NPR Uses Joplin’s Tea Party Congressman to Gush Over Obama Disaster Relief Team
September 23, 2011 No Comment
On Thursday, NPR's Morning Edition used a Republican mayor to boost Obama's push for infrastructure spending. On Friday, the same show displayed a new Tea Party Republican House member representing tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri to gush over the effectiveness of the Obama disaster relief team, as if to say “No Katrinas here, America.” Janet Napolitano told NPR Long would give them a “12″ out of 10. Liberals have this habit of thinking that disaster relief somehow rebuts “foes of Big Government,” or that Tea Party members ran on the promise of abolishing disaster aid. NPR reporter Frank Morris pressed hard on the chastened-anti-statist angle: STEVE INSKEEP, anchor: The gridlock in Congress over disaster aid affects Joplin, Missouri, which was hit in May by a tornado. The devastated area is represented on Capitol Hill by Congressman Billy Long. He's a Tea Party favorite who won his seat in November as a man fed up with Washington. BILLY LONG: Fed up with reckless spending. Fed up with the threat to our values. INSKEEP: Since the tornado, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has spent millions of dollars in the congressman's district. And the spending continues. Congressman Long says that's perfectly appropriate, which is leading to questions about whether he abandoned his Tea Party principles. Frank Morris, of member station KCUR, reports. FRANK MORRIS: Billy Long is a pretty popular guy in Joplin. Last April he fired up a Tea Party crowd there, pretending to auction off the national debt. Five weeks later, Long was back in Joplin, this time in the dark, and rain, surveying the aftermath of an apocalyptic tornado. And, this time, the federal government was his friend. LONG: FEMA called as soon as I got there, and said, Congressman Long, we're on the way. We'll have boots on the ground there in an hour or two. And I said, no you won't, they're already here. MORRIS: What followed, Long says, has been a superb relief effort. LONG: The president came in. He was great. Janet Napolitano came in, she's been great. And Leader Pelosi came up to me on the floor and hugged me and said anything people in Joplin need they will have. MORRIS: And that's just what they've gotten. FEMA has spent close to $100 million just on the cleanup, another $19 million plus on rent and home repairs. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was back in Joplin just yesterday, praising Joplin's can do attitude and Congressman Long. Secretary JANET NAPOLITANO: He's worked well with our office, with our shop. W hen he was asked about FEMA shortly after the fact, to rank it on a scale of one to 10, he said he would give it a 12. The Obama campaign really ought to be shelling out cash for advertising like this. But in a sense, it does: it keeps the taxpayer spigot open so the liberal messaging can continue. Morris did get current Tea Party opinion: MORRIS: This kind of talk doesn't square with some of Long's constituents. Bloggers say he's shredding his Tea Party stripes, drinking the Potomac Kool-Aid. He's portrayed as another politician bellying up to the trough. Perhaps surprisingly, some of this grief for helping tornado-ravaged Joplin, has come from Joplin. JOHN PUTNAM: Joplin would be, some people would use the phrase, the buckle of the Bible Belt. It's very conservative. MORRIS: John Putnam leads a Tea Party group in these parts. PUTNAM: I think the bottom line for most of us, is that we can do it locally. MORRIS: Putnam says it was volunteers, local folks hit by the tornado, and tens of thousands more streaming in from across the country, many of them evangelical Christians with ties to Joplin's numerous churches, who've done the most of the work. But Putnam, unlike some in the blogosphere, is willing to give Long a pass. PUTNAM: I think this is the system we operate under, and everybody thinks as long as we're under this system, it's fine for him to try to maximize FEMA's contribution. What's interesting here is that some local bloggers attacked Long for drinking “Potomac Kool-Aid” before the tornado. In March, “Bungalow Bill” was already unhappy with the smallness of the spending cuts achieved.
Continue reading …Crazy Larry: Perry Is GOP’s ‘Favorite Killer, Favorite State-Sanctioned Killer’
September 23, 2011 No Comment
It's going to be a long campaign . . . Republicans haven't come close to choosing their presidential candidate yet, but already a proud member of the MSM is calling a leading GOP contender a “killer.” On his MSNBC show this evening, Crazy Larry O'Donnell accused Rick Perry of being–for his record of enforcing the law on capital punishment in Texas–the Republicans' “favorite killer, favorite state-sanctioned killer.”
