Lawyer From Far-Right Group Picked For Key Legal-Aid Post To help run a key legal-aid body, Senate Republicans have picked an attorney from a far-right legal organization that has a history of ideological opposition to legal aid work.
One Down: House Ethics Office Closes Murtha-PMA Probe The Office of Congressional Ethics has ended its investigation of Rep. John Murtha’s ties to now-defunct lobbying firm PMA Group, recommending against a further inquiry by the House ethics panel, which is also investigating Murtha. The development was first reported…
What Did You Learn In School Today? The thing about a social experiment, no matter how successful, is that it tells you only what might be. In a way, this only increases the pathos of what is. A few days ago, I paid a visit to an…
What Did You Learn In School Today?: Israel’s Center Cannot Hold Dan Ben David, a Tel Aviv University economist, and executive director of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies, has led the writing of a report on Israel’s failing educational system. He summarizes its findings today in Haaretz. For secular…
Fox Nation places Obama race story above 1991 photo of beaten Rodney King, Jr. The Fox Nation website is currently featuring a 182-word article on President Obama addressing criticism that he isn’t doing enough for the African American community above the 1991 photo of a beaten Rodney King, Jr. Fox News’ excuse to place the nearly 20 year old image on its homepage next to the President? Senate Majority […]
The Fox Nation website is currently featuring a 182-word article on President Obama addressing criticism that he isn’t doing enough for the African American community above the 1991 photo of a beaten Rodney King, Jr. Fox News’ excuse to place the nearly 20 year old image on its homepage next to the President? Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) referenced Rodney King’s “can we all get along” quote four days ago during the healthcare debate.
The beating of Rodney King, Jr. eventually led to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, among the most violent and divisive events in recent American history, in which more than 50 lives were taken. From its broadcasts to its website, the Fox Network has a long history of racializing just about everything it possibly can.
Hoekstra Quickly Politicizes Attempted Terrorist Attack, Suggests Obama?s Clueless On National Security Yesterday, the White House announced that there had been “an attempted act of terrorism” aboard a trans-Atlantic Northwest Airlines flight arriving from Amsterdam as it was preparing to land in Detroit. The suspect — identified as a 23-year old Nigerian man named Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab — “certainly thought he was trying to take down the […]
Yesterday, the White House announced that there had been “an attempted act of terrorism” aboard a trans-Atlantic Northwest Airlines flight arriving from Amsterdam as it was preparing to land in Detroit. The suspect — identified as a 23-year old Nigerian man named Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab — “certainly thought he was trying to take down the plane,” according to a White House official.
The suspect reportedly had explosive powder taped to his leg and tried to light it on fire. He told investigators he was given the device by al Qaeda operatives in Yemen. “This guy claims he is tied to al Qaeda, specifically in Yemen,” the official said. “He claims he was on orders from al Qaeda in Yemen. Who knows if that’s true?”
Two passengers aboard the plane noticed the attempted attack, and “a third person jumped on the man and subdued him, an airline official told NBC News.” Flight attendants ran to get the fire extinguisher and the fire was soon doused. One passenger, Syed Jafry, remarked, “It was the time to be proud to be an American for sure.”
Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), the ranking member on the House intelligence committee and current candidate for governor of Michigan, saw an opportunity to score quick political points:
“It’s not surprising,” U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, a Holland Republican, said of the alleged terrorist attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight in Detroit. … “People have got to start connecting the dots here and maybe this is the thing that will connect the dots for the Obama administration,” Hoekstra said. […]
Hoekstra hadn’t yet been briefed on the incident but said he is already calling or the Obama administration to meet with Intelligence Committee members to fully inform them about the alleged terrorism attempt at the Detroit airport.
In an effort to try to prove his case for why the Obama administration is failing to “connect the dots,” Hoekstra issued this condemnatory tweet last night:
While Hoekstra hadn’t been briefed, his colleague Rep. Peter King (R-NY) was. And King — the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee — wasted no time alerting the media to much of what he was told. King rushed to Fox and CNN last night to begin issuing blame against security officials who allowed the suspect to board. “His name was in a database indicating significant terrorist connections,” King said, adding, “I’m not trying to be a Monday morning quarterback here…but let’s see what was missed.”
