Click here to view this media ( John L. Lewis mincing no words before Congressional hearings on Mine Safety – 1952 ) Editors Note: This is a repost from last year, the occasion being the recent Mine disaster in West Virginia. As part of this continuing look at the Labor Movement in America, I’m including it here as a reminder – G.S. With the news earlier today of the Mine disaster in West Virginia , I was reminded how much mine safety had been an issue during the days when John L. Lewis was President of the United Mine Workers Union. How accidents were a common occurrence some 60 years ago and how much of a struggle there was to ensure safe working conditions for miners in this country. That the accident in West Virginia was the worst of its kind in 25 years suggests that conditions have improved. But the danger is still the same and the loss of life is never different. The question if whether conditions have been relaxed in recent years is always up for speculation. The notion of cutting corners to increase profit is a consideration. Perhaps not to the extent in John L. Lewis’s day as is evidence by this excerpt from his opening statement during a Congressional investigation on Mine Safety in 1952 . John L. Lewis: “I sometimes wonder why the great God above don’t punish them while they’re speaking their brutal language before the Congress of the United States.” But then, John L. Lewis was never one to mince words.
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Claims that soldiers fired in the air and used batons to disperse Tahrir Square protests over Mubarak-appointed cabinet Egyptian soldiers fired in the air and used batons in the early hours of Saturday to disperse activists demanding the cabinet appointed by Hosni Mubarak be purged by the country’s new military leaders, protesters said. Thousands had gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to celebrate two weeks since Mubarak’s removal and remind the country’s new rulers, who have promised to guard against “counter revolution” of the people’s power. In the gathering in the centre of the uprising against the president, activists urged the military, who had promised there would be “no return to the past” of the Mubarak era, to overhaul the cabinet and install a team of technocrats. After midnight, protesters said the military fired in the air, shut off the light from lampposts, and moved in on protesters to force them to leave the square. “Military police used batons and tasers to hit the protesters,” Ahmed Bahgat, one of the protesters, told Reuters by telephone. “The military is once again using force. But the protesters have not responded.” Protesters left the main centre but many had gathered in surrounding streets, another protester, Mohamed Emad, said. Witnesses said they saw several protesters fall to the ground but it was not clear whether they were wounded or how seriously. “I am one of thousands of people who stood their ground after the army started dispersing the protesters, shooting live bullets into the air to scare them,” said protester Ashraf Omar. “They were using tasers and sticks to beat us without any control. I thought things would change. I wanted to give the government a chance but there is no hope with this regime,” Omar said. “There is no use.” “I am back on the street. I either live with dignity or I die here.” Protesters say they want the resignation of the government of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, the immediate release of political prisoners and the issuing of a general amnesty. Egypt Middle East Hosni Mubarak Protest guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media [YouTube] Via CNN : A woman in Tripoli, Libya’s capital, speaks with Anderson Cooper and issues a plea for help to the rest of the world. This is an excerpted part of a 15min segment aired last night on A360 with Anderson Cooper. COOPER: Are you — you’re scared to go out in the streets? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very scared. no, we close the door. We close the window. We don’t go out. But nobody is leaving the house and we all stay together in one room in the center of the house. COOPER: I hear fear in your voice and I hear sadness in your voice. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very much — is very much stress, very much sadness and hopelessness, because, you know, we can’t go outside. I wish I can go outside and protest, say OK, they arrest you, they beat you, they do something. But the problem is, you go outside, they’re going to shoot you. This is not protest. You cannot protest. I wish we can protest. We cannot protest. I will have to find another way to say — this is not protest. This is massacre. COOPER: I hope you know that people around the world are watching and praying and wanting to do something. I hope you know that. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. Anderson. Thank you for your efforts for the scene and effort — thank you for the people who care. But I’m telling you — I don’t mean to be rude. Please, don’t misunderstand me. But the only way something can happen is to put the right kind of action, the right kind of movement. And the first step, make Libya a no-fly zone. If you make Libya a no-fly zone, no more mercenaries can come in. Then after that, because this crucial, real thing — you know, we listen closely to Mr. Obama. We listen closely to the European Union. We listen closely to what’s happening in South America. We listen to closely to all the Arab nations, what they are saying. They are not saying read between the lines. We are dying. And the problem is, OK, you are — I’m talking to you and you are listening to me and you are seeing the videos and people are talking to you from inside, outside of Libya. But the action — there needs to be action. How much more waiting, how much more watching, how much more people dying? COOPER: How much longer can you hold on? