The Hollywood Liberal

Virginia Delegate: Gay Troops Will Undermine Our Alliances With Muslim Nations

After Congress repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall (R) introduced legislation to prevent gay people from serving in Virginia National Guard. On Wednesday, Marshall added to his claims that gay people undermine military readiness and unit cohesion by arguing that gay soldiers would harm America’s ability to fight “beside Muslim troops”:

MARSHALL: There is about 200 militaries in the world, roughly 27 of them allow open homosexuals to serve, most of them are in Western Europe. These are the results of court decisions, not military decisions. The two biggest ones with voluntary militaries, Pakistan does not allow open homosexuals. China, which has conscription does not do it, India does not allow it. Russia does not do it. So we’re pushing the envelope here and we’re going to jeopardize our alliances, I think, when we fight beside Muslim troops who have a real hard time, you know, dealing with this kind of behavior.

Watch it:

Significantly, gay troops have not undermined the alliances of the nations that do allow open service. In fact, those countries have not reported any disruption or reduced military capacity, despite initially sharing some of Marshall’s anxieties about implementing the change.

Marshall’s proposal stands little chance of being enacted and has been condemned by Virginia’s conservative governor Bob McDonnell. “The governor is a retired United States Army officer, and he knows it is critically important that there be one set of rules for all our men and women in the military, since uniformity of major policy across all branches is essential to effective operations,” McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin told the Washington Post. “We are not aware of a single instance in recent history where the Virginia National Guard has not complied with the policies and procedures of the Department of Defense. Furthermore, approximately 90 percent of the Virginia Guard’s funding is federal, and any departure from federal policies may put this funding at risk.”

Delegate Joseph Morrissey (D) has also proposed a counter bill that would “codify in state law that the Virginia National Guard is subject to the same eligibility requirements as the U.S. military.”

Cross-posted on The Wonk Room.

Obama Ridicules Conservative Disinformation On Health Reform: ?Granny Is Safe!?

The conservative campaign against President Obama’s health care reform law has been built around baseless distortions and fabrications about the policy, such as its mythical “death panels” that would “pull the plug on grandma,” the false claim that the law is “job killing,” and the equally false claim that the law will “explode the deficit.” President Obama has largely avoided taking on this disinformation directly, but in a speech today sponsored by the pro-reform Families USA, the president lambasted these conservative falsehoods, saying the fear mongering “just doesn’t match up to reality.” And noting that conservatives tried to claim the law is “granny-threatening,” Obama joked, “I can report that granny is safe!”:

OBAMA: Now as important as what is happening right now, is what isn’t happening right now. You may have heard once or twice that this is a job-crushing, granny-threatening, budget-busting monstrosity. That’s how it’s been portrayed by opponents. But that just doesn’t match up toreality. […]

And I can report that granny is safe! In fact, grandma’s Medicare is stronger than ever. And if she was one of the millions who fell into the donut hole last year, she’ll received a $250 check, or soon will, to help her afford her medicine, and a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs, as part of the affordable care act.

Watch it:

Conservatives are forced to resort to deception on health care because Americans overwhelming don’t want the Affordable Care Act repealed and favor most of its components. Meanwhile, Republicans have no clear plan to address health care on their own, should their doomed repeal bid actually succeed.

Bristol Palin won’t appear on Mo. abstinence panel
ST. LOUIS — Washington University in St. Louis says Bristol Palin won’t be speaking there next month after all.

GOP senator favors cutting US aid to Israel
WASHINGTON — Tea party-backed Republican Sen. Rand Paul favors cutting U.S. aid to Israel as part of a deficit-driven effort to slash government spending by $500 billion this year, drawing criticism from Democrats and Republicans who argue the U.S. must be unwavering in its support for the longtime…

The Fix: A bipartisan comeback . . . and its prognosis
President Obama isn’t the only one getting a boost in his image.

Obama Reframes His Leadership
Ronald Brownstein, National Journal
Questions? Call us at 800-207-8001Real-time news and analysis.Stay connected with daily alerts.”Political Connections” focuses on the intersection of politics and policy.

Obama Fundraisers Work to Win Back Big 2012 Donors

Hitler vs. Stalin: Who Was Worse?
Timothy Snyder, NY Review of Books
As we recall the Red Army’s liberation of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945, sixty-six years ago today, we might ask: who was worse, Hitler or Stalin?In the second half of the twentieth century, Americans were taught to see both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union as the greatest of evils. Hitler was worse, because his regime propagated the unprecedented horror of the Holocaust, the attempt to eradicate an entire people on racial grounds. Yet Stalin was also worse, because his regime killed far, far more people—tens of millions, it was often claimed—in the…

Freedom now smells like tear gas, feels like rubber bullets
Egypt goes dark, but for most of it’s people it already is.

Always good to see the United States on the side of freedom and change. Nearly 30 years of rule by “emergency decree” and grooming your son to replace you does seem pretty democratic, if by democratic you mean Feudal.

The Obama Administration sure sounds a lot like the Carter Administration, right Joe Biden?

I wouldn’t refer to him as a dictator

Of course not, he’s our “friend”, just because he meets the definition, its no reason to go around truthfully labeling people.

Thankfully for Mubarak, like any leader of a “free” country, he can shut down the internet, have the country go dark and do really democratic stuff like this:

On Wednesday, the interior ministry declared all demonstrations illegal and the police moved in quickly to break up any gatherings

But all that well-spent American aid the last thirty plus years has really paid dividends for the people of Egypt.

