes with private insurers is one of the best ways to ensure the choice and competition that are so badly needed in today’s market.

The House bill also includes important health care delivery system reforms, and would extend the solvency of Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund. Its Medicare and Medicaid policies promote integrated care, quality care, and primary care. It invests in research on the most effective treatments, prevention, and the health care workforce. It also makes critical improvements for Medicare beneficiaries including closing the coverage gap in the Medicare drug benefit known as the donut hole. In addition, it provides new options for long-term care. Moreover, the House bill is fully paid for and will help to reduce the deficit in the long-term.

This bill provides the necessary health reforms that the Administration seeks affordable, quality care within reach for the tens of millions of Americans who do not have it today, and stability and security for the hundreds of millions who do. The Administration appreciates the hard work of the House on this bill, which contributes to transforming the health care system. The Administration looks forward to continuing to work with the Congress on this legislation and urges quick action on this landmark bill.

UPDATED: Another mass shooting leaves 1 dead, 5 wounded

2009-11-06T13:49:00.004-05:00

UPDATE: CNN reports the alleged gunman has been apprehended. And, The Orlando Sentinel has updated its earlier report:

One person is dead and 5 are confirmed shot in the incident, which took place about 11:50 a.m. at Legions Place, an office building near Interstate 4 and Ivanhoe Boulevard. A handgun was used in the attack, police said.

This one is in Orlando and is also a workplace shooting:

A former employee of a business located in a downtown Orlando building where a deadly mass shooting took place today is suspected in the attack.

Two people are dead and at least 17 were shot in the incident, which took place about noon today.

The suspect, Jason Rodriguez, 40, is believed to be driving a silver, 2002 Nissan SUV with tag number D11UXR, Orlando Police spokeswoman Sgt. Barbara Jones.

Police think he is armed and still in the area.

Rodriguez was an employee of Reynolds, Smith & Hill, a transportation consulting firm.

WND falsely claimed alleged Fort Hood shooter "advised Obama transition"

2009-11-06T12:49:00.000-05:00

It's funny, but they still surprise me.

WorldNetDaily falsely claimed that alleged Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan "advised Obama transition" in the headline of an article by Jerome Corsi highlighting his listing as a "participant" in a report for the Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) at George Washington University's Presidential Transition Task Force. However, Corsi himself acknowledges that there is no evidence that "the group played any formal role in the official Obama transition" -- indeed, the Task Force was initiated in April 2008. Moreover, while Hasan was listed as one of approximately 300 "Task Force Event Participants" in the report's appendix, HSPI has reportedly said he was not a "member" of the Task Force, and was listed because he RSVP'd for several of the group's open events.

There's a reason we call it WIngNutDaily.

Obama to endorse House health care reform bill, but....

2009-11-06T11:50:00.000-05:00

There's always a "but."

In fact, Politico reports, the Obama administration will endorse the House bill, but the White House won't say that the House bill any better than the Senate bill, which they also endorse. Get it?

This way the White House can be everyone's friend, rather than actually taking a stand for the strongest health care reform possible.

When has the White House, any White House, ever had a problem saying that it preferred one bill over another? Of course, most worrisome is the fact that, in the end, it's not at all clear that the White House would support the stronger bill if they did speak out. As that's the bill that Olympia Snowe, and the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, would dislike more. And the ultimate goal far too often seems to be passing something with as many GOP votes as possible, and as little conflict as possible, rather than passing the strongest health care reform possible.

DNC Treasurer blames Aravosis for gay community anger at DNC/Obama

2009-11-06T10:28:00.003-05:00

DNC Treasurer Andy Tobias joined in the comments section last night of John's latest post about the DNC's, and White House's, growing gay problem. And he wasn't very happy. He actually blamed John for the increasingly strained relationship between the gay community and the Democratic party, and then suggested that John was helping the Republicans by asking President Obama and the Democratic party to keep their promises to the gay community. I'm not sure a senior Democratic party official has ever started a bar brawl in the comments section of a blog before. Well, they have now. I've written a lengthy post about this over at AMERICAblog Gay.