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don’t know. You know, I feel like — sometimes, really, like I’m going to go crazy. And then, sometimes, I have to say, no, no, you have to be stronger than that. Your freedom is not something easy. It’s not cheap. You have to fight for your freedom. COOPER: You told my producer before that you have reached the end point. What do you mean when you say you have reached the end point? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody has had enough. We have had enough a long time, not just this last week or this month or this year, or even before things happening internationally in neighboring countries. We have all had enough. But what I mean in the end point, that I don’t care. Like — like, I’m talking to you now, you know? This is not safe for me, not safe for my family. COOPER: You know you’re taking a great risk right now? You know you’re taking a great risk? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A great risk. And I ask — I ask of you and CNN and anybody to please just come and see what is going on, you know, because, even though this is great risk on anybody who comes inside of Libya, but you cannot believe, as much as we — we don’t even know how many people died. I’m expecting — not because I’m overestimating, but when we know how many people died — I just keep hearing names, names. I’m making a list of paper of each time I hear of people dying. And we can’t even get the bodies. We don’t even know who we should say I’m sorry for the loss of some — your family member. We cannot move. We cannot do anything. And the problem is nothing will change in Libya unless drastic, important measures taken from outside, because this man, he is crazy. He doesn’t care about you or what you think. You already understand he doesn’t care about his people. He doesn’t care if I die. He doesn’t care if he burns the whole city. He doesn’t care if all of us in Tripoli die, all of us in Libya will die. He doesn’t care. I don’t — he said this in his speeches. He is not even just saying. He is doing. His action is telling you what’s happening. He doesn’t care. He wants us all to die. COOPER: I can hear… UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the only way we can fix this is if somebody takes action, if you just make Libya a no-fly zone. He’s bringing African mercenaries because he has so much money. He can buy people with money. He don’t care. They go inside to kill us, to rape us, to destroy our country, to — enough. COOPER: I don’t want to keep you on the phone for too long, just for safety reasons. So, please stay safe. And we will talk to you tomorrow. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. Anderson. And I — I hope I was able to — I hope you understand me. And thank you for your patience with me. And thank you, CNN, and thank you, America, for listening and for caring. Thank you very much.
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enlarge Is there anything else you’d like? Imagine that. The Democratic tactic of giving their lunch, their snacks and their spending money to the school bullies just isn’t working . What oh what are they to do? How about — oh, I don’t know — growing a spine ? WASHINGTON – Democratic leadership and Appropriations Committee staffers are meeting Thursday afternoon to find ways to cut social spending from the remainder of the fiscal year 2011 budget, a Senate Democratic aide told HuffPost. The object of the gathering is to identify cuts that will satisfy House Republicans’ demands for drastic spending reductions despite the flagging economy. Multiple leadership aides, however, said that the cuts will be made to a long-term budget resolution, rather than a short-term spending bill, as Republicans insist. That the two parties are now arguing merely over how quickly to make cuts indicates that their positions may be drawing close enough to avoid a government shutdown – without the GOP giving much up yet. Big surprise there, right? “It sounds like Senate Democrats are making progress towards our goal of cutting government spending to help the private sector create jobs,” said Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). “Hopefully, that means they will support the short-term CR with spending cuts that we will pass next week, rather than shutting down the government.” Boehner is traveling on a fundraising tour. House Republicans have proposed a measure that would keep the government funded for two more weeks past the March 4th deadline — when money runs out–asking for $4 billion in cuts. Democrats have not budged in insisting any stopgap be drawn along the lines of current funding levels. The compromise offered to the GOP on Thursday would not change that. “This is not about a short-term CR,” said a leadership aide. “We are planning to make a serious offer to the House Republicans on a long-term CR that contains deeper cuts than were originally proposed. And if the Republicans will meet us in the middle of this offer we might be able to avert the need for a short-term CR.” Senate Democrats are hoping that by offering the first concession, House GOPers will either respond in kind or take the blame for a shutdown. Yet each Democratic negotiating tactic has led to additional cuts. As the talks drag on, Republicans get closer and closer to their full goal. Meanwhile, the wrangling over a stopgap measure to temporarily avert a shutdown has the capacity to confuse the debate.
