Oh Dear! Teabagger Accuses Teamster Of Choking Him At Union Rally, Video Indicates Otherwise.
February 28, 2011 No CommentOh dear. What whiny babies these Tea Party “patriots” are! What frail, delicate flowers they are when they’re not carrying guns or making anonymous threats! Take, for instance, this story about a heated encounter between a Teamster and a teabagger at the Sacramento union rally Saturday: The opposing rallies were divided by 10th Street, west of the State Capitol. All was peaceful, until members supporting unions crossed the street. An amateur videographer caught a shoving match on tape. The video showed a face to face argument right before Richard Andazola, 28, of Stockton, shoved a tea party activist. “He bum rushed across the street, came right at us, swung his bullhorn at me, hit me in the hand and then put his hand around my throat and started choking me ,” Rodney Stanhope of Placerville said. The video doesn’t show the choking incident, but clearly shows the shoving. Because of it, Sacramento Police officers cited Andazola for battery. Andazola tells a different story though. “He was spitting on me, he’s bigger than me, and I told him to get off of me,” Andazola said. “I was backing up and he was staying on me ’til the point that he spit in my mouth.” I’m sure Mr. Stanhope has already been (or will shortly be) thoroughly examined by a personal injury lawyer, and will hold off on petitioning his congressman for tort reform until after he’s had his payday. But I’m so confused, because each of the persons involved tell such different stories, I feel like I’m seeing a remake of “Rashomon.” (There I go, with the liberal elite cultural references!) Perhaps I am unduly suspicious of Mr. Stanhope’s version of events , and if I’m wrong, I’m sorry. But as my mother would say if she smacked one of us for something we insisted we didn’t do, “That’s for all the times I didn’t catch you!” In the meantime, Mr. Stanhope has my deepest sympathy for any actual injuries he may have suffered in the altercation. Perhaps he has been so traumatized by the incident that he is no longer willing to water the tree of liberty with his own, or anyone else’s, blood. That would be a good thing. In closing, perhaps the next time Mr. Stanhope’s fellow teabaggers smear all union members as “thugs”, and oppose the right to collective bargaining for government workers, they might try to remember that government workers do some very important jobs.
Continue reading …PBS’s Tavis Smiley: ‘We’re Doing the Lord’s Work’ Hitting Obama from the Left
February 28, 2011 No CommentPBS talk show host Tavis Smiley is a hard-left talk show host on PBS. (He should admit that, since he authored a book called Hard Left. ) You might remember him as the man that proclaimed that Christians “blow up people every day” in America. On his Facebook page today, Smiley promotes an interview he gave to one Myron Mays, where he talks about how he does “the Lord's work” on PBS: PBS is a network that is watched by movers and shakers and by people who run the country, power players and other influencers. It's a great platform for us to try to empower them and try to enlighten them and quite frankly try to expand their inventory of ideas.
Continue reading …PBS’s Tavis Smiley: ‘We’re Doing the Lord’s Work’ Hitting Obama from the Left
February 28, 2011 No CommentPBS talk show host Tavis Smiley is a hard-left talk show host on PBS. (He should admit that, since he authored a book called Hard Left. ) You might remember him as the man that proclaimed that Christians “blow up people every day” in America. On his Facebook page today, Smiley promotes an interview he gave to one Myron Mays, where he talks about how he does “the Lord's work” on PBS: PBS is a network that is watched by movers and shakers and by people who run the country, power players and other influencers. It's a great platform for us to try to empower them and try to enlighten them and quite frankly try to expand their inventory of ideas.
