The Hollywood Liberal

Afghanistan Rules of Engagement May Change
A military source said that the rules of engagement put in place by outgoing Gen. Stanley McChrystal may be changing under Gen. David Petraeus. They rules aim to limit civilian casualties by prohibiting troops from firing unless shot at and from launching bomb or artillery attacks when civilians are near the target. “He realizes as does virtually everyone in Afghanistan that these rules are getting soldiers killed,” said retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales Jr.

Late Late Night FDL: Test Pilot Donald
Test Pilot Donald starring Donald Duck and Chip ‘n’ Dale. This Walt Disney Studios cartoon was released on June 8, 1951.

Test Pilot Donald starring Donald Duck and Chip ‘n’ Dale.  This Walt Disney Studios cartoon was released on June 8, 1951.

Directed by Jack Hannah.  Produced by Walt Disney.  Story by Bill Berg and Nick George.  Voices by Clarence Nash (Donald Duck).  Animation by Bob Carlson, Volus Jones, Bill Justice, and Hal King.  Layouts by Yale Gracey.  Backgrounds by Ralph Hulett.  Visual Effects Animation by Jack Boyd.  Original Music by Paul J. Smith.

What’s on your mind?

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Sunday Talking Heads: June 27, 2010
Afghanistan with some election chat tossed in.

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Today, Afghanistan and foreign affairs dominate all the lineups for Talking Heads. No surprise in light of McChrystal’s dismissal.

We’re still in fundraising mode, so please support the Lake. Where else on the Internets can you find such a fine list of Sunday public affairs programming? Your donation funds Marcy’s in-depth research, dday’s news reporting, our editors, the essential tech nerds, and our *beloved* moderators. Your donation allows us to create the unique blend of posts and actions that *is* Firedoglake.  Contribute today.

Washington Journal: 7:15am – Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press, Chief Economics Writer.  7:45am – Tony Fratto, Fmr. Deputy Press Secretary & Ross Eisenbrey, Economic Policy Institute.  8:30am – Russell Pearce (R-AZ), Arizona State Senator.  9:15am – Winston Porter, Waste Policy Center, President.

ABC’s This Week: CIA Director Leon Panetta.  Roundtable: George Will, David Sanger, Robin Wright, Rajiv Chandrasekaran.

CBS’ Face The Nation: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.),  Jan Crawford, David Martin.

Chris Matthews: Dan Rather, Gloria Borger, Katty Kay, John Harris.  Topics: Does General Petraeus Now Own the Afghanistan War?  Sarah Palin’s Year As Private Citizen: How’s that Working Out For Her?

CNN’s State of the Union: Crowley opens a new series, “The Political State of the Union” with Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Sen. John Corynyn (R-TX).

Fareed Zakaria – GPS: Tom Friedman.  Roundtable: Eliot Spitzer, Arianna Huffington, Ross Douthat, Katrina vanden Heuvel. Then, “the British just passed a “tax and axe” budget. It’s a big bet — are they on the correct side of it?”

Fox News Sunday: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).  Mike Huckabee.  Fox News AllStars: Bill Kristol, Mara Liasson, Liz Cheney, Juan Williams.

NBC’s Meet The Press: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).  Roundtable: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Sebastian Junger, author of “WAR”; army combat veteran Wes Moore; Tom Ricks, Contributing Editor of Foreign Policy magazine and author of “The Gamble” and Gen. Barry McCaffrey. (Ret.).

Newsmakers: Reacting to the closing of the House-Senate conference on financial regulations, Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) discussed developments surrounding the budget this year and what the fiscal debt commission hopes to accomplish in the future.

Q & A: Madeleine Sackler, director and producer of the new documentary “The Lottery.” The documentary tells the story of how children are chosen to participate in charter schools in New York City.

Religion & Ethics: Informed Consent and Medical Research.  Norman Fischer on Meditation.  Anecdotes of the Spirit.  Sacred Places, Open Spaces.