Continue reading …Ed Schultz Talks to New Jersey Policemen and Firefighters About ‘Tough Guy’ Chris Christie
February 25, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media As John already pointed out , our millionaire Villager class in the media is in love with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his so-called “straight talk” about how we’d better get tough with the working class and have some “shared sacrifice” to balance state budgets. Those “shared sacrifices” of course always coming off of the backs of the working class instead of his rich campaign donors he’s giving tax cuts to. Ed Schultz talked to some New Jersey policemen and firefighters and asked them how they felt about their “tough guy” bully governor and they didn’t have quite so many kind words for him as we’ve seen from the Villager fan-boy club that loves to pretend this guy actually has a chance to be elected president. Our millionaire chattering class might be enamored with him, but he’s nothing more than your average every day Republican that wants to look out for his rich campaign donors like the rest of them when it comes down to it. And I don’t understand for one minute how him talking like someone from the cast of the Sopranos that they love to keep re-airing where he said he didn’t vaporize yet for wanting to make sure poor people work until they’re dead if they raise the retirement age is somehow a net positive for this bully. I was glad to see Ed give some everyday working people from his state have a chance to let the public know what they think of him rather than watching millionaire pundits like those sitting around the table of Morning Joe on his same network. They all are continually talking about “shared sacrifice” as well as long as it means we’re not asking any of them to have their taxes raised. If we had more segments like this one airing every day, maybe the Villagers would be forced to fall out of love with Chris Christie. Thank you Ed for giving these workers a platform to air their grievances with him.
Continue reading …Maddow On Gov. Walker: Are You Still Leading If There’s No One Behind You?
February 25, 2011 No CommentRachel Maddow talked last night about the Republican party’s plan to make Scott Walker the new face of the Republican party. The idea was to nationalize Scott Walker’s fight to break the public employee unions, and hopefully turn that into donations for the GOP. She said the Republican governors picked him for a reason. “In terms of the republican party figuring out who the leader of its party is, the leader of that party is, post-Bush, post-McCain, the great Republican party identity crisis of the 2000s, who do they want you to think of when they think republican now? They have picked this guy. And he knows it.” Playing back his phone call that he thought was with David Koch, Rachel points out the line, “I am the first domino.” “If that isn’t a clear enough sign about his, if not delusions of grandeur at least his allusions to grandeur, Governor Walker, also with fake David Koch on the phone and at press conferences and in a recent interview with the Heritage Foundation and any other time anybody gets anywhere near him with a microphone, Governor Walker cannot stop comparing himself to Ronald Reagan,” she said. MADDOW: This fight to strip union rights is how they are trying to rebuild the national Republican party. And this fight to strip union rights in Wisconsin that they are building everything on, this fight is not going very well. And that would just be a state-level story about Wisconsin if this was a state-level story about Wisconsin. But it is the Republicans who have decided that this is a national fight, and therefore a national story. So their failure here has national implications. This is day 10 of this story dominating national headlines. The newest poll today out of Wisconsin shows a majority, 56% of likely Wisconsin voters, are against what Walker’s doing. They’re against stripping collective bargaining rights. They are against this fight the Republicans have picked. Walker just won the governorship there three months ago, and the state is already against his big signature idea. Nationally, it’s even worse. 61% overall oppose what Scott Walker is doing. That kind of plan? It’s not working. In terms of Walker calling on all those Republican governors who say they are going to join him, Republican governors he thinks are going to follow in his big Reaganesque footsteps or whatever, those governors are not following his lead. They in fact are bailing. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, who Walker name checked to the fake billionaire on the phone, Mitch Daniels called Republicans in his state to yank their union-stripping legislation that they had put forward. Quoting from today’s Washington Post, “Walker is now calling for other governors to join him in fighting unions, but there aren’t many takers so far. In addition to Daniels, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Iowa Governor Terry Branstad have now become the latest governors to balk at going after the unions. They join Mitch Daniels, Michigan Governor Rick Snider, Florida Governor Rick Scott, and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett in shying from that.” Walker sees himself as a leader. The national Republican party clearly is trying to make him into a national republican leader here. But are you still leading if there’s nobody behind you?
