The Hollywood Liberal

Sunday Talking Heads: April 11, 2010
Today in Talking Heads it’s nuclear treaties, Supreme Court nominees, and conservative conferences.

A young boy paying tribute in Warsaw by Piotr Paw?owski (flickr)

Today in Talking Heads it’s nuclear treaties, Supreme Court nominees, and conservative conferences.

And the grief in Poland cannot be measured, imagine losing such a significant part of the government in one fell swoop.  Devastating.

Washington Journal: 7:10am – Andrew Higgins, Washington Post.  7:45am – Stephen Dinan, Washington Times & Jennifer Bendery, Roll Call.  8:30am – StudentCam Winner , “A Blind Eye: Human Trafficking in America”  8:30am – Anita Nilsson, International Atomic Energy Agency.  9:15am – Brian Stann, Hire Heroes USA.

ABC’s This Week: Jake Tapper hosts.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.  Then Rudy Giuliani. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY).  Roundtable: George Will, Arianna Huffington, Cokie Roberts, Sam Donaldson.

Amanpour.

CBS’ Face The Nation: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Chris Matthews: Dan Rather HDNet; Katty Kay BBC; Helene Cooper The New York Times; David Ignatius White House Correspondent.  Topics: Fight For The Court: How Left Will Obama Go & Will Republicans Filibuster?  New World Order: Will Obama Be A Transformational Figure Abroad As Well?

CNN’s State of the Union: In New Orleans ” for one of the biggest conservative conferences of the year, the Southern Republican Leadership Conference.” Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS).  Also actor Wendell Pierce and director David Simon about New Orleans and their series on HBO, Treme.

Fareed Zakaria -GPS: “Is the leader of Afghanistan on drugs?” Peter Galbraith. Plus, Richard Stengel Editor of Time Magazine, Chrystia Freeland Reuters’ global editor-at-large, “a Pulitzer prize-winning historian, and the newest and youngest columnist for the New York Times debate the future of Western conservatism.”

Fox News Sunday: “President Obama signs a significant nuclear arms treaty with Russia ahead of next week’s Nuclear Security Summit. We’ll get a read on national security from two key senators: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN).  Plus, rising conservative star Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), on the GOP’s strategy as they look to take back the House in November.”  Fox News AllStars: Bill Kristol, Mara Liasson, Liz Cheney, Juan Williams.

NBC’s Meet The Press: The retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Ranking Member Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL).  Then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.  Roundtable: David Brooks; Harold Ford Jr.; Kathleen Parker; David Sanger.

Newsmakers: Rep.  Brad Sherman (D-CA).  “Now that the U.S. & Russian Presidents have signed an agreement to reduce their nuclear arsenals, Foreign Affairs Subcmte. on Terrorism & Nonproliferation Chair Rep. Sherman explains the next steps in Congressional oversight on nuclear weapons policy.”

Q & A: The Gregory Brothers of Auto-Tune the News.

Religion & Ethics: Ginghamsburg Church and Darfur.  Stephen Ministry.  Mezuzah.  Nuclear Arsenals.

60 Minutes: Gotti – John Gotti, Jr. (This is a double-length segment.)  Discovery – The fossilized skull and bones found by a 9-yr-old boy on a fossil hunt with his scientist father are the discovery of a lifetime and may prove to be a new link in the human evolutionary chain.

To The Contrary: Topics:  1- Birth rates for older women go up while teen rates go down; 2- Women’s progress stalled in high-level federal jobs; 3- The challenges children with diabetes face.  Panelists: Physician and Wellness Expert Dr. Andrea Pennington; Former EEOC Chair Cari Dominguez; The Feminist Majority’s Kim Gandy; and Former Labor Dept. Official Karen Czarnecki.  Web exclusive: Violence Against Women Goes Viral A Japanese video game promotes violence and torture of women.

Univision’s Al Punto: Father Jose de Jesus Aguilar, Spokesperson Archdiocese of Mexico; Dr. Jose Barba, Victim of Abuse by Father Marcial Maciel; Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL);  Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA); Susie Castillo, Former Miss USA.

Virtually Speaking: Adam Lambert and Chris Kendrick. “Chris is back! Clammy has electricity. Atrocities will be documented.”

C-SPAN’s Book TV.

