The Hollywood Liberal

Sarah Palin: Sheena of the Bungle

Looking for Inspiration? Try This
People are feeling in the dumps these days, and for very good reasons. But there’s hope in working together.

People are feeling in the dumps these days, and for very good reasons. But there's hope in working together.

What Does the Prez Stand for? You Are Going to Be Shocked When You Learn the Name of Obama’s Favorite CEO
"Change you can believe in." "We must pledge once more to walk into the future." "Help me take back America." Obama is a savvy sloganeer — but what’s behind his brand?

"Change you can believe in." "We must pledge once more to walk into the future." "Help me take back America." Obama is a savvy sloganeer — but what's behind his brand?

Texas Education Board Is Trying to Infuse Schoolbooks with Ultraconservative Ideology
"We are a Christian nation founded on Christian principles," says one board member. "The way I evaluate history textbooks is first I see how they cover Christianity and Israel."

"We are a Christian nation founded on Christian principles," says one board member. "The way I evaluate history textbooks is first I see how they cover Christianity and Israel."

Dem Sell-out Dianne Feinstein Attempts End-Run to Hand California Water to Billionaire Farmers
Feinstein is trying to ram through a massive transfer of public water into the private pockets of a clique of billionaire corporate farmers.

Feinstein is trying to ram through a massive transfer of public water into the private pockets of a clique of billionaire corporate farmers.

This Just in, on Earmarks and Public Paralysis
“…[T]he delinquencies of the states have, step by step, matured themselves to an extreme which has at length arrested all the wheels of the national government… The [members of Congress] will consider the conformity of the thing proposed or required…


Government – United States Congress – United States – Politics – Congress

Dershowitz Under Siege
Alan Dershowitz is feeling the heat. Last week, the Harvard Law professor agreed that Judge Richard Goldstone, author of the report on war crimes in Gaza, is a “moser,” Hebrew term for a snitch. Historically (i.e., in the case of…


Gaza – Alan Dershowitz – Israel – Middle East – Richard Goldstone

Google Plays Politics
Google’s announcement yesterday that it was going to finance some ultra-High Speed Broadband test markets only highlights the dizzying ascent of video online. The average broadband user spends about 760 minutes a month watching online video. Clearly the world of…


Google – Broadband – AT&T – Searching – Search Engines

Army spares single mother from a court-martial, but still demotes her and revokes benefits.
Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, a 21-year-old Army cook, refused to deploy to Afghanistan in November because she had no one to take care of her 10-month-old son. Hutchinson said when she brought her situation to her superiors’ attention, they told her that she would have to deploy anyway and place the child in foster care. […]

Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, a 21-year-old Army cook, refused to deploy to Afghanistan in November because she had no one to take care of her 10-month-old son. Hutchinson said when she brought her situation to her superiors’ attention, they told her that she would have to deploy anyway and place the child in foster care. After skipping her unit’s flight out of Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA, military police arrested her, and the Army eventually filed charges. However, today, the New York Times reports that the Hutchinson won’t be facing a court-martial, which could have resulted in jail time if she had been convicted:

On Thursday, Specialist Hutchinson received an other-than-honorable discharge, ending an impasse that had surprised many legal experts and spurred lively debate in military circles.

In a news release, the Third Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Ga., said Specialist Hutchinson’s rank had been reduced to private and that she would lose some Army and veterans’ benefits.

Last year, there were more than “10,000 single parents on active military duty deployed overseas,” and legal experts speculated that commanders may have been using Hutchinson’s case to “send a message to other single-parent soldiers in the brigade.”