Continue reading …‘Death Cloud’ Could Kill Millions of Americans Who Live in Oil Refinery ‘Kill Zones,’ ABC Frets
February 25, 2011 No Comment
What do oil refineries and rental cars have in common? They will probably kill you, at least according to ABC's Brian Ross. Ross is either bored with his job or just doesn't seem to care about frightening his viewers with exaggerated reports. But either way, ABC's chief investigative correspondent is breathing new life into the term yellow journalism. Those who are familiar with Ross's work might notice an emerging pattern of sensationalism. The latest case studies concern oil refineries in Texas, which Ross's colleague described as the “toxic threat next door,” and rental cars, which Ross himself cautioned are like “a consumer's version of Russian roulette.” The former report, appearing on the February 24 “Nightline,” focused on a CITGO oil refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas that uses hydrofluoric acid in the refining process. This chemical, Ross warned, has made “fear” a “fact of life” for residents of the local community. An apocalyptic Ross foretold the end times: “An unchecked release of the hydrofluoric acid, as seen in this test film, creating a kind of death cloud that swept across the Nevada desert.” Ross interviewed government scientists who spelled out the life-threatening effects of hydrofluoric acid and a few residents who “keep a bag packed at the door, ready to flee” if the aforementioned “death cloud” ever creeps up on them, but he only spoke with one source who supported the refinery and accused the oil industry of not taking safety seriously. “You would admit it's not a good safety record?” asked Ross, interviewing Charles Drevna, president of the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association, even though Drevna made no such statement. Ross parroted unnamed “officials” who claim that only “luck” has prevented the ominous “death cloud” from engulfing Corpus Christi: “Can you really rely on luck to protect the American public?” Drevna retorted that the industry relies on “technology,” not luck, to ensure safety, but Ross would not let the facts get in the way of a good story: “Hardly reassuring words for the people of Corpus Christi who hear the sirens all day and all night, wondering if this is the day their luck will run out.” Residents of Corpus Christi are not the only people who should fear for their lives. Ross cited a study by the Center for Public Integrity, a liberal group, to fret that “16 million unsuspecting Americans [live] in potential kill zones.” That's right, Ross implied that millions of “unsuspecting” Americans live in areas that could be swept up in a “death cloud” at any moment. If the story of the boy who cried wolf has a moral, it has been lost on Ross, who frequently hyperbolizes the findings of his “investigations,” often to paint a depressing picture of the future. In 2005 , Ross sensationally hyped the epidemic potential of bird flu: “It could kill a billion people worldwide, make ghost towns out of parts of major cities, and there is not enough medicine to fight it. It is called the avian flu.” Fast forward to August 2009 , when Ross drew a ludicrous connection between health care town hall protesters and racist hate groups, quoting Mark Potok of the left wing Souther Poverty Law Center: “I think that the president has, in effect, triggered fears among a fairly large numbers [sic] of white people in this country that they are somehow losing their country.” On January 18, 2010 , Ross bizarrely asserted that U.S. soldiers were “endangered” by “secret Jesus codes” scrawled on rifles used in Afghanistan. And just this morning, on “Good Morning America,” Ross somberly proclaimed that “renting a car may be a consumer's version of Russian roulette.” Apparently convinced that death lurks behind every corner, Ross has yet to file a “Nightline” investigation into the threat posed by his own shadow (that's called hyperbole). A transcript of the “Nightline” investigation into “dangerous” oil refineries can be found below: ABC Nightline February 24, 2011 11:47 p.m. EST CYNTHIA MCFADDEN: When we come back, the toxic threat next door. Millions of Americans live near oil refineries. But many don't know how dangerous it could be. MCFADDEN: And now to energy. With all that's going on in the Middle East, the price of crude topped $100 a barrel yesterday for the first time since 2008. To turn that pricey crude into gas for the car, the oil, of course, must be refined. But investigators have found many refineries have failed to properly maintain aging equipment. Brian Ross says that has led to grave concerns. Brian? BRIAN ROSS, ABC News chief investigative correspondent: Cynthia, the business of turning oil into gasoline involves lots of dangerous chemicals. But one chemical in particular has federal safety and homeland security officials very worried. And, as we found, for good reason. In Corpus Christi, Texas, the warning sirens come all times of the day and night, from the oil refineries just down the street. JANIE MUMPHORD, Corpus Christi resident: You never know when you go to bed if you're going to live through the night, or if you have to run through the night. ROSS: Fear is a fact of life for miles around in this community. People wonder, is it a test? A false alarm? Or the real thing like the last time? JOHN EVANS, Corpus Christi resident: You hear a whistle blow for a