60 Minutes: Blackwater 61 – “Blackwater 61″ is the call sign of a plane flown by the embattled government contractor Blackwater that crashed into a mountain in Afghanistan killing all onboard. The widow of one of the soldiers killed – a pilot herself – says the firm was negligent in the way it operated the flight.  Fighting For A Cure – More Americans are suffering from epilepsy than Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis combined. Katie Couric reports on a disease that may not be getting the attention it deserves.  Cameron’s Avatar – Morley Safer gets the first look at how “Titanic” Director James Cameron created his $400 million 3-D fantasy “Avatar.”

To The Contrary: Topics: 1- President Obama extends FMLA benefits to same-sex couples; 2- Can population growth threaten the nation’s food security?  Panelists: Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Tara Setmayer, Judge Debra Carnahan, Numbers USA’s Anne Manetas, and Feministing.com’s Miriam Perez. Web exclusive: Plan C? A pill capable of preventing pregnancy up to five days after sex is awaiting FDA approval.

Univision’s Al Punto: Alberto Milian, Former Captain of U.S Army Intelligence; Mike Periu, Financial Advisor and Editor of DineroyCredito.com; Juan Roberto Job, Corporate Vice President & Hispanic Market Manager of New York Life Insurance Company and author of the book “Just Because I’m Latin Doesn’t Mean I Mambo: A Success Guide for Hispanic Americans”; and Univision Sports Anchor Pablo Ramírez.

Virtually Speaking: Digby and Avedon Carol. “what digby said” is a term of art in the liberal blogosphere. Avedon Carol’s Sideshow has been snarking, and providing ripping good political analysis for as long as there has been a blogosphere. Mockery and thoughtful analysis will be featured.

C-SPAN’s Book TV.

FDL  Book Salon: Chat with author Deanna Zandt and host Amanda Marcotte.  Share This!: How You Will Change the World with Social Networking. “With Share This! both regular folks of a progressive bent and committed activists can learn how to go beyond swapping movie reviews and vacation photos (not that there’s anything wrong with that).”  5pm ET.

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ElBaradei Joins Sit-In, Egyptian Politics
Former U.N. nuclear watchdog head, Nobel laureate and likely candidate for his country’s presidency, Mohamed ElBaradei has continued to position himself as a leading political figure in Egypt by taking part in a large-scale protest Friday over the death of a man at the hands of plainclothes policemen. ElBaradei, back in Egypt after working at the United Nations for more than a decade, is expected to be the leading opposition figure to challenge President Hosni Mubarak. —JCL The Guardian: Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the UN nuclear watchdog, joined about 4,000 Egyptians at a rare large-scale street protest today, in his most direct challenge to President Hosni Mubarak since returning to the country earlier this year. The Nobel laureate turned opposition figurehead joined the sit-in in Alexandria over the case of a man allegedly killed by plainclothes policemen. Numerous witnesses say Khaled Said, 28, died after being kicked and punched by the officers before eventually smashing his head against a marble shelf in an internet cafe on 6 June . Security officials claim Said died of asphyxiation after he swallowed a packet of narcotics hidden under his tongue. Read more

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Former U.N. nuclear watchdog head, Nobel laureate and likely candidate for his country’s presidency, Mohamed ElBaradei has continued to position himself as a leading political figure in Egypt by taking part in a large-scale protest Friday over the death of a man at the hands of plainclothes policemen.

ElBaradei, back in Egypt after working at the United Nations for more than a decade, is expected to be the leading opposition figure to challenge President Hosni Mubarak. —JCL

The Guardian:

Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the UN nuclear watchdog, joined about 4,000 Egyptians at a rare large-scale street protest today, in his most direct challenge to President Hosni Mubarak since returning to the country earlier this year.

The Nobel laureate turned opposition figurehead joined the sit-in in Alexandria over the case of a man allegedly killed by plainclothes policemen.

Numerous witnesses say Khaled Said, 28, died after being kicked and punched by the officers before eventually smashing his head against a marble shelf in an internet cafe on 6 June . Security officials claim Said died of asphyxiation after he swallowed a packet of narcotics hidden under his tongue.