Unemployment hits 10.2%

2009-11-06T09:28:00.003-05:00

AP:

The jobless rate rose to 10.2 percent from 9.8 percent in September. The jump reflects a sharp increase in the tally of unemployed Americans, which rose to 15.7 million from 15.1 million. That was much larger than the net loss of jobs, which is based on a survey of businesses.

Economists say it could climb as high as 10.5 percent next year because employers remain reluctant to hire.

Robert Reich says we have no choice to enact a larger stimulus bill, and he makes a compelling political argument for why:

That should be Obama's selling point to the Blue Dogs. He should tell them the economy needs a bigger stimulus in order to show improved job numbers by the mid-term elections. And he should make sure they understand that they're more politically endangered next November if the the job numbers aren't moving in the right direction by then than if they vote for a larger stimulus now.

Scenes from the Teabaggers: Hypocrisy, Hatred, Anti-semitism and Buffoonery

2009-11-06T09:19:00.000-05:00

Okay, I don't often link to Dana Milbank, but today, he has some of the color from the teabagger rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. I found this particularly interesting:

More ominously, a man standing just beyond the TV cameras apparently suffered a heart attack 20 minutes after event began. Medical personnel from the Capitol physician's office -- an entity that could, quite accurately, be labeled government-run health care -- rushed over, attaching electrodes to his chest and giving him oxygen and an IV drip.

This turned into an unwanted visual for the speakers, as a D.C. ambulance and firetruck, lights flashing, pulled in just behind the lawmakers. A path was made through the media section, and the patient, attended to by about 10 government medical personnel, was being wheeled away on a stretcher just as House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) stepped to the microphone. "Join us in defeating Pelosi care!" he exhorted. A few members stole a glance at the stretcher. Boehner may have been distracted as well. He told the crowd he would read from the Constitution, then read the "we hold these truths" bit from the Declaration of Independence.

And, this was just disgusting:

But the best of Bachmann's recruits were a few rows into the crowd, holding aloft a pair of 5-by-8-foot banners proclaiming "National Socialist Healthcare, Dachau, Germany, 1945." Both banners showed close-up photographs of Holocaust victims, many of them children.

Then, there's Rep. Todd Akin's performance. Akin wanted to drive liberals crazy by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. But, as Paul Constant noted at the SLOG, "it does drive us crazy when somebody gets all smug about owning the Pledge of Allegiance and then he can't f*#$@ing say it without screwing it up":

Friday Morning Open Thread

2009-11-06T08:09:00.000-05:00

Good morning.

The news is filled with stories and reports from the horrible shooting at Fort Hood. The shooter lived in the D.C. area for many years, before moving to Texas, so there's intense local coverage here. And, because the gunman was apparently a Muslim, there's the potential for more ugliness aimed at American Muslims. I'm sure the traditional media and pundits will be sensitive to that, right? Of course not. Anything to sensationalize a tragedy. Disgusting.

The President is planning to visit Walter Reed Medical Center today -- a trip planned before the shooting. He's also meeting with the new Blue Dog from upstate New York, Rep. Bill Owens, who won on Tuesday.

Tomorrow, the House is going to vote on its health insurance reform bill. Apparently, the President is going to Capitol Hill to meet with the House Democratic caucus. Hard to say if he's going to actually push them and lobby for the bill. That's not his style. But, maybe House members can infer from his visit that he supports the bill.

Also, last night, John wrote another post about the growing controversy involving the DNC and the LGBT community. DNC Treasurer Andy Tobias, who is openly gay, wrote several comments in that post. Lets just say, he didn't make things better. More on that shortly.

Let's get threading...

Fort Hood shooter alive, more updates

2009-11-06T05:33:00.000-05:00

The AP is saying the shooter survived and will likely recover. Friendly fire could have contributed to the high casualty rate during the confusion. The Guardian has more on current theories behind the terrible event.

An aide to Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Texas senator who was briefed by generals about the incident, said she had been told Hasan was upset about the deployment at the end of the year. Family and fellow officers said that he complained of harassment by other troops about his Middle Eastern ethnicity and Muslim background.