few minutes and you don't know if you're going to have an explosion or whatever. ROSS: Few have forgotten what happened the last time, less than two years ago, when an explosion at the CITGO refinery released a highly lethal chemical called hydrofluoric acid that just barely missed the neighborhood. AL BRADLEY, Corpus Christi resident: Flames were straight down the street there at the refinery and some flames were coming over the top of those trees. ROSS: Now, some residents keep a bag packed at the door, ready to flee. JEAN SALONE, Corpus Christi resident: The fear is there and it's there for everybody. ROSS: This is what they fear. An unchecked release of the hydrofluoric acid, as seen in this test film, creating a kind of death cloud that swept across the Nevada desert. It's a risk far beyond just Corpus Christi. An ABC N ews investigation with the Center for Public Integrity, found 50 oil refine rips using the chemical, from Houston to Minneapolis to Los Angeles to Philadelphia and in between, putting some 16 million unsuspecting Americans in potential kill zones. Dr. RONALD KOOPMAN, retired government scientist: Your lungs hurt, you can't breathe. The lungs can't function. Eventually you die from asphyxiation. ROSS: Dr. Ronald Koopman was a scientist when he helped conduct the studies in conjunction with Amoco oil. KOOPMAN: It actually penetrates the skin, destroying the issue, trying to get to the bones and react. It's a very, very strong acid. ROSS: This is really nasty. KOOPMAN: It's really nasty stuff. ROSS: Dr. Koopman says the oil companies did not want the video made public and insisted on posting a disclaimer that the test could not be used to estimate what might happen in a real accident. But Dr. Koopman says it could. KOOPMAN: An accident could be this bad. An accident could look like this. ROSS: There are alternatives to hydrofluoric acid, but the industry says it would be too expensive to retrofit refineries, that the use of the chemical is safe with proper precautions. Charles Drevna is the president of the oil refineries trade group. CHARLES DREVNA, president of National Petrochemical & Refiners Association: The track record indicates that over 70 years, while there's been incidents, it's been a reliable product that gets the job done. ROSS: But in the last two years alone, there have been 29 fires and explosions at refineries that use hydrofluoric acid. Including this one, across the river from Bismarck, North Dakota. DREVNA: Refineries are as safe as we can make them to be. ROSS: As safe as you can make them? DREVNA: But we have to understand that safety is the number one issue. ROSS: You would admit it's not a good safety record? DREVNA: I'm not saying it's not a good one. But as anything else, it has to be – safety is an evolving process. ROSS: Investigators say the problem has become critical now because the oil refinery industry has failed to maintain aging equipment. After a hydrofluoric acid release in 2009 at this Sunoco refinery in Philadelphia, near the city's sports stadiums, federal investigators found the company has failed to “correct deficiencies” including an “established history of tube leaks dating back to 1973.” RAFAEL MOURE-ERASO, chairman of US Chemical Safety Board: The priority seems to be on production and safety seems to take a backseat. ROSS: The chairman of the government's chemical safety board says the industry mentality is to run the refineries until they break. MOURE-ERASO: So, basically, what we're talking about is, you are running this to failure. ROSS: In the case of CITGO in Corpus Christi, the company says there was never any danger to the nearby neighborhood due to the hydrofluoric acid release. But officials say for the people that live nearby, it was more a case of luck, a shift in the winds that prevented a catastrophe. Can you really rely on luck to protect the American public? DREVNA: No and if we relied on luck to protect anything, then we should be up for criticism. But we don't rely on luck. We rely on technology. ROSS: How do you explain what happened in that case? (CROSSTALK) ROSS: How do you explain what happened in that case? DREVNA: We can't look in the rear view mirror. ROSS: Hardly reassuring words for the people of Corpus Christi who hear the sirens all day and all night, wondering if this is the day their luck will run out. Just yesterday, the state of Texas fined CITGO $300,000 for safety violations at the refinery that led to that last accident. And now, officials of the United Steelworkers Union, whose members work at many of those refineries, are calling on Congress to ban the use of that chemical. Cynthia? MCFADDEN: Thank you, Brian. You can visit publicintegrity.org for a map of where those refineries are located. –Alex Fitzsimmons is a News Analysis intern at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