Continue reading …Is Mitt Romney– Or Any Of Those Buffoons — Fit To Be Commander-in-Chief?
September 23, 2011 No Comment
Connie & John aren’t gay, but I bet a right wing mob would boo them anyway Tomorrow afternoon, Michigan Democratic congressional candidate John Waltz is being formally endorsed by Blue America and he’ll be blogging with us at Crooks and Liars (2pm, ET). Ohio Democrat Connie Pillich won’t be doing a Blue America session until the end of October. Both, however, have something in common that I want to share with you now. Connie and John both enlisted in the military. Connie served in the Air Force during the Gulf War. John served in the Navy and saw action in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Both, like all good Americans, were horrified at the spectacle last night at the Fox Republican “presidential” debate when the audience booed an active duty America soldier asking a question. But the ignorance and bigotry of the audience was one thing… how about these men and a crazed woman who want to be Commander-in-Cheif of the United States Armed Forces? Not one had the decency– or the courage– to stand up to the vile booing mob of louts in the audience. Romney may have looked embarrassed, but he didn’t raise a well-sculptured eyebrow. “It is quite obvious that Republicans are fully committed to hatred and blatant racism,” John told us this morning, “which became quite evident at the debate last night. Not one presidential candidate uttered a peep about the hateful and homophobic booing of a gay soldier in Iraq. I challenge any Republican or Tea-liban member to sign up for the military and get shipped over there and see if they have any complaint when a gay or lesbian soldier is protecting their lives. “I know during my time in the service we had a massive fire and several of us were pulled out by a lesbian and not one of us stopped her to ask if she was sleeping with a man or woman that night. This behavior is despicable and should never be tolerated. The repeal of DADT was a major step forward in civil rights for our nation and anyone that is willing to serve our nation to protect our freedoms should never be discriminated against.” John Waltz is the kind of candidate Blue America is backing this year. I hope you’ll come by tomorrow and meet him. If you’d like to donate to his campaign, you can do it here at our Blue America ActBlue page . Connie serves in the Ohio state legislature and lately her battles have been around the legitimate aspirations of working families and keeping the Republicans from doing away with democracy in her state. Previously she served in support of both Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield. “I find it reprehensible that any American would jeer any American soldier who simply reported for duty. All of our members of the Armed Services deserve our respect and support. And anyone running for president who will necessarily become Commander-in-Chief ought to defend and support all of our troops against such malice.” Connie isn’t up on the Blue America page yet (soon), but you can contribute to her campaign here for now. Richard Allen Smith from VoteVets was as outraged– but not as surprised, writing today that the Republican audience was finally honest with America about how they feel about America’s service members when they booed an active duty Soldier serving in Iraq. [T]he audience didn’t boo him simply because he’s a Soldier. They booed him because he is a gay Soldier. But that shouldn’t matter any more than if he were a Hispanic Soldier or a blue eyed Soldier or a brown haired Soldier. He is an American service member serving in harms way. But the audience, as well as the Republican candidates who allowed this to happen without a word being spoken in support of the Soldier, still gave us valuable insight into the Republican party. Republicans will wear their flag lapel pins and put yellow ribbon magnets on their car so long as you support their narrative. The moment you deviate from their party line, they throw you in the gutter. It’s what they did to Pat Tillman. It’s what they did to this Soldier last night, and it’s what they’ve done for decades to Soldiers and Veterans by exuding superficial patriotism on the campaign trail and betraying us once they end up in office. It isn’t just a class war we’re being dragged into. It’s a full-fledged war against fascism. Except this time the fascists aren’t be fronted by a creep in Germany with a funny little mustache.