Continue reading …Paul Wolfowitz says Bush went ‘too far’ with Libya, blames Pan Am Flight 103 families for deal, and bashes American Right
February 28, 2011 No CommentFareed Zakaria did something fascinating yesterday: He actually spent four minutes of his show teaching a little history. He explained how the Middle East was formed as a political bloc and how that led to what’s happening there now. Can you imagine learning something on cable TV? The pretext for the lesson was that he was interviewing Paul Wolfowitz, one of the architects of the Iraq War. Predictably, Wolfowitz attacked the Obama administration over its handling of the Libya uprising, but I was kind of surprised to see Wofly bash the Bush administration as well for making a deal with Libya when Bush took them off the terrorist list — but in doing so, he ascribed blame to the families of the tragic Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. Of course, Wolfowitz has no actual proof that they put pressure on Bush. Fareed Zakaria GPS: ZAKARIA: You were in the administration that have – that normalized relations with Libya. It is the Bush administration that brought him in from the cold – from the cold. Were you opposed to that decision? WOLFOWITZ: Look, I think we needed to give some acknowledgement to the fact that he handed over his nuclear weapons program. But it was an illegal program, and I thought we were giving him a lot by in effect saying you wouldn’t suffer the fate of Saddam Hussein. I don’t think we had to go nearly as far as we went. There was a lot of pressure from Pan-Am 103 families because they wanted to collect the money that Gadhafi was offered. I – ZAKARIA: Do you think that’s really – WOLFOWITZ: At one point, I believed – well, I was being told that the pressure was – I believe it was significant. I can’t prove it. The United States went ahead and restored full diplomatic relations and had the Secretary of State visit. I think we have should have drawn more of a line. Some move was appropriate. I think we went too far, and I think the Obama administration continued that. The man who heaped spoons full of love towards attacking Iraq is shoveling garbage on shattered families of the Flight 103 nightmare. A real class act. From 2008: Libya pays $1.5 billion to settle terrorism claims Libya has paid $1.5 billion to the families of terrorism victims, overcoming the final obstacle to full relations with the United States, the State Department said Friday. The payment ends Tripoli’s legal liability in U.S. terror cases and paves the way for increased U.S. involvement in the oil-rich nation. President Bush signed an executive order Friday restoring Libyan immunity from terrorism-related lawsuits and dismissing pending cases over compensation as part of a deal reached this summer. David Welch, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, who negotiated the agreement, called Libya’s rehabilitation from a terrorist nation to a U.S. ally “historic.” The pact closes the book on a contentious period in U.S.-Libyan relations, which began in the 1980s with a series of attacks involving the two countries, including the bombings of Pan Am flight 103, a German disco and U.S. airstrikes over Libya . U.S. business executives hope the new relationship will lead to billions of dollars of new investment in Libya, a country rich in petroleum reserves but lacking a developed infrastructure. Wolfowitz attacked many people in this interview, including the American Right generally — for, as Zakaria puts it, losing sight of the importance of the importance of democracy. That means you, Rush Limbaugh! ZAKARIA: What about the American right? Is it – has it become so fearful of some kind of radical Islam that it is losing sight of the importance of the importance of democracy, in your view? WOLFOWITZ: Look, I – I think there’s too much attempt to put foreign policy views in – in right/left terms. The view that I would like to associate with is the one I think of as Harry Truman and John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, who believed that support for freedom, support for democracy is not only something that is morally important for the United States but equally is strategically important, and a freer, more democratic world is good for us. ZAKARIA: But – but the people who are arguing against it on the right are saying we are looking at what’s going on inside these societies and they’re going to end up being – becoming radical Islamic societies, and that’s why we – we oppose them. WOLFOWITZ: Look, there’s a – there’s a dangerous argument, I think, that almost says if – if you’re a Muslim and you’re not an extremist, then you’re not a good Muslim, and it’s coming from people who aren’t Muslims at all. What I know is that there are 200 million Muslims in the Indonesia country that I know very – I – it’s an exaggerated – it’s a complicated country, but I know a lot about it. Most of those 200 million Muslims are very tolerant people. They liked nothing better than to live in a country that’s like the United States. We certainly shouldn’t say, oh, anyone who is of that faith is a problem. And they are our best allies. I’m sure very soon Wolfowitz will be going on RushBo’s show to bow down, kiss the ring and beg for forgiveness from the Holy One.