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I say this to the world: Dave Neiwert is my hero. Anyone who can seriously monitor the Fox News grind day after day deserves a medal of honor. I have spent a week watching, and come away with the understanding that a steady diet of what they serve over there will leave you sick, angry, and spelling-challenged. I knew something was wrong yesterday when I had to stop and think about how to spell a word I’ve known how to spell forever. It was something simple, like “labelled.” But I had to think about it for more than a few seconds. This is not like me. I am anal about spelling and rarely make a mistake. Using a spell-checker is a matter of pride with me. I could, but I won’t. What evil influence could possibly be corrupting my spelling abilities? I found myself not even caring if I could spell it right just as long as I could be done with what I was doing. And then it hit me. I realized yesterday marked a full week of watching Fox. I knew it had to be the culprit. As one who has banned Fox News from my house for years, it is never, ever on. But with Dave gone, I volunteered to monitor it for a week in his absence. I did learn a few things, about myself and about their techniques. enlarge I learned there is a “theme of the day”, set at 3AM California time when Fox and Friends comes on with their faux friendly little coffee klatch. Yesterday’s theme was “Liberals are less civil than Tea Partiers.” It began last night with Bill O’Reilly’s ongoing claim that he’s unfairly accused of being unfair. But today, it was the overriding, dominant theme. Every show serves their own flavor of the theme inside the context of the main story, which happened to be the Wisconsin showdown with Governor Walker. Whether they were talking about the reporter punking the governor, or protests in solidarity with Wisconsinites, it is hammered home over and over and over and over again. No one is exempt or escapes The Theme, not even Glenn Beck. Watch here, as he takes a break from his incoherent ranting about President Obama making a statement about Libya while they were sleeping, and how that must have been because he had to coach his daughters or something. I’m convinced he was just pissed that his show was interrupted for it. Here’s the clip: Click here to view this media For Beck, it’s all about the SEIU, and how horrible it would have been if Tea Partiers sang their new “fight song”. There’s The Theme: Liberals are evil, tea partiers were unfairly maligned. Moving on to Hannity, here’s the opening screen: enlarge This, from the guy who refers to the President as “the anointed one”. And later in the show, he had this horrible awful video supplied to him by FreedomWorks showing awful, awful mean liberal racists being mean and racist to a black guy holding a Gadsden flag. Here you go. One interesting thing is how they interpreted the shouts to “go back to your own side.” I watched it twice, and it appeared to me that protesters were separated by ropes, and he had wandered over to the side where the union protesters were. Click here to view this media There was one clearly racist question tossed at him by the older woman who wanted to know if he had any children — that he admitted to. That was uncalled for and was definitely rude. But it doesn’t rise to the level of punching someone out , or any of the effigy-burnings and related symbolic violence we saw with the tea partiers. And of course, Monica Crowley calling Obama “Obama Mubarak” over the DOMA decision was certainly civil, don’t you think? Next, we move into the O’Reilly hour where he does his very best to be “fair” while gabbling on with the Fox and Friends crew about the President’s “defiance” with regard to DOMA. No mention of mean liberals (remember, he started that on Wednesday), but I do note that his word of the day is ” meretricious “. This is what it’s like every single day. I started out sort of understanding what Glenn Beck was saying in the beginning of the week, but by the end of the week not only did I not understand him, the sound of his voice gave me a migraine. Someone said he speaks in tongues. Yes, he probably does but the spiritual language he speak is the language of liars and fools. Even conservatives wonder about him , but even with all of that, he still has one helluva dog whistle and he uses it…liberally. They take the theme and flog it mercilessly for that day, then let up as the next theme emerges. It’s a symphony of sorts — a symphony with lots of percussion, dissonance, and out of tune clanging cymbals with a shrill, high-pitched, irritating whistle barely audible at all times. It does something to viewers, even viewers who are discerning or fair in how they view the world, issues and the political landscape. It keeps them angry all the time. Outraged. Either they share the outrage and anger of their TV hosts, or they’re outraged and angry at the BS being shoved in their face. It’s as much a brainwashing technique as strapping someone in a chair and forcing them to watch the same themes over and over and over again. There are code words. Lots and lots of code words. And of course, the classic slams wrapped in a question. O’Reilly earlier: “Is Barack Obama an effective leader?” Repeating the same graphic over and over of the “fleebaggers” — the 14 Democrats who left the state as the only effective method of filibuster. All of this leads to fatigue; fatigue turns to irritation; irritation turns to apathy. I would shrug at comments that would have gotten a rise out of me earlier in the week. They count on that. For people like me that constant cymbal clang becomes overwhelming and I just shut down, sick of the whole thing. This is how they win. They wear you down over time with fear, anger, and apathy unless you’re strong enough to resist. It’s why John and David wrote Over the Cliff, and why we here at Crooks and Liars come back every day and debunk their lies in small, bite-sized chunks that can be barely tolerated but still digested. I wonder how long detox will take?