Palin bars media from two upcoming Florida events.
Fox News contributor Sarah Palin will make two high-profile appearances in Central Florida next month, but the press will not be welcomed. Palin’s camp has barred the media from recording or photographing the former governor’s speeches, so if reporters want to attend, they’ll have to buy a ticket like anyone else. (Prices are between […]

Fox News contributor Sarah Palin will make two high-profile appearances in Central Florida next month, but the press will not be welcomed. Palin’s camp has barred the media from recording or photographing the former governor’s speeches, so if reporters want to attend, they’ll have to buy a ticket like anyone else. (Prices are between $150 and “at least” $250.) The Orlando Sentinel reports that the unusual decision was made by Palin’s handlers, not local organizers:

“These are the terms of the contract that were presented to us,” said Orange County Republican Party Chairman Lew Oliver, who said he is ecstatic that the GOP “rock star” will headline his group’s annual major fundraising event.

Oliver acknowledged that previous Lincoln Day dinner speakers — mostly elected officials and political hopefuls — have sought media coverage. However, he said, “this is an unusual circumstance.”

Palin’s speaking fees are also not being disclosed, but she was paid a reported $100,000 for speaking at the National Tea Party Convention last week. Palin has consistently tried to limit media access at her recent events, even discouraging “attempts at citizen journalism” by barring attendees at her book-signings from carrying cell phones or cameras, and refusing to “talk about politics with them.” Several local Alaska bloggers were put on a black list and banned from Palin’s Wasilla book-signing, and at a December event at the Mall of America, officials initially said that “only English speaking press” would be let in.

Senate Democrats race to regain bipartisan coalition on jobs bill
Senate Democrats scrambled Friday to reassemble a bipartisan coalition for a jobs bill after Republicans defected over Majority Leader Harry M. Reid’s decision to scale back the legislation to appease rank-and-file liberals.

Under plan, intelligence agencies would be consulted before reading of rights
The Justice Department and the FBI will consult with the intelligence community on information about terrorism suspects arrested in the United States before deciding whether to read them their Miranda rights under a plan now under review in the White House, according to senior administration…

White House formally invites Republicans to health-care summit
The White House formally invited Republicans on Friday to attend a health-care summit Feb. 25, calling it “the next step” in the process of reforming the country’s broken health insurance system and pledging to post the text of a reform proposal online before the gathering.

Obama’s Tax Betrayal

Thirst for Limited Government
Welch & Gillespie, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
The independent-bent thirst for limited government is more than just some marginalized shouting By Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie Reason magazine and Reason.com POSTED: 10:11 a.m. HST, Feb 09, 2010 So where were you during the great Civil War of 2009?What, you don't remember it?Six months ago, you may dimly recall, the nation's elite guardians of political discourse were sounding the alarm about what New York Times bloviator Frank Rich described as “the simmering…

Political Class Must Heed Voters’ Message
Michael Graham, Boston Herald
When Scott Brown stunned the Massachusetts establishment, some state Democrats said it was time to hit the panic button. But I didn't know they meant that literally.According to yesterday's Herald, Boston City Hall has been testing ePanicButton software. "[City] workers would be able to hit a button on their computer or push a pedal on the floor to summon help if an angry taxpayer storms into City Hall or if someone arguing a parking ticket gets out of hand," the Herald reported."Angry taxpayers"? Aren't those the people who showed up at…

The White House Critics Are Misguided
Ali Soufan, New York Times
SINCE Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York announced that he no longer favored trying Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind, in a Manhattan federal court because of logistical concerns, the Obama administration has come under increasing attack from those who claim that military commissions are more suitable for prosecuting terrorists. These critics are misguided. As someone who has helped prosecute terrorists in both civilian and military courts "” I was a witness for the government in two of the three military commissions convened so far…

When Elites Bash Elitism
Joan Walsh, Salon
The same day the Washington Post released a poll showing a staggering 71 percent of Americans — and a majority of Republicans — don't think Sarah Palin is qualified to be president, the Post's David Broder and Time's Joe Klein wrote columns proclaiming Palin a towering political force on the American landscape. It's rare that Beltway conventional wisdom gets proven false the very same day it surfaces. But that probably won't stop it from spreading.Broder praised Palin's “pitch-perfect recital of the populist message.” Klein hailed “the brilliance…