The Hollywood Liberal

Late Late Night FDL: Beast Of The Week
Beast Of The Week and other goodies on The Muppet Show, Episode 1, Season 2, with guest star Don Knotts. Grab your popcorn, put your feet up on the seatback in front of ya, and no spitballs aimed at the ushers please. This is Late Late Night FireDogLake, where off topic is the topic … so dive in. What’s on your mind?

Beast Of The Week and other goodies on The Muppet Show, Episode 1, Season 2, with guest star Don Knotts.

Grab your popcorn, put your feet up on the seatback in front of ya, and no spitballs aimed at the ushers please. This is Late Late Night FireDogLake, where off topic is the topic … so dive in. What’s on your mind?

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Dr. Laura Sorry for Airing N-Word Barrage
Dr. Laura Schlessinger is many things, but an astute commentator on racial politics isn’t one of them. The long-running schlock jock removed her foot from her mouth this week to issue an apology for … (continued)

Dr. Laura Schlessinger is many things, but an astute commentator on racial politics isn’t one of them. The long-running schlock jock removed her foot from her mouth this week to issue an apology for … (continued)

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• August 12, 2010 Is Congress Subsidizing Slackers?

Russia Set to Power Up Iran Nuclear Plant
After 40 years and countless international scoldings, Russia has announced it will begin loading uranium-packed fuel rods into Iran’s first nuclear power plant, officially classifying the reactor as a “nuclear installation.” Western countries, led by the U.S., accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian nuclear program. —JCL Al-Jazeera English: The power plant, built by Russia in the Iranian southern city of Bushehr, will be loaded with uranium-packed fuel rods after nearly 40 years of delays, a spokesman for Rosatom, the Russian atomic agency, said on Friday. “The fuel will be charged in the reactor on August 21. From this moment, Bushehr will be considered a nuclear installation. This will be an irreversible step,” Sergei Novikov told the AFP news agency. Ali Akbar Salehi, the head Iran’s atomic energy organisation, said: “We are preparing to transfer the fuel inside the plant next week … Then we will need seven to eight days to transfer it to the core of the reactor.” Read more

After 40 years and countless international scoldings, Russia has announced it will begin loading uranium-packed fuel rods into Iran’s first nuclear power plant, officially classifying the reactor as a “nuclear installation.”

Western countries, led by the U.S., accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian nuclear program. —JCL

Al-Jazeera English:

The power plant, built by Russia in the Iranian southern city of Bushehr, will be loaded with uranium-packed fuel rods after nearly 40 years of delays, a spokesman for Rosatom, the Russian atomic agency, said on Friday.

“The fuel will be charged in the reactor on August 21. From this moment, Bushehr will be considered a nuclear installation. This will be an irreversible step,” Sergei Novikov told the AFP news agency.

Ali Akbar Salehi, the head Iran’s atomic energy organisation, said: “We are preparing to transfer the fuel inside the plant next week … Then we will need seven to eight days to transfer it to the core of the reactor.”

Read more

Related Entries

• August 13, 2010 At Least the German Economy’s Growing
• August 12, 2010 Is Congress Subsidizing Slackers?

Prop 8: Jerry Brown Urges Speedy Return To Gay Marriages
SAN FRANCISCO — Attorney General Jerry Brown urged a federal appeals court Friday to waste no time in allowing gay marriages to resume in California…

Obama Defends Ground Zero Mosque Plans In Ramadan Dinner Speech
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Friday forcefully endorsed allowing a mosque near ground zero, saying the country’s founding principles demanded no less. “As a…

Chris Weigant: Friday Talking Points [134] — Some Reality For Gibbs
Happy Friday the Thirteenth, everyone. It’s actually a fitting day for this column, which I’ll explain in a bit. Because before we get to that,…

REPORT: Fox provides megaphone to NYC mosque opponents

A Media Matters for America review of Fox News’ evening coverage of the planned building of an Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero found that, since May, the shows have hosted at least 47 guests to discuss the project, nearly 75 percent of whom opposed the center. Just nine of the guests who appeared on the evening programs supported the building, and one guest remained neutral.