FDL’s Book Salon: Chat with Arnold M. Ludwig about his book, King of the Mountain: The Nature of Political Leadership.  Hosted by firedog eCAHNomics.  “People may choose to ignore their animal heritage by interpreting their behavior as divinely inspired, socially purposeful, or even self-serving, all of which they attribute to being human, but they masticate, fornicate, and procreate, much as chimps and apes do, so they should have little cause to get upset if they learn that they act like other primates when they politically agitate, debate, abdicate, placate, and administrate, too.”  5pm ET.

FDL’s Movie Night Monday: New Brow:The Rise of Underground Art.  “A documentary feature film focusing on the rising popularity of underground art (Lowbrow, Pop Surrealism, Street Art), the artists, and its integration into pop culture.”  Chat with Director/Producer/Writer Tanem Davidson and host Lisa Derrick.  Monday, 8pm ET.

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Late Late Night FDL: The Froze Nose Knows
The Ant and The Aardvark — The Froze Nose Knows. This Mirisch Films, Inc. cartoon was released on November 18, 1970. What’s on your mind?

The Ant and The Aardvark – The Froze Nose Knows.  This Mirisch Films, Inc. cartoon was released on November 18, 1970.

Produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng.  Directed by Gerry Chiniquy.  Story by Dale Hale.  Animation by Robert Bentley, Manny Gould, Kenneth Muse, Manuel Perez, and Robert Taylor.  Color Design by Richard H. Thomas.  Film Editing by Lee Gunther.  Graphic Design by Dick Ung.  Production Management by Jim Foss.  Camera Operation and Electrical Department by John Burton Jr.  Production Coordination by Harry Love.  Voices by John Byner (Ant, Aardvark).  Original Music by Doug Goodwin.

What’s on your mind?

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Nearly 100 Dead in Pakistan Raids
Nearly 100 people were killed Saturday when Pakistani military airstrikes rained down on the country’s northwest tribal areas. Pakistani government officials claim the dead were “militants.” Al-Jazeera English: The Pakistani military has killed nearly 100 people in air raids in tribal areas in the country’s northwest, officials say. The attacks were carried out on Saturday in the Orazkai and Khyber regions near the border with Afghanistan, they said. In Orakzai, 54 people said to be “militants” by the Pakistani army were killed during clashes over a checkpoint near the town of Baizoti, Samiullah Khan, a local official, told the Associated Press news agency on Saturday. His comments came after it emerged that another raid had killed more than 40 people in the Tirah area of the Khyber region. Read more

Nearly 100 people were killed Saturday when Pakistani military airstrikes rained down on the country’s northwest tribal areas. Pakistani government officials claim the dead were “militants.”

Al-Jazeera English:

The Pakistani military has killed nearly 100 people in air raids in tribal areas in the country’s northwest, officials say.

The attacks were carried out on Saturday in the Orazkai and Khyber regions near the border with Afghanistan, they said.

In Orakzai, 54 people said to be “militants” by the Pakistani army were killed during clashes over a checkpoint near the town of Baizoti, Samiullah Khan, a local official, told the Associated Press news agency on Saturday.

His comments came after it emerged that another raid had killed more than 40 people in the Tirah area of the Khyber region.

Read more

Related Entries

• April 8, 2010 Live Chat: Robert Scheer on Nuclear Weapons
• April 8, 2010 Report: Karzai Set Taliban Leader Free

‘Left, Right & Center’: Justice Stevens, Financial Hearings and Nukes
The announcement of Justice John Paul Stevens’ retirement is bound to set off a political battle of immense proportions. Will it be a test of the merits of the potential candidates or just another political throwdown? And does America’s new nuclear posture justify Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize?

The announcement of Justice John Paul Stevens’ retirement is bound to set off a political battle of immense proportions. Will it be a test of the merits of the potential candidates or just another political throwdown? And does America’s new nuclear posture justify Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize?