Read more

Related Entries

• June 25, 2010 Leave the Nation-Building to Afghans
• June 25, 2010 After 41 Years, a Belated Victory for Butter

Troubled Times Slash G-8 Aid Pledge
With the scent of the global financial crisis swimming in their nostrils, G-8 leaders pledged a mere $5 billion in aid to reduce deaths among African mothers and infants, a decrease of 90 percent in the funding promised five years ago at the group’s meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland. —JCL Al Jazeera English: Rich countries have shied away from making bold aid pledges at the G8 summit, mindful of their own tight budgets and past broken promises. They pledged $5bn in aid over five years to reduce deaths among mothers and their newborns in Africa, at the summit in Toronto on Friday. The amount is nowhere near the ambitious promise from five years ago to double aid by up to $50 billion by 2010. The donors delivered only two-thirds, an estimated $18bn, of the money they agreed on at a 2005 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. Read more

With the scent of the global financial crisis swimming in their nostrils, G-8 leaders pledged a mere $5 billion in aid to reduce deaths among African mothers and infants, a decrease of 90 percent in the funding promised five years ago at the group’s meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland. —JCL

Al Jazeera English:

Rich countries have shied away from making bold aid pledges at the G8 summit, mindful of their own tight budgets and past broken promises.

They pledged $5bn in aid over five years to reduce deaths among mothers and their newborns in Africa, at the summit in Toronto on Friday.

The amount is nowhere near the ambitious promise from five years ago to double aid by up to $50 billion by 2010.

The donors delivered only two-thirds, an estimated $18bn, of the money they agreed on at a 2005 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.

Read more

Related Entries

• June 25, 2010 Leave the Nation-Building to Afghans
• June 25, 2010 After 41 Years, a Belated Victory for Butter

Robert Nyman DEAD: Massachusetts Lawmaker Dies After Being Found In Pool
HANOVER, Mass. (AP) — Officials say Massachusetts state Rep. Robert Nyman has died after being found unresponsive in the swimming pool at his Hanover home….

American Crossroads: New GOP Group Plans To Spend Millions This Fall
WASHINGTON — In a campaign season of anti-establishment ferment, some of the Republican Party’s best-known insiders are building an ambitious fundraising machine for the fall…

Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup
A rolling stone gathers no moss, and this week a loose-tongued General got steamrolled by a paper one. President Obama did the right thing in canning McChrystal. But his appointment of David Petraeus bodes very badly for the July 2011 withdrawal start date. Last week, Petraeus hinted as much, telling Congress he would recommend delaying the withdrawal if conditions in Afghanistan didn’t improve (and is there anyone left who thinks they will?). Petraeus Ex Machina got the president’s backing: “We didn’t say we’d be switching off the lights and closing the door behind us,” the commander-in-chief told the nation. Something tells me that Obama – McChrystal + Petraeus = upping the ante in Afghanistan. We need to change the equation.

Palin’s California State University Speech Rails Against ‘Dumpster Divers’
TURLOCK, Calif. — Sarah Palin leveled criticism at California’s attorney general and others raising questions about her visit to a cash-strapped university, telling supporters that…

Obama Weekly Address: President Urges Congress To Pass Financial Reform Bill (VIDEO)
ALAN FRAM, Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama prodded Congress on Saturday to send him financial overhaul legislation, saying the landmark compromise lawmakers have…

Feds Charge Ex-Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick Looted Nonprofit To Pay For Yoga Lessons, Summer Camp
Former Democratic Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who just last month was sentenced to at least 19 months in prison for probation violations in Michigan, has been slapped with 18 federal fraud and tax evasion charges.


Kwame Kilpatrick – Michigan – Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick – Probation – United States

Attorney: Vitter Aide Paid His Own ‘Minimal’ Fees In Assault Case
One of the curiosities of the case of the now-former aide to Sen. David Vitter who held his girlfriend hostage during an assault in 2008, is that Brent Furer, on a $47,000-per-year salary, hired one of the top lawyers at one of Washington’s fanciest law firms to represent him.