Nearly ¾ of Fox guests opposed the Islamic center

Islamic center opponents outnumbered supporters 35 to 11.  A Media Matters review of Nexis transcripts of Fox News’ evening programming from May 13 to August 12 showed that nearly three times the number of guests who opposed the construction of the center than those who were supportive of such efforts.

Guests who opposed the center were counted as opponents. Guests who expressed support of the plans to build the center in New York City near Ground Zero were counted as supporters. Guests who did not take a position on the issue were counted as neutral. Guests who did not express an opinion about the construction of the center but rather commented on Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s philosophical beliefs and past statements were not included in the results:

Below are the names of the guests, the Fox News shows on which they appeared, and their position on building the Islamic center.

Fox News has repeatedly misinformed in coverage of NYC “mosque”

Fox News continues to advance misinformation about Islamic center. Fox News has repeatedly pushed the falsehood that the Islamic cultural center was “plan[ning] to launch” on “9-11.” However, Daisy Khan, executive director of one of the organizations leading the project, told Media Matters that the allegation is “absolutely false” and that “the timeline has yet to be determined.”

Fox also hosted a GOP candidate to baselessly suggest that “terrorist groups” are funding the center. On the August 2 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Peter Johnson Jr. hosted George Demos, a Republican candidate in New York’s 1st congressional district, to baselessly suggest that “terrorist groups” are funding the Islamic community center.

Fox promoting GOP candidate’s petition, i.e. campaign website, against NYC Islamic center. On August 12, Fox & Friends hosted Republican congressional candidate Randy Altschuler and aired his ad comparing the Islamic center to the “Japanese government” erecting a “shrine to its World War II emperor in Pearl Harbor.” Fox & Friends directed viewers to Altschuler’s campaign website to sign a petition against building the center.

Methodology

Media Matters reviewed Nexis transcripts of all original Fox News evening programming from May 13 to August 12 between 5 p.m. and 10:59 p.m. ET. (Fox News airs a repeat of The O’Reilly Factor at the 11 p.m. ET hour.) Transcripts of Fox News’ evening program, Fox Report, are not available in Nexis, and therefore, the show was not included in the study.

Media Matters counted all guests who appeared in segments that involved a discussion of the controversy about building the New York City Islamic community center near Ground Zero. Each guest’s position on the issue was derived from statements made during that guest’s appearance. In some cases, guests expressed personal opposition to the mosque but acknowledged that the organizers had a right to build there. For instance, on the August 8 broadcast of Hannity, Juan Williams said, “I happen to agree with you [Sean Hannity] about the idea that they shouldn’t build the mosque,” later adding, “But that doesn’t mean that we, as Americans, can say to him, ‘No, you can’t build here.’ That’s wrong.” These few guests were categorized as “against” the mosque because of their personal opposition to its construction.

Alito Refers Taitz Appeal To Entire Supreme Court
Birther queen Orly Taitz has spent the better part of a year fighting a $20,000 fine slapped on her by a federal judge for filing frivilous birther lawsuits contesting President Obama’s elibility to hold the office. A few weeks ago, she applied to the Supreme Court to reverse the fine.


Supreme Court – Orly Taitz – Barack Obama – United States Supreme Court – United States

Colbert: Bryan Fischer’s Right — NYC ‘Mosque’ Is ‘Weapon Of Mass Construction’ (VIDEO)
Stephen Colbert agreed with critics last night who say that the “Ground Zero mosque” is a “weapon of mass construction” and a “slapping eye-stab” to America. In fact, Colbert said he agrees with Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association “who blogged where angels fear to tweet,” and said that there should be “no more mosques, period.”


Stephen Colbert – United States – Colbert Report – American Family Association – Bryan Fischer

Offshore Drilling Head Admits Agency Got Regulations From Industry
The director of the government’s newly reorganized offshore drilling agency conceded yesterday that the agency has relied too heavily on the oil and gas industry when creating regulations.