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Pvt 1st Class Andrew Holmes among five soldiers charged over ‘thrill killings’ of civilians in Kandahar in 2010 A US soldier has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the murders of Afghan civilians last year. Pvt 1st Class Andrew Holmes, 21, was among five soldiers charged over the “thrill killings” of the three civilians during patrols in Kandahar. The murders have been described as among the most serious war crimes charges to emerge from the Afghanistan war. Holmes, from Boise, Idaho, confessed in court to firing a heavy machine gun at a boy from 15 feet away, after his co-defendant threw a grenade at him. He was accused of directly participating in the first killing and initially charged with premeditated murder among other charges. But in a deal with prosecutors, Holmes pleaded guilty to murder by an inherently dangerous act, as well as possessing a finger bone from his victim and smoking hashish. Judge Lt Col Kwasi Hawks sentenced him on Friday to seven years in jail, saying there was no excuse for the murder. “You aimed a fully loaded squad automatic weapon at [a] child that stood 15 feet away,” he said. However, Hawks also told the defendant, “I hope and I believe you will have a long and productive life, and I believe a happy life.” Holmes told the judge he wanted the “opportunity to be a son, a brother, a nephew”. His family cried as his sentence was given. The soldiers, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, south of Seattle, were arrested in Afghanistan last year after prosecutors said they killed the three men for sport in January, February and May of 2010. Prosecutors say that in addition to the murders by the group, formerly known as the 5th Stryker Brigade but renamed the 2nd Stryker Brigade, some of the defendants kept body parts severed from the corpses and photos as war trophies. Holmes’ sentence came one day after he changed his plea to guilty in a deal with army prosecutors. Holmes will receive credit for the 499 days he has already been behind bars and could leave prison early on good behaviour, it was reported. He will receive a dishonorable discharge after serving his sentence, said army spokesman Joe Kubistek. Holmes will also forfeit his army pay. During the closing argument in his case, prosecutor Major Rob Stelle showed a large photo of Holmes standing over his victim. “It was callous, reckless indifference, a depraved heart,” he said of the killing. “The accused had a choice. He pulled the trigger and ended that man’s life.” Holmes’ lawyer, Dan Conway, argued his client was a 19-year-old soldier placed in a difficult situation. Drug use was said to be rampant in the army unit. One soldier who blew the whistle on hash smoking by his comrades was beaten up and threatened in retaliation. US military Afghanistan United States Amy Fallon guardian.co.uk
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enlarge Credit: Drudge Drudge: Michele’s Bling The right wing smear machine has been unrelentless in their cowardly attacks against FLOTUS. Michele Obama has been a target of Limbaugh’s scathing commentary weekly, but Drudge led the way after Culture Map got the lying started. Michelle Obama Derangement Syndrome continues unabated in the right wing media. Several sites have picked up a story at the website CultureMap.com that reported on Obama’s choice of jewelry at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New York. From CultureMap, with emphasis added: That was no ordinary bling on the wrist of First Lady Michelle Obama at the DNC fundraiser in New York Tuesday night. Those fancy diamond cuffs were the creation of 23-year-old Katie Decker, whose namesake jewelry line has been making a serious splash since her graduation from Texas A&M two years ago. The native Houstonian is over the moon with the fab pub that photos of the first lady in Katie Decker are already providing. Michelle Obama’s stylist picked up the bracelets at Katie’s showroom in Fragments in Soho. The bracelets were on loan for the evening; a common practice in the fashion industry. You can see more photos of the Obamas from the evening here by checking out the Gotham Hall event. If you’ve been saving your nickels and dimes, the cuffs are available locally at Judith Ann Jewels. The First Lady wore Katie’s Lotus cuff priced at $15,000 with 2.9 carats of diamonds, her Gothic cuff at $15,350 with 2.17 carats in diamonds and the Quatrefoil bracelet at $11,800 with 1.73 carats in diamonds. Or, as Drudge Report wrote it: Fox Nation also picked up the story and included excerpts — but not the line about the jewelry being “on loan for the evening”…. — Right on cue, the story was picked up by Jim Hoft . He headlined his post “Everyone Must Sacrifice… Michelle Obama Wears $42,000 in Bling to DNC Fundraiser”: The economy may have had its first downgrade. But not the Obamas. In January 2009, before the president signed his failed $787 billion stimulus bill into law, Barack Obama lectured America saying, “Everyone must sacrifice for the greater good… Everyone must have some skin in the game.” Everyone but Barack and Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama wore $42,000 in bling to a DNC fundraiser this week. The accusation that Obama was being extravagant because she wore borrowed jewelry is the latest in a long line of deranged attacks on her. I remember when America finally woke up to the fact that George Bush was a destructive president, attacks of FLOTUS where still pretty much frowned upon and then kept to a minimum for good reason. Why isn’t the media all over Drudge because of the falsehood of his story? I guess because the beltway Villagers still believe he rules the world.