The Obama administration announced that “additional security measures are being taken in response to the incident, without raising the airline threat level.”
Plane suspect was listed in terror database after father alerted U.S. officials A Nigerian man charged Saturday with attempting to blow up a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day was listed in a U.S. terrorism database last month after his father told State Department officials that he was worried about his son’s radical beliefs and extremist connections, officials said.
Pentagon reviewing strategic information operations Trying to counter information-savvy enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military has rapidly spent nearly $1 billion in the past three years on strategic communications.
With new priorities, Obama and Democrats can recover in 2010 No president gets a fresh start after just one year on the job. But given the size of the problems President Obama inherited and the battles he chose to take on during his first year, 2010 could provide an opportunity for something close to hitting the reset button — if he and his team are prepa…
Put Down That Shovel! Andy Kessler, Wall Street Journal The House has passed a $154 billion jobs bill, and the administration has announced a plan to spend $50 billion of repaid TARP money to “create” jobs—this time its green jobs, “shovel ready” infrastructure projects ($27.5 billion for highway construction and repair) and a tax credit for small businesses. More infrastructure? Recycling Great Depression-era projects is lame. My advice? Put down that shovel! It's time to try something else. View Full ImageSan Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and Rep. Nancy Pelosi in 2002.We're in a knowledge economy now; we…
Larry’s List: Christmas Eve Edition Twas the night before Christmas, and … eh, screw it. Enough of Christmas. Here are the newsy bits you’ve been craving more than that pumpkin pie: The Simpsons, torture, gay marriage, crime-fighting music and more. On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies. Newer links are on top. Decisions in 9th Circuit Challenge the DOMA and the Department of Justice I have had several people ask me off-blog about the “opinions” on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that have surfaced in the 9th Circuit. I may write more later, but for now I want to lay out the sequence of facts and actions and start the discussion. Mexico’s Indigenous Minority Converting to Islam El Sistema: When Music Cuts Crime and Saves Lives Julian Lloyd Webber visits Venezuela to witness the spectacular success of an orchestral project that he is determined to replicate here. Vatican Paper Says ‘The Simpsons’ Are Okely Dokely To put it as the devout Ned Flanders would, the Vatican’s newspaper thinks “The Simpsons” are an okely dokely bunch. A Short History of the Manipulation of Copyright Law It’s nearly the end of 2009. If the Copyright Act of 1790’s maximum term of 28 years were still in effect, everything that had been published by 1981 would be in the public domain—so the original “Ultima” and “God Emperor of Dune” would be available for remixing and mashing up. Anti-Socialist Bachmann Got 250K in Federal Farm Subsidies Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.—so fond of accusing the Obama administration of foisting socialism on an unwilling America—has apparently been the recipient of about a quarter of million bucks in government handouts. NYT Accuses Al Jazeera of Lacking Objectivity for Accurately Describing What the U.S. Did It’s amazing that The New York Times would claim that Al Jazeera’s description of the Bush administration’s conduct as it concerns al-Hajj and other detainees—“one of the victims of the human rights atrocities committed by the ex-U.S. administration”—departs from precepts of “journalistic objectivity.” How can the lawless detention, brutal torture, numerous detainee deaths, obvious targeting of unfriendly media outlets and explicit renunciation of the Geneva Conventions be described in any other way? Had a Bad Experience With Peer Review? Improvise Everywhere Seasonal Strike Sorry, the Tablet Computer Won’t Save Newspapers Who can forget the excitement that the CD-ROM version of Newsweek generated in November 1992 when it was announced! Well, everybody. Health Care Industry Stocks Explode as Bill Progresses The president claims Democrats “stood up to special interests” as they get very rich on “reform.” Has the Left Missed the Boat on Climate Change? Make no mistake about it, formal negotiations in Copenhagen ended in a train wreck that no spin doctor can put a good face on and was a huge setback for the prospects of averting climate change in an equitable way. Physicians for a National Health Program on the Senate Bill Legislation “would bring more harm than good,” group says.