Petroleum industry – Offshore drilling – Gulf of Mexico – Business – Energy

Robert Gibbs’ Guide to Washington for Dumb Progressives

Sandoval Way Out in Front for Nevada Governor
A new Las Vegas Review-Journal/Mason-Dixon poll in Nevada shows Brian Sandoval (R) still with a big lead over Rory Reid (D) in the race for governor, 52% to 36%.

Said pollster Brad Coker: “They might have changed one point here or one point there, but it is almost like a carbon copy of the last poll.”

A Post Drug Culture America?
Dave Weigel draws an interesting lesson from the story that Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul (R) kidnapped a woman and forced her to smoke marijuana and bow to “Aqua Buddha.”

“The anonymous woman…says she wasn’t kidnapped, and that ends the story. In the year 2010, a Republican Senate candidate in Kentucky is revealed to have played around with marijuana in his college days, and basically no one cares, apart from their appreciation of the neologism ‘Aqua Buddha.'”

“The election of Barack Obama hasn’t created a post-racial America, but has it created an America where we just assume our candidates have done drugs — and we don’t care? That’s progress!”

Quote of the Day
“Let me be clear: as a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable.”

— President Obama, quoted by the Washington Post, over building a mosque near ground zero in Manhattan.

A Death in Solitary: Did Corrections Officers Help an Inmate Kill Himself?
A convicted killer in Pennsylvania committed suicide in lock-down. His family is asking whether corrections officers helped him out.

A convicted killer in Pennsylvania committed suicide in lock-down. His family is asking whether corrections officers helped him out.

Meet Dylan Ratigan, That Guy on MSNBC Who Can Talk a Mean Streak About the Scam Artists on Wall St.
Dylan Ratigan is an unlikely champion of the common man, yet is emerging as one of the strongest voices for economic reform in the United States.

Dylan Ratigan is an unlikely champion of the common man, yet is emerging as one of the strongest voices for economic reform in the United States.

Diplomatic Solution for Iran — Whoa Nellie
As you probably heard, last week President Obama briefed journalists on the new economic sanctions against the Iranian regime. Here’s the short version. The White House wants everyone to know that there’s more to the sanctions’ impact than meets the…



Iran – Barack Obama – Middle East – Tehran – Politics of Iran

Greenspan, Rubin, and Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover’s disciples are making noises even as America moves closer towards a double dip recession Fed Chair Alan Greenspan tells the New York Times all the Bush tax cuts should expire as scheduled, even those that benefit the…


Herbert Hoover – New York Times – Alan Greenspan – Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 – United States

White supremacist seeks election to a California school board.

Joining other neo-Nazis who are attempting to go mainstream, retired school teacher and self-professed white supremacist Dan Schruender is seeking election to the Rialto Unified School Board in San Bernardino County, California. While announcing his campaign last Tuesday on his Aryan Nations blog, Schruender claimed that he “would not let his ideology affect his policy-making if he were elected to a district” of more than 27,500 students that is 75 percent Latino and 15 percent African-American. Schruender has previously admitted to dropping “racist fliers” around the neighborhood:

In April, Schruender, who at the time identified himself as Dan Collins, said he delivers racist fliers to Rialto neighborhoods to let people know that the white race is not “going to go out with a whimper.”

Some of the fliers invited residents to honor Adolf Hitler’s birthday. Others used racial epithets to describe blacks and Latinos while saying “happy Easter to all you … from your friends at the Aryan Nations.”

Schruender insists that the Aryan Nations group is not behind his candidacy, blaming any controversy over his candidacy on the “hatchet job” of “the Jew Media.” That post along with his other recent blog posts, including ones titled “WHITE children being DEPORTED – despite being BORN on US soil” and “Smurfs: Aryan Puppets or Harmless Cartoon Toys,” suggest a continued commitment to white supremacy efforts. His opponent, John Kazalunas, bluntly reminded voters of the need to scrutinize the candidates, adding “if anybody votes for [Schruender], they’re crazy.”