Related Entries

• April 8, 2010 Live Chat: Robert Scheer on Nuclear Weapons
• April 8, 2010 Report: Karzai Set Taliban Leader Free

Michael Steele To Republicans: ‘I’ve Made Mistakes’
NEW ORLEANS — In damage control mode, GOP national chairman Michael Steele on Saturday sought to quell the furor over his management of the Republican…

Frank Rich: Where’s The New Era Of Responsibility?
“I was right 70 percent of the time, but I was wrong 30 percent of the time,” said Alan Greenspan as he testified last week…

Tina Fey Unveils Palin’s Next Career Move In Return To SNL (VIDEO)
Tina Fey hosted “Saturday Night Live” this week with musical guest Justin Bieber and while the latter’s fans likely had no idea what was going…

Justice Department Steps Up Antitrust Investigation Of Top Tech Companies
WASHINGTON–The Justice Department is stepping up its investigation into hiring practices at some of America’s biggest companies, including Google Inc., Intel Corp., International Business Machines…

Mitt Romney Beats Ron Paul By ONE VOTE In GOP Straw Poll
NEW ORLEANS — Mitt Romney didn’t attend the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, but still got a boost from those at the conference….

Goldberg falsely suggests health care reform isn’t paid for

Jonah Goldberg claimed that the Obama administration “is now floating the idea of imposing a value-added tax” “to pay for” the “recently passed health-care legislation.” In fact, CBO found that the health care law more than pays for itself over the next ten years and beyond.

Goldberg: White house “floating” VAT “to pay for” health care reform

From Goldberg’s April 9 stated of the deficit impact “for the decade following the 2010-2019 period”: “[T]he combined effect of enacting H.R. 3590 and the reconciliation proposal would also be to reduce federal budget deficits over the ensuing decade relative to those projected under current law – with a total effect during that decade in a broad range around one-half percent of GDP.”

CBO: Health care reform would “probably continue to reduce budget deficits” in subsequent decades. Additionally, CBO stated of the impact of the health care reform bill on deficits after 2029: “CBO has not extrapolated estimates further into the future because the uncertainties surrounding them are magnified even more. However, in view of the projected net savings during the decade following the 10-year budget window, CBO anticipates that the reconciliation proposal would probably continue to reduce budget deficits relative to those under current law in subsequent decades, assuming that all of its provisions continued to be fully implemented.”

Prosecutor: East TX Man Distributed Pipe Bombs Because Of Anger At Government
An East Texas man who federal prosecutors allege left explosive devices including pipe bombs in multiple area mail boxes, was motivated in part by anger at the government, Brit Featherston, first assistant U. S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas tells TPMmuckraker in a phone interview.

Judge Who Vacationed With Massey CEO Now Running For Congress
In 2006, Spike Maynard, then a former West Virginia judge, vacationed with Massey energy CEO Don Blankenship while the company had business before the court on which Maynard sat. Now Maynard is running for Congress.

Obama’s Radical Liberal Socialist Agenda Revealed
Is this his horrible liberal socialist agenda laid bare? “The legitimate object of Government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do, for themselves in their separate and individual capacities. But in all that people can individually do as well […]

The Republican Choice on Immigration And Latino Outreach
This week offered new evidence of the Republican split over the immigration issue and provided new recruits for each side.

This week offered new evidence of the Republican split over the immigration issue and provided new recruits for each side.

Steve Walt Exposes WINEP/AIPAC’s Satloff …Plus I Re-State Offensive Truths…Plus Proof of The GOP/ Racism Nexus…Plus My Take On the Obama Plan
Even before you read me, you should read Steve Walt’s delicious takedown of Robert Satloff, the head of the AIPAC-founded Washington Institute For Near East Policies. Satloff pretends that he does not know that WINEP is an AIPAC creation. Maybe…


Middle East – Israel – Israel Defense Forces – Muslim – Warfare and Conflict

Libertarian Legacy
Don Blankenship runs Massey Energy, the owner of the mine where at least 25 people died in an explosion this week, days after the mine was cited for dangerous accumulations of coal dust. Blankenship considers himself an old fashioned coal…


Don Blankenship – Massey Energy – West Virginia – United States Supreme Court – Coal

Israel’s Pentagon Papers
Common sense tells you that the Israeli military, charged with keeping Israeli citizens as safe as possible, should have the right to keep operational plans secret; and that the government–acting within bounds set by the judiciary–should have the right to…


Middle East – Uri Blau – Warfare and Conflict – Haaretz – Kam

Pence: ?I take at face value what John Lewis said? about racial slurs at Tea Party rally.
Several lawmakers, including civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), said that Tea Party activists at the March 20 rally on Capitol Hill hurled racial and/or homophobic slurs at them. Instead of condemning this behavior, many conservatives have said that they don’t believe these incidents really occurred. However, yesterday, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) told the […]