Virginia-born Hasan opened fire with two handguns at the base's soldier readiness centre, where troops were having equipment checks, dental treatment and other last-minute preparations before being flown to Iraq.

Last night the suspected killer's cousin told Fox News in America that Hasan's duties had involved helping soldiers after they had returned from duty overseas.

MTV celebrates Berlin wall coming down by building a new wall

2009-11-06T03:48:00.000-05:00

Idiots.

Twenty years ago, thousands of Germans converged at the Berlin Wall to watch as the hated barrier between east and west was torn down. But tonight, many fans hoping to catch a glimpse of U2 as they played a free concert to celebrate the anniversary of the historic event would have found a small obstacle in their way: a hastily erected wall.

The organisers of the event, the music network MTV, erected a two-metre high "sight barrier" to exclude those without one of 10,000 free tickets from catching a glimpse of the band. The irony was not lost on fans, some of whom said they would boycott the event in protest.

Go ahead and be a grump - it's good for you

2009-11-06T00:21:00.000-05:00

And now I have science to back up my story. I feel better already.

An Australian psychology expert who has been studying emotions has found being grumpy makes us think more clearly.

In contrast to those annoying happy types, miserable people are better at decision-making and less gullible, his experiments showed.

Mont Blanc shrinks 18 inches in two years

2009-11-05T22:45:00.000-05:00

Yikes. They're still going to need to do more testing a lower levels to determine whether or not this is directly linked to climate change but it's still a stunning figure. They also noticed that the summit is now 26 meters closer to the Italian border.

Western Europe's tallest peak, the snow-capped Alpine giant Mont Blanc, has shrunk by 45 centimetres (18 inches) in two years, experts said Thursday following an official survey.

The new height of Mont Blanc, which lies on the three-way border between France, Italy and Switzerland, is now 4,810.45 metres (15,782.3 feet), just over half that of Nepal's Everest but still the tallest Alpine peak.

For Glenn Beck, SEIU is 'radical, marxist,' except when its nurses treat him for appendicitis

2009-11-05T21:31:00.001-05:00

If Beck were true to his convictions, he'd have left the Marxist hospital and prayed at home for a cure. More from Alternet:

Earlier today, a hospitalized Glenn Beck tweeted in praise of the "AMAZING drs/nurses" who have cared for him since the emergency removal of his inflamed appendix yesterday afternoon.

The quality of care he is receiving should not have come as a surprise. When Beck complained of acute abdominal pain during his radio program on Wednesday, he was rushed to a nearby hospital. The security-conscious Beck has not disclosed the name of the facility, but it's a safe bet that it is staffed by proud members of a storied union: New York's Local 1199, aka United Healthcare Workers East, which belongs to the Service Employees International Union. The SEIU has organized all of Manhattan's major hospitals, including every facility to which Beck could have conceivably been sent....

Just hours before his hospitalization, Beck was at work increasing the pitch of his attacks on SEIU and its leaders. On Monday, he warned his Fox News audience that SEIU president Andy Stern is "controlling our country." On Wednesday, he claimed Stern was spouting "communist, Marxist propaganda" by addressing the need for labor to organize globally in a globalized world.

DNC misled gay community. DNC Treasurer Andy Tobias admits DNC intentionally asked Mainers to help Corzine, after DNC denied it.

2009-11-05T20:11:00.002-05:00

The DNC and the White House are already in hot water with the gay community for a growing list of slights and grievances. But outright lying to the community about what the Democratic party did, or didn't do, to help gay and lesbian Americans and Democrats defend their civil rights this past election day in Maine - that crosses a line. A big one. Read my exposé on AMERICAblog gay.

House health care vote expected on Saturday

2009-11-05T17:45:00.001-05:00

Reuters:

Urged on by President Barack Obama, Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives hustled on Thursday to round up support for a sweeping healthcare overhaul headed to a close floor vote on Saturday.

The House drive for healthcare reform, Obama's top domestic priority, was bolstered on Thursday by the backing of the American Medical Association, which represents U.S. doctors, and AARP, the powerful lobbying group for older Americans.