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Click here to view this media CNN’s Candy Crowley spoke to Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman about the situation in Libya and whether the United States should get more involved in supporting the uprising there. Of course they think we should be imposing a no-fly zone and providing arms to the protesters so they can defend themselves. So as usual they want the Unites States injecting themselves militarily into another Middle Eastern country and potentially into the middle of another country’s civil war. What could possibly go wrong? And McCain had lots of tough talk about war crimes tribunals for the mercenaries brought in by Muammar Gaddafi. Too bad he doesn’t feel the same way about what we did to the Iraqis. Transcript via CNN . CROWLEY: Senators, thank you both for joining us after what has been a particularly busy week for you I know. Let me start some place that I know you haven’t been but which is in the headlines now and that’s Libya. The U.S. and the U.N. have frozen Libyan assets. They have imposed an arms embargo. They have banned travel for Gadhafi and some of his top aids. They have referred what Gadhafi has done to his own people, which is turn his army on them, has been referred to a criminal court and yet there is no change in behavior. Senator Lieberman first to you, is there anything that you believe could change the behavior of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi? LIEBERMAN: Well, this is a real moment of choice for the international community. Believe me, what we are hearing is the Arab world is watching. Will the future be the peaceful democratic revolution that’s occurred in Egypt leading to democracy or will the world stand by and allow a leader like Gadhafi to slaughter his people? I’m glad there are sanctions being applied and some pressure morally at least and some economic put on Gadhafi, but honestly I think the world has to do more. I begin with the imposition of a no-fly zone so that Gadhafi can’t be attacking his own people from the air or flying in more mercenaries. I think we ought to recognize the opposition provisional government as the legitimate government of Libya and we that ought to give that government certainly humanitarian assistance and military arms, not to go in on the ground ourselves but to give them the wherewithal to fight on behalf of the people of Libya against a really cruel dictator. CROWLEY: And Senator McCain, Senator Lieberman brings me to my next question which is, is there a military option, Senator McCain, as far as you’re concerned in Libya for the U.S. or for NATO or the U.N.? Is there a military option other than to try to enforce a no-fly zone? MCCAIN: Well, I think there possibly could be. But look a no- fly zone, Libyan pilots aren’t going to fly if there is a no-fly zone and we could get air assets there to ensure it. Recognize some provisional government that they are trying to set already up in the eastern part of Libya, help them with material assistance, make sure that every one of the mercenaries know that any acts they commit they will find themselves in front a war crimes tribunal. Get tough. And I understand that America’s security and safety of American citizens is our highest priority. It is not our only priority. CROWLEY: You sound slightly critical, if I’m reading between the lines, of the Obama administration kind of holding back on its criticism of Libya, administration officials tell us because they were worried that Americans in Libya would be taken hostage or worse. MCCAIN: Well, the British prime minister and the French president and others were not hesitant and they have citizens in that country. America leads. America is — here we’ve been to these countries and every place we go they are looking to America for leadership, for assistance, for moral support and ratification of the sacrifices they have made in defense of democracy. America should lead. The president should reverse the terrible decision he made in 2009 to not support the demonstrators in Tehran. Stand up for democracy in Iran and tell those people that we are with them. And that should be true not only throughout the Arab countries but as far as china and other parts of the world as well. CROWLEY: Senator Lieberman, the president has said it’s time for Gadhafi to go, that he’s turned weaponry on his own people and no one could lead like that and he should leave. It seems to me that you all are going a step further. So to you senator, first of all do you agree that the president has been too slow to criticize Moammar Gadhafi? And it seems to me that you were suggesting that we should send weapons to rebel forces. LIEBERMAN: I understand why the administration hesitated at the beginning because of the concern about American personnel at the embassy but frankly, I wish we had spoken out much more clearly and early against the Gadhafi regime. And we have lines of communication certainly through the foreign ministry and we could have told them at the same time we were condemning Colonel Gadhafi’s brutality that if he laid a finger on any American who was there he would pay for it and pay for it dearly. The fact is now is the time for action, not just statements. The sanctions that were adopted but unilaterally by the United States and now by the U.S. really have some effect on the people in the top positions in the Libyan government and hopefully it will lead them to think twice. But the kinds of tangible support, no-fly zone, recognition of the revolutionary government, the citizens government and support for them with both humanitarian assistance and I would provide them with arms. This takes me back to the ’90s in the Balkans when we intervened to stop a genocide against Bosnians. And the first we did was to provide them the arms to defend themselves. That’s what I think we ought to do in Libya. I hope that the opposition forces may end all of this by going into Libya and taking it over and ending the Gadhafi regime. But if they don’t, we should help them. MCCAIN: Candy, I think his days are numbered. The question is how many people are going to massacred between now and when he leaves? We ought to shorten that time frame as much as possible. I believe we can.