Several lawmakers, including civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), said that Tea Party activists at the March 20 rally on Capitol Hill hurled racial and/or homophobic slurs at them. Instead of condemning this behavior, many conservatives have said that they don’t believe these incidents really occurred. However, yesterday, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) told the Washington Post’s Dave Weigel that he had no doubt that Lewis was telling the truth about the hateful language at the Tea Party rally:

“A couple of weeks before the alleged incident occurred, I was walking across the bridge in Selma, Ala., with John Lewis,” said Pence. “I take at face value what John Lewis said. If John Lewis said he heard it, I believe he’s a man of integrity. And I would denounce those kinds of statements in the strongest possible terms.”

After the rally, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) called the incidents “reprehensible,” but added, “let’s not let a few isolated incidents get in the way of the fact that millions of Americans are scared to death, and millions of Americans want no part of this growing size of government.”

Huckabee Compares Gays To Drug Users, Says They?re Unfit To Adopt Kids Because ?Children Are Not Puppies?
Former Arkansas governor and current Fox News personality Mike Huckabee gave an interview with the College of New Jersey’s magazine The Perspective in which he made clear that he is just as intent on depriving gay men and women of equal status as ever. For instance, he said that gay couples shouldn’t be able […]

Former Arkansas governor and current Fox News personality Mike Huckabee gave an interview with the College of New Jersey’s magazine The Perspective in which he made clear that he is just as intent on depriving gay men and women of equal status as ever. For instance, he said that gay couples shouldn’t be able to get married because it would be like accommodating drug habits of addicts:

Even civil unions are “not necessary,” Huckabee said. “I think there’s been a real level of being disingenuous on the part of the gay and lesbian community with their goal of civil unions,” he alleged, referring to LGBT activists who first claimed that their goal in several states was to enact civil unions, but subsequently launched efforts to implement full marriage rights.

Huckabee went on to draw parallels between homosexuality and other lifestyles that are considered by some to be morally aberrant. “You don’t go ahead and accommodate every behavioral pattern that is against the ideal,” he said of same-sex marriage. “That would be like saying, well, there are a lot of people who like to use drugs, so let’s go ahead and accommodate those who want who use drugs. There are some people who believe in incest, so we should accommodate them. There are people who believe in polygamy, so we should accommodate them.”

Huckabee also insisted that same-sex couples shouldn’t be allowed to adopt or become foster parents because they’re somehow unfit to take care of children:

“I think this is not about trying to create statements for people who want to change the basic fundamental definitions of family,” Huckabee said. “And always we should act in the best interest of the children, not in the seeming interest of the adults.”

“Children are not puppies,” he continued. “This is not a time to see if we can experiment and find out, how does this work?”

Alvin McEwen writes at Pam’s House Blend, “While Huckabee doesn’t come out and say it, the nasty implication is clear — lgbt families are inferior because lgbts are incapable of giving love and support to children. Furthermore, lgbts don’t really want the children. They just want to further their ‘agenda.’”

Huckabee has proudly stated in the past that he is not “pro-gay,” which he has equated with being “pro-sodomy.” He has tried to downplay violence against gay men and women, compared homosexuality to necrophilia, and said that “civilization” may not survive if “what marriage and family means” is “rewritten” to allow gay marriage.

Obama leads summit effort to secure nuclear materials
As the junior senator from Illinois in August 2005, Barack Obama traveled to Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan with his more senior colleague, Sen. Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, for a tour of some of the Cold War’s most fearsome weapons sites.

Hispanics skeptical that Obama, Democrats will deliver immigration overhaul
AURORA, COLO. — Maria Garcia can rattle off a dozen things that are more important to her than politics. Her sky-high mortgage payments, for instance. The convenience store she owns, which isn’t making money. And, at this moment, the chili peppers toasting in the store’s kitchen.

Replacing Justice Stevens on high court is not just a matter of ideology
In nearly 35 years on the Supreme Court, Justice John Paul Stevens went from idiosyncratic maverick to the leader of the court’s liberal wing. He always described it as the court’s evolution more than his own — almost all of his colleagues, he said, had been replaced by a justice with more conservative views.