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To his critics, he’s guilty of turning pop into factory farming, mocking the afflicted, skewing the values of a generation. To his fans, he is an
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Click here to view this media You just can’t please some people. In the eyes of National Rifle Association (NRA) executive vice president Wayne LaPierre, President Barack Obama’s decision not to pursue gun control legislation is a “massive conspiracy,” and just another reason not to give him a second term. “[The Obama campaign] will say gun owners — they’ll say they left them alone,” LaPierre told an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday. “In public, he’ll remind us that he’s put off calls from his party to renew the Clinton [assault weapons] ban, he hasn’t pushed for new gun control laws… The president will offer the Second Amendment lip service and hit the campaign trail saying he’s actually been good for the Second Amendment.” “But it’s a big fat stinking lie!” the NRA leader exclaimed. “It’s all part of a massive Obama conspiracy to deceive voters and destroy the Second Amendment in our country.” “Obama himself is no fool. So when he got elected, they concocted a scheme to stay away from the gun issue, lull gun owners to sleep and play us for fools in 2012. Well, gun owners are not fools and we are not fooled,” La Pierre declared. “Sotomayor, Kagan, Fast & Furious, the United Nations, executive orders. Those are the facts we face today… President Obama and his cohorts, yeah, they’re going to deny their conspiracy to fool gun owners. Some in the liberal media, they are already probably blogging about it. But we don’t care because the lying, conniving Obama crowd can kiss our Constitution!” Gun control advocates have criticized the president for not pushing for new gun control legislation in the wake of a January shooting that left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (R-AZ) in serious condition and six others dead.
Continue reading …CNN’s Foreman: Romney’s Assault on Texas Dream Act ‘a Little Misleading and More Along the Lines of Being True But Incomplete’
September 23, 2011 No Comment
In recent years, various media outlets have established self-styled truth squads to “fact check”
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Click here to view this media Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was on CNN this morning, promoting the latest outrage: $16 muffins at Department of Justice conferences. CNN was only too happy to provide a forum for his nonsense. Kevin Drum at Mother Jones looked into this “scandal” and was unsurprisingly underwhelmed. So did DOJ really pay $16 for muffins? Of course not. In fact, it’s obvious that someone quite carefully calculated the amount they were allowed to spend and then gave the hotel a budget. The hotel agreed, but for some reason decided to divide up the charges into just a few categories instead of writing a detailed invoice for every single piece of food they provided. This is unremarkable. In fact, I’m here to tell you that this happens All. The. Time. I’ve been involved in what feels like a thousand conferences of this kind, and I’d be shocked if it happened any other way. –snip– None of this is to say that DOJ didn’t overspend on its conferences. In fact, it sounds like they did — though in some cases this was just an artifact of applying overhead costs to the food instead of accounting for it separately. But the $16 muffin? That’s a myth. It’ll never die now that it’s been delivered to posterity thanks to some enthusiast in the OIG who broke out a calculator and mistakenly assumed they could calculate actual costs this way, but it’s still a myth. And reading through the report (pgs 32-33) it takes about 5 seconds to realize where the money went. ($39,500 ÷ 5 days) ÷ 534 attendees, and not surmise that a whole more than 300 muffins were eaten that entire week. Chuck Grassley may be the biggest horse’s patoot in a senate replete with them. Or it could just be that he’s a wily old codger who just knows how to play the game with the media with this bit of foolishness, as even a cursory examination of the facts would have shown. Whatever the case, CNN and the rest get pwned yet again. (note: The entire segment lasted well over 6 minutes but I didn’t feel I could in good conscience subject you to that, Dear Readers, so I’ve cut in down to 3. Feel free to listen to the Frank Zappa song below if you need to get the bad taste out after the CNN video above.) UPDATE: WASHINGTON — The government did not pay $16 apiece for breakfast muffins at a Justice Department conference, no matter what the department’s inspector general thinks. So says Hilton Worldwide, which hosted the 2009 legal training conference in Washington. Even the IG’s own report issued this week acknowledges that for the price paid, they also got some free fruit and drinks. Hilton Worldwide, which manages and franchises hotels including the Capital Hilton where the conference took place, says the price included not only breakfast baked goods but also fresh fruit, coffee, tea, soft drinks, tax and tips. It says the report misinterpreted its invoices, which often use shorthand and don’t reflect the full menu and service provided.
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