Continue reading …Rumors Are Flying: Has One Wisconsin Republican State Senator Withdrawn His Support For Walker’s Union-Busting Budget?
February 28, 2011 No CommentVia Alternet and the Mother Jones Twitter stream, a report that Republican Sen. Dale Schulz is saying he won’t support Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s union-killing budget bill: Despite an earlier order to leave, protesters remain inside Wisconsin’s State Capitol building tonight. They may be getting what they want. In this video the crowd erupts when told of a rumor that Republican Senator Dale Schulz has decided to vote against a bill to strip public employees of most of their collective bargaining rights.
Continue reading …Sharpton Guest Voices Limbaughesque Opinion on Michelle Obama’s Do-As-I-Preach, Not-As-I-Eat Hypocrisy
February 28, 2011 No Comment
Radio guests — they say the darndest things. One has to wonder if
Continue reading …The new civility demanded by liberals suffered a setback at Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Saturday morning forum this week.
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Click here to view this media Melissa Leo while accepting the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “The Fighter”.
Continue reading …Fox anchors and reporters really don’t like it when Madison protesters tell the truth: ‘Fox News lies’
February 28, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Bill O’Reilly already laid down the law at Fox — namely, that protesters chanting “Fox News Lies” are obviously a bunch of hatemongers trying to shut down other voices. And so that was the storyline all weekend whenever Fox reporters tried to do live broadcasts from the Madison protests. This mainly involved correspondent Mike Tobin and weekend lamestain anchor Gregg Jarrett, who could barely contain themselves over the supposed “incivility” of the Madison protests. When the chant went up Saturday, Tobin tried to minimize them: TOBIN: Now, once again, they’re chanting about Fox News — which as we all know is really a diversion from what’s going on here. Jarrett then went on to cite a phony Rasmussen poll supposedly showing most respondents disapproving of the legislators staying out of town to fight Gov. Scott Walker’s union-busting schemes — without mentioning, of course, the polls showing strong public disapproval for Walker’s actions as well. Gee, we wonder why the crowds were chanting as they were. It continued Sunday: TOBIN: And you can still hear the passion of the crowds. The heckling is starting up again, the hate that you get from these demonstrators. You can see it in their faces. You can see the passion. But they all come back to the same thing every time. I was getting the business from a teacher yesterday — there he goes, he wants to shut down the communication. A teacher was giving me the business yesterday, and the teacher told me she hates me, because it makes her feel good. That’s the situation out here, Gregg. JARRETT: You know, Mike, I hate to put you into this situation, because you’re being surrounded there, and yeah, you’re being heckled, and there is profanity and vulgarity. TOBIN: That guy just hit me. JARRETT: Go ahead. TOBIN: Ah, that guy just hit me. So to just let you know. JARRETT: All right. But — but — you know — why do they express such vitriol toward the media? Memo to Jarrett: Fox News is neither synonymous with nor really even representative of “the media”, especially as far as this crowd is concerned. Because the folks in Madison know — and are giving voice to — an important truth: Fox News is not a news organization, it is a propaganda organ. That truth is embodied, in fact, by the way Fox has consistently tried to smear the crowds in Wisconsin as “hate-filled” and violent — when in fact the opposite has been largely true, particularly compared to the vitriol we saw at Tea Party rallies against health-care reform that were whipped up by Fox News the year before. Digby has a fine sample of this, but you can see it just in these segments as well. And then Fox expects the very crowds that it is smearing before national audiences to sit still and let them smear them freely on-air? Sorry, fellas, but the real world doesn’t work that way — though you’d like it otherwise in your alternative universe, no doubt. Moreover, this isn’t a diversionary issue: The crowds understand the importance of Fox’s relentless propaganda in advancing the war against the nation’s unions that the Right is undertaking. Indeed, they know that Fox is a major cornerstone of this war, because it entails convincing working-class people — much of Fox’s audience — to take sides against their own best interests. The Madison protesters understand that the messaging war is being won because the Right has a powerful propaganda organ whose success is dragging not just the national dialogue but the rest of the media (the Beltway Villagers especially) rightward with them. Good on them. And the less whining we hear from Fox reporters, the better.You made your beds — now sleep in it.
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