David Vitter – Brent Furer – United States – Law – American Broadcasting Company

How A Supreme Court Ruling Could Set Corrupt Politicians Free
In the wake of Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling limiting the scope of a key federal anti-corruption statute, white-collar defense lawyers are salivating at the chance to challenge some of the biggest public corruption cases in recent memory — from Gov. Don Siegelman in Alabama to Gov. Rod Blagojevich in Illinois to New York state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno to the myriad figures in the Jack Abramoff saga.



Jack Abramoff – Supreme Court – Alabama – Rod Blagojevich – Illinois

Live from Detroit: Oliver Stone’s new movie, Zionism & potato chips
I’m currently manning a booth at the Detroit Social Forum, and across the aisle from me is a booth run by Katrina victims who have driven all the way up from New Orleans. And guess what? Katrina is STILL the issue. “15,000 perfectly good housing units have been destroyed in NOLA since 2005,” said one woman […]

Burr Ahead in North Carolina
A new SurveyUSA poll in North Carolina shows Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) leading challenger Elaine Marshall (D) by ten points, 50% to 40%.

Key finding: Republicans are aligned behind Burr more solidly than Democrats are aligned behind Marshall. Independents break for Burr.

Not Paying Attention to Afghanistan?

Yes, the Afghanistan War is a brutal, costly disaster, but hey, according to McChrystal’s inner circle, there’s a silver lining! At least the American people aren’t paying attention. Here’s a quote from Michael Hastings’ explosive Rolling Stone article: Even those closest to McChrystal know that the rising anti-war sentiment at home doesn’t begin to reflect how […]

Love the Afghanistan War in Public at Your Peril

One of the gems buried in Michael Hastings’ now ubiquitous Rolling Stone article is a senior adviser to General McChrystal thanking his lucky stars for public ignorance of the state of the war: Even those closest to McChrystal know that the rising anti-war sentiment at home doesn’t begin to reflect how deeply fucked up things […]

Summits! Summits!! SUMMITS!!!
On Thursday I head to Toronto to cover this week’s G-8/20 world leader jamboree. But before I do, conventional wisdom seems to demand that I justify why even bother. Is it just me, or is anyone else struck by the…


Climate change – Environment – Economic – Activism – G-20 major economies

Republicans are Undercutting National Economic Recovery — and Dems Need to Say So 24/7
The same old story happens again and again. Dems in the House pass reasonable legislation, and Senate Dems dicker with centrists and Republicans over “compromises,” weakening the legislation step by step over many weeks, only to find zero Republican…


Republican – United States Senate – United States – Politics – Parties

Poll: Tea partiers want gov?t to protect manufacturing jobs, impose tariffs to safeguard environment.
One of the organizing principles of the conservative-led tea party movement is an “aversion to big government,” with tea party organizers turning their ire on comprehensive health reform, clean energy legislation, and even mandatory trash collection. Yet a new poll finds that, despite their anti-government rhetoric, a majority of tea partiers favor the government […]

One of the organizing principles of the conservative-led tea party movement is an “aversion to big government,” with tea party organizers turning their ire on comprehensive health reform, clean energy legislation, and even mandatory trash collection. Yet a new poll finds that, despite their anti-government rhetoric, a majority of tea partiers favor the government enacting policies to protect manufacturing jobs and placing tariffs on goods from countries with weak environmental standards:

A new poll contradicts the widely held belief that the the tea party movement is opposed to government action to help the economy. It shows that self-described Tea Party supporters are very much in favor of government action to revitalize America’s manufacturing base.

Seventy-four percent of self-described Tea Party Supporters would support a “national manufacturing strategy to make sure that economic, tax, labor, and trade policies in this country work together to help support manufacturing in the United States,” according to the poll, put out by the Mellman Group and the Alliance for American Manufacturing. Likewise, 56 percent of self-described Tea Party Supporters “favor a tariff on products imported from other countries that are cheaper because they came from a country that does not have to comply with any climate change regulations in the country where the products were made.”

It remains to be seen if the corporate-funded astroturf groups like FreedomWorks and the Republican Party, both of which have courted the tea party movement, will be willing to champion these pro-worker and pro-environmental views movement members appear to have.