Twas the night before Christmas, and … eh, screw it. Enough of Christmas. Here are the newsy bits you’ve been craving more than that pumpkin pie: The Simpsons, torture, gay marriage, crime-fighting music and more.
On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.
Newer links are on top.
Decisions in 9th Circuit Challenge the DOMA and the Department of Justice I have had several people ask me off-blog about the “opinions” on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that have surfaced in the 9th Circuit. I may write more later, but for now I want to lay out the sequence of facts and actions and start the discussion.
A Short History of the Manipulation of Copyright Law It’s nearly the end of 2009. If the Copyright Act of 1790’s maximum term of 28 years were still in effect, everything that had been published by 1981 would be in the public domain—so the original “Ultima” and “God Emperor of Dune” would be available for remixing and mashing up.
Anti-Socialist Bachmann Got 250K in Federal Farm Subsidies Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.—so fond of accusing the Obama administration of foisting socialism on an unwilling America—has apparently been the recipient of about a quarter of million bucks in government handouts.
NYT Accuses Al Jazeera of Lacking Objectivity for Accurately Describing What the U.S. Did It’s amazing that The New York Times would claim that Al Jazeera’s description of the Bush administration’s conduct as it concerns al-Hajj and other detainees—“one of the victims of the human rights atrocities committed by the ex-U.S. administration”—departs from precepts of “journalistic objectivity.”? How can the lawless detention, brutal torture, numerous detainee deaths, obvious targeting of unfriendly media outlets and explicit renunciation of the Geneva Conventions be described in any other way?
Has the Left Missed the Boat on Climate Change? Make no mistake about it, formal negotiations in Copenhagen ended in a train wreck that no spin doctor can put a good face on and was a huge setback for the prospects of averting climate change in an equitable way.
Russia Arms Myanmar Regime While the U.S. is by far the world’s largest arms supplier, Russia has reportedly signed a deal with Myanmar—against which many in the West have imposed sanctions—to provide the country formerly known as Burma with 20 MiG-29 fighter planes. For, you know, uh, defense. —JCL The BBC: Russia has signed a contract to deliver 20 MiG-29 fighter planes to Burma, Russian media reports say. The contract is worth 400m euros (£356m; $570m), sources close to the Russian arms firm Rosoboronexport say. Many countries in the West have imposed sanctions against Burma, in response to its poor human rights record. But the country’s military rulers still receive many goods, including arms, from its neighbours China and India, as well as Russia. Read more
While the U.S. is by far the world’s largest arms supplier, Russia has reportedly signed a deal with Myanmar—against which many in the West have imposed sanctions—to provide the country formerly known as Burma with 20 MiG-29 fighter planes. For, you know, uh, defense.? —JCL
The BBC:
Russia has signed a contract to deliver 20 MiG-29 fighter planes to Burma, Russian media reports say.
The contract is worth 400m euros (£356m; $570m), sources close to the Russian arms firm Rosoboronexport say.
Many countries in the West have imposed sanctions against Burma, in response to its poor human rights record.
But the country’s military rulers still receive many goods, including arms, from its neighbours China and India, as well as Russia.
Chris Weigant: My 2009 “McLaughlin Awards” [Part 1] Welcome once again to our year-end wrapup and awards ceremony. Honesty dictates that I immediately genuflect to The McLaughlin Group, from whom I have stolen…
The Hollywood Liberal is an anti-war, anti republican, from right here beautiful Hollywood California.
This site was originally started to help get The Worst President Ever G.W. Bush Jr. Out of office. Now that we have accomplished that
the goal is to get Obama to start acting like a Democrat, and not an butt kissing Republican Wannabee. We will continue to fight for that goal
. Thanks H.L.
Yesterday, the White House announced that there had been “