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• In Iraq, six killed as frustration erupts over corruption • Yemen holds its biggest pro-democracy rally • Egyptians demand accelerated reforms Protests erupted in cities across the Middle East and North Africa. At least six people were reported killed and dozens injured in Iraq; thousands took to the streets in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a; and Egyptians gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to demand an accelerated reform programme. Iraq Anger over corruption and abysmal basic services erupted in a “Day of Rage”, with the most serious clashes in Mosul and Hawija, in the north, and Basra in the south. At least six people were killed – three in Mosul and three in Hawija – and 75 injured in clashes with security services as protesters tried to attack government buildings. Thousands of people made their way to the city’s Tahrir Square, but soldiers had closed it off with razor wire, using percussion grenades and firing in the air in an attempt to disperse crowds. Lina Ali, 27, told Reuters: “The education system is bad. The health system is also bad. Services are going from bad to worse.” Protesters complained of high unemployment, a shortage of drinking water and frequent power cuts. In Basra, the city’s governor, Shaltagh Abboud, said he would resign after 18 people were wounded in skirmishes between the 4,000 protesters and state security. A curfew was imposed until 6am tomorrow. There were also clashes in Falluja and Nassiriya. Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, warned demonstrators they would become victims of al-Qaida and pro-Saddam violence. Muntadar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush, was arrested in Baghdad after travelling from Beirut to take part in the Day of Rage. Yemen Tens of thousands of protesters in Sana’a called for an end to the 32-year reign of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. It was the biggest pro-democracy rally in Yemen’s recent history. But small, yet violent, protests have been taking place across the country since Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak resigned two weeks ago. Local media reported 30,000 anti-government demonstrators in Sana’a and more than 100,000 nationwide. Students, tribesmen, opposition activists and young professionals flooded the streets around Sana’a University, where protesters have been camped out since Sunday. “The people want the regime to fall,” they shouted, rising from their knees after a Friday prayer to mourn the deaths of two men shot dead on Tuesday by pro-Saleh supporters. The protest was peaceful, though at times tense. Protesters want better living conditions as well as political reform. One banner read simply: “Look at the gap between the rich and poor.” Riot police who tried to seize an anti-government protester had to fire in the air to dispel angry students demanding his release. A few miles away, state media were out in force to film 10,000 middle-aged men, many carrying batons, marching up and down the streets yelling: “Saleh means stability.” These government loyalists, including impoverished tribesmen bussed in from far away, have been in Sana’a’s Tahrir Square for more than a month, holding rallies for which they have been given food, drink, and the placards, and accommodated in giant beige marquees. Anti-government protesters claim the loyalists are balataj , hired thugs, but Yemeni authorities deny any connection with the armed men. Saleh has told his security forces to protect both sets of demonstrators and prevent any further clashes between them. Egypt Activists returned to Tahrir Square in their thousands to demand a faster pace to reforms. They want a new cabinet to replace one that includes many figures from the Mubarak regime. According to Al Jazeera they singled out the prime minister, Ahmed Shafik, who, they said, was hand-picked by Mubarak; and they want the former president, believed to be holed up in his Sharm el-Sheikh villa, to be put on trial and held accountable for his 31 years of rule,. They also want political prisoners released. The ruling military council has promised elections within six months. “We do not want Shafik any more, even if they shoot us with bullets,” activists chanted. “Revolution until victory, revolution against Shafik and the palace.” Tunisia In the centre of Tunis, tens of thousands demanded the resignation of the prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi, seen as an ally of the ousted president. The uprising that forced former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee on 14 January after 23 years in power was the catalyst for regional revolt. “Shame on the government!” and “Ghannouchi step down,” they shouted. Witnesses said it was the biggest protest since Ben Ali’s departure, when demonstrations were banned. Activists also protested against the bloody crackdown by forces loyal to Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi. Thousands of Libyans have fled to Tunisia. Jordan In the capital, Amman, 5,000 protested, demanding political reform. “Reform has become a necessity that cannot wait,” said Sheikh Hamza Mansour, the head of the Islamic Action Front, the country’s largest opposition group, at a rally. “It’s the demand of all Jordanians,” he added. Protestors chanted: “The people want to reform the regime”, “we want a fair electoral law”, and “people want an elected government”. Bahrain There were tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in Manama, adding to pressure for sweeping democratic change during two weeks of demonstrations in the strategic Gulf island kingdom. At least two marches converged on Manama’s landmark Pearl Square, the focal point of the uprising – the largest show of opposition strength so far. Security forces made no immediate attempt to halt the marchers in an apparent sign that Bahrain’s rulers do not want to risk more bloodshed and denunciations from their Western allies. Bahrain is