N.Y. Times Promotes DREAM Act Supporters, Who Tar Opponents as ‘Anti-Christian, Anti-Hispanic, and Anti-American’
December 18, 2010 No CommentThe New York Times promoted the “DREAM Act” on Saturday with a Julia Preston article that never located a single lobbyist for stricter immigration enforcement. Instead, Preston assisted in publicizing a major administration push: “Five cabinet secretaries have made calls, held news conferences or blogged on the issue.” It didn't matter how ridiculous it sounded to border enforcers:
Continue reading …AP Report Avoids Noting Worst-Ever Month for Housing Units Completed, Worst Nov. Ever in Starts and Permits
December 18, 2010 No CommentLeave it to the Associated Press, with the assistance of the “magic” of seasonal adjustments, to make the November housing market appear as if it was a bit better than the two months that preceded it. It wasn't. Thursday, the wire service grabbed the single crumb that was available, namely the Census Bureau's report earlier that day that annualized, seasonally adjusted housing starts had increased by about 4% and turned it into a decidedly positive headline: “Home construction up after 2 months of declines.” AP Economics Writer Jeannine Aversa watered down the headline in her very first sentence, describing the “up” part of the headline as a “nudge.” That's nowhere near enough. The available evidence indicates that November may have been the worst month the homebuilding industry has had in 4-5 decades of related recordkeeping. read more
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enlarge Credit: Herald Examiner Collection Even Los Angeles was getting the hang of blackouts in 1941. Click here to view this media On December 17th 1941 it was 10 days after Pearl Harbor and the country was gearing up for what would become the long haul. Fighting was going on all over the Pacific region and news reports on this day try to keep track of what was happening with varying degrees of results. Heads were rolling in Washington over who was “asleep at the switch” in Pearl Harbor and the Pacific Command was revamped and replaced quickly with heads lined up on the chopping block before any investigation got underway. Despite everything the universal feeling was to keep Christmas going and even the Mayor of San Francisco declared all celebrations would go on as planned. Not even a war was going to stop people from jamming local department stores, even if they were blacked out. A day with more questions than answers and a December 17th more confusing than most.
Continue reading …Fox legal analyst doesn’t mention Republicans voted against 9/11 health bill
December 18, 2010 No Comment
Click here to view this media Jon Stewart has shown some of this clip twice now this week as Exhibit A of how the media has dropped the ball on how the U.S. Senate has turned their back on 9/11 First Responders. In this case, a Fox News legal analyst actually rails against this, but fails to mention who the culprits really were or why. Via Raw Story : Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson, Jr. is mad. He’s mad that Congress did not pass health benefits for 9/11 first responders. But he’s not mad enough to explain why. The bill was opposed almost exclusively by Republicans, who demanded Democrats first pass tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. In a three minute monologue broadcast Monday during Fox & Friends, Johnson said simply that “Congress” was to blame. “Shame, embarrassment, outrage, anger, all are proper reactions to the conduct of our Senators, who will now find one excuse after another to explain away the fact that they have turned their back on American heroes,” he said. “Heroes whose only sin was to expect nothing for their service and were then promised the world by politicians who couldn’t take enough pictures with them.” Forty-one of the 42 Republican Senators voted against the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 , with one Republican, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kentucky, abstaining. Only one Democratic Senator, Harry Reid of Nevada, voted against the bill. “In this fight, America fought America, and we all lost,” Johnson added.
Continue reading …Matthews Gets Another Tingle for Obama’s ‘Cute’ ‘Wonderful’ ‘Boyish’ ‘Smile We All Love’
December 18, 2010 No Comment
Barack Obama's tax compromise victory has got tingles running back up Chris Matthews' leg. After showing a clip of the President at Friday's bill signing, the “Hardball” host raved to guests Eugene Robinson and Howard Fineman about the Commander-in-Chief's “cute smile we all love…That wonderful, boyish smile” (video follows with transcript and commentary): read more
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This week’s episode of “Left, Right & Center” features a double dose of commentary from the right, making the conversation about Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan, the death of Richard Holbrooke, the future of health care reform, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission’s findings …
Continue reading …A vote for sanity: DREAM Act should be a no-brainer for anyone with an ounce of sense and decency
December 18, 2010 No Comment
Click here to view this media There were students out today on Capitol Hill, trying to make the final push for the DREAM Act, the cloture vote for which is tomorrow. In a normal political environment, this bill would be a no-brainer. I called the offices of Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, one of the Democratic holdouts who is reportedly planning to vote no, because I still have a lot of family ties back in Montana, including some political ties, and voiced my extreme disappointment at his betrayal. I was told the senator doesn’t support “amnesty”; I answered that it’s obvious the senator has swallowed the outpouring of lies about the act. It’s also obviously making the nativists nervous — which is why they’re pulling out all the stops. (See the utterly mendacious Mickey Kaus in Newsweek today, regurgitating just about every falsehood about this bill and giving it the patina of mainstream mediahood. And oh yeah — Mickey’s a liberal. Uh huh. Sure. He just never seems to find any liberal position he actually agrees with. Anyway, keep the phone calls up. Here are the numbers: D’s fence sitting: Claire McCaskill (MO) 202-224-615 Mary Landrieu (LA) (202) 224-5824 Kay Hagan (NC) 202-224-6342 Mark Pryor (AR) 202-224-6342 Joe Manchin (WV) (202) 224-3954 Kent Conrad (ND) (202) 224-2043 R Leaning yes: Lisa Murkowski (AK) (202) 224-6665 D’s likely voting no, who should feel pain: Tester, Baucus, Nelson Max Baucus (MT) – (202) 224-2651 Ben Nelson (NE) – (202) 224-6551 Jon Tester (MT) – (202) 224-2644
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Click here to view this media Robin Roberts asks Palin about the controversy surrounding her hunting on her reality show, the criticism from Aaron Sorkin , PETA and others. Sarah responded as expected. Palin on GMA , “[I] would never shoot an animal for its fur or for fashion”. In the background, a bearskin rug complete with head. enlarge So it goes.
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On Thursday, author, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Truthdig columnist Chris Hedges and Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg were among the 131 anti-war activists arrested during a nonviolent demonstration outside the White House … Related Entries December 16, 2010 Round and Round in Afghanistan December 16, 2010 An Afghan War Refresher With President Obama
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In Internet-ese, one possible response to a couple of President Obama’s more intriguing justifications for passing the contentious tax-cut bill on Friday might be O RLY? This is because the president declared later that same day that the new measure will “protect the middle class, grow our economy … and create jobs for the American people.” Meanwhile, Reuters characterized the bill as “a grab bag of goodies for investors, the affluent and workers, but the richer you are the more you get.”
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