the first Gulf state to be thrown into turmoil by the Arab world’s wave of change. The government had declared Friday a day of mourning for the seven people killed in clashes since 14 February. Many protesters waved Bahrain’s red-and-white flag, chanting: “No dialogue before the government is dissolved,” and “For Bahrain’s future, we are not afraid to be killed.” One procession split into separate groups of men and black-robed women, passing skyscrapers adorned with images of the nation’s ruling family. Some demonstrators called on the US to do more to support their cause. “These people are fighting for freedom,” said Hussain Isa al-Saffar, 25. “The US … should be supporting freedom here.” The White House said the national security adviser, Tom Donilon, spoke with Bahrain’s crown prince, Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, on Thursday stating the US’s support for reforms through dialogue with opposition groups. The US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, also held talks with Bahraini leaders Thursday. In Pearl Square, a massive Bahraini flag was hoisted along with the phrase “martyrs’ square” in Arabic, a reference to those killed by security forces. Graphic photos of the dead were posted in the square, and a noose was fashioned around a portrait of Bahrain’s prime minister. Palestine The Palestinian Authority (PA) had authorised a Day of Rage to protest against the US veto of a UN security council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, but that was called off without explanation. An unofficial protest on Thursday in Ramallah, the main city in the West Bank, demanded unity between the two main factions, Fatah and Hamas, as well as “liberation”. Analysts say the Fatah-dominated PA and Gaza’s Hamas government are nervously watching uprisings elsewhere in the region. Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank complain of repression. Arab and Middle East protests Middle East Iraq Nouri al-Maliki Yemen Egypt US foreign policy US military Hosni Mubarak Tunisia Jordan King Abdullah Bahrain Gaza Fatah Hamas Palestinian territories Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Thank you Congressman Weiner for calling out these hypocritical Republicans for their so-called conservative views. As Anthony Weiner pointed out here, Republicans are all for less government regulation, unless it means the right to regulate a woman’s uterus. They don’t want government to get between a patient and their doctor unless it means making sure that poor women don’t have access to a legal procedure. Sarah Seltzer at AlterNet has more on what the House has been keeping themselves busy with when they’re not making sure they take care of their millionaire and billionaire campaign donors — The GOP Unleashes a Horrifying Attack on Women : Republicans came to D.C. “and immediately started putting the government in charge of every single pregnancy in America,” said Rachel Maddow on Tuesday night. She’s right, and it’s horrifying: the blows to women’s rights keep coming out of Washington every hour, it seems. The latest? A bill that would strip Planned Parenthood of all funding. This bill is no surprise coming on the heels of a coordinated right-wing attack on Planned Parenthood and a spate of nasty undercover videos by discredited right-wing prankster Lila Rose. But it would do a lot of damage to a lot of women, explains Nick Baumann at Mother Jones: “[It] will cut $327 million in family planning funding that goes to organizations like Planned Parenthood but that cannot be used to pay for abortions. This money, instead, is used to fund cancer screenings, birth control, and other health care services for poor people. The $327 million is the sum total of this sort of funding under current law. The House GOP is trying to zero out Planned Parenthood.” Republicans’ twisted justification for cutting funds is that any money that goes to Planned Parenthood, even for cancer screenings, frees up the organization’s funds for abortion. But the pragmatic reality shows that cutting such funding would be devastating to women, ending the ability for many of them to prevent pregnancy at low cost and thereby potentially causing more abortions. Cuts that would deprive women of cancer screenings are unconscionable. Because Planned Parenthood treats sexually active women as human beings, it has become target #1. What’s shocking about all these attacks is that the GOP doesn’t even pretend to care about women this time around, as they sometimes do–instead, they’re waging an all-out war on women’s health. One of the most egregious salvos in this war on women is the treatment of “rape” exceptions to a proposed abortion funding ban. A massive outcry arose when the phrase “forcible rape” appeared in the notorious H.R. 3 bill–essentially redefining “acceptable” rape using an arbitrary term. It was a nasty bit of work, allowing for rape exceptions only if was the “right kind of rape.” Note to Republicans, women said: all rape is forcible. The bill’s sponsors claimed the offensive phrase had been removed. But according to reports on Wednesday, it was still there. And yet another controversy has followed in this one’s wake, thanks to anti-choice congressman Joe Pitts (PA) who introduced a new facet to yet another awful bill, H.R. 358. This new provision would allow emergency room and other hospital and health personnel to refuse emergency care rather than perform abortion procedures they disagree with. As Dante Atkins at Daily Kos writes, “This modification is simple: it would allow hospitals to make a ‘decision of conscience’ to let women die.” Yes, you heard that right. Jill Filipovic at Feministe points out the irony that when hospitals refuse life-saving abortions to women, the fetus often dies along with her. So, she writes, “the entire purpose of this bill is to allow ideologues to refuse necessary, life-saving care to patients, if those patients happen to be pregnant.” Read on…
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