The vast majority of Egyptians are too busy scratching a living to join the protests. There is widespread anger and disillusionment with the government, but there are probably not more than a few thousand people actively expressing their anger. That will give some reassurance to the government.

So, mission still possibly accomplished.

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Late, Late Night FDL: F**kin’ Perfect
P!nk – F**kin’ Perfect

P!nk – F**kin’ Perfect

While the cat’s away the mice shall play…!

What’s on your mind tonite…?

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Early Morning Swim

• Tear gas and rubber bullets in Egypt.
• But no Internet.
• Krugman: their own private Europe.
• Meet the new Press Secretary.
• Chuck, fighting the good fight.
• Wait until AIPAC hears about this.

• Tear gas and rubber bullets in Egypt.
• But no Internet.
• Krugman: their own private Europe.
• Meet the new Press Secretary.
• Chuck, fighting the good fight.
• Wait until AIPAC hears about this.

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The Real Deal
Andrew Foster Altschul’s “Deus Ex Machina,” set amid a TV show that looks like the love child of “Survivor” and “Lost,” explores reality in several senses of the word. Here’s an excerpt from the novel, which will be published next week.

Andrew Foster Altschul’s “Deus Ex Machina,” set amid a TV show that looks like the love child of “Survivor” and “Lost,” explores reality in several senses of the word. Here’s an excerpt from the novel, which will be published next week.

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Broken Record: Fox Still Falsely Claiming That Snow Disproves Global Warming

During their recent coverage of winter storms, Fox News has repeatedly mocked former Vice President Al Gore and cited the cold and snowy weather to attempt to discredit global warming. Fox News and other right-wing media routinely use snow to cast doubt on global warming, and internal emails from Fox News’ Washington bureau show that in the past Fox employees have been instructed to question climate science.

Fox Uses Latest Snowstorm To Mock Gore, Climate Science

Doocy Asks: “I Wonder Where Al Gore Is This Morning?” On the January 27 broadcast of Fox & Friends, host Steve Doocy reported from outside of Fox News’ studios to show viewers how much snow fell in New York City during the previous evening’s storm. During the segment, he asked, “I wonder where Al Gore is this morning?” He then added: “That global warming is really taking its toll. Isn’t it?” [Fox News’ Fox & Friends, 1/27/11] 

Fox Chyron: “What Global Warming?” During one segment about the recent snowstorm, Fox & Friends aired an on-screen graphic that read, “What Global Warming?” [Fox & Friends, 1/20/11]

NASA: 2010 Hottest Year On Record. In December 2010, the Washington Post’s Post Carbon blog reported that NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies had released data showing that 2010 was the hottest climate year on record. [Washington Post, 12/10/10]

2000-2009 Warmest Decade On Record. In January, major meteorological organizations throughout the world — including NASA — released reports showing that the past decade, 2000-2009, was the warmest on record. The reports undermine the right-wing media’s numerous claims that recent snow and cold weather show climate change does not exist or has slowed over the past 10 years. [Media Matters, 1/25/10]

Fox’s Sammon Ordered Reporters To Cast Doubt On Climate Science

Fox Boss Ordered Staff To Cast Doubt On Climate Science. In the midst of global climate change talks in Copenhagen in December 2009, Fox News’ Washington Managing Editor Bill Sammon sent an email to Fox staff questioning the “veracity of climate change data” and ordering the network’s journalists to “refrain from asserting that the planet has warmed (or cooled) in any given period without IMMEDIATELY pointing out that such theories are based upon data that critics have called into question.” [Media Matters, 12/15/10]

Indeed, Fox Recently Tried And Failed To Debunk Fact That Global Temperatures Have Increased In Recent Decades. In an article titled, “Five Reasons the Planet May Not Be Its Hottest Ever,” FoxNews.com sought to debunk the fact that global temperatures have increased over the past 30 years, as well as the notion that human activity has contributed to the warming. But in compiling a handful of contrarian arguments, Fox largely ignored climate science and botched basic facts; even one of the skeptics Fox cited said part of the article “does not make sense.” [Media Matters, 1/25/11, 1/14/11]

Fox Nation Falsely Suggests January Snow Disproves Global Warming. On January 11, Fox Nation linked to a story about high amounts of snow in the U.S. with the headline, “Someone Tell Gore it’s Snowing in 49 States Today, Including Hawaii.” [Fox Nation, 1/11/11]

Right-Wing Media Cite December 2010 Snowstorm To Mock Global Warming. Glenn Beck, Fox Nation, and right-wing blogger Jim Hoft all used the December 2010 snowstorm and the collapse of the roof of Minnesota Vikings’ football stadium to mock Gore and claim that global warming isn’t happening. [Media Matters, 12/13/11]

Wash Times Uses Cold Weather In December To Call Global Warming A “Hoax.” In a December 13 editorial, The Washington Times cited recent snow and cold temperatures to call global warming a “hoax.” [The Washington Times 12/13/10]

Right-wing Media Use DC Snowstorms To Attack Gore And Climate Science. Following a February 2010 snowstorm in Washington, DC, right-wing media across the board mocked Al Gore and tried to attack climate science by pointing to the snowfall. Fox Nation and Fox News personalities Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Gretchen Carlson, Steve Doocy, Stuart Varney, and Eric Bolling all used the DC snowstorm to attack Gore or the science supporting global warming, as did Rush Limbaugh and The Washington Times. The New York Post used the snowstorm to suggest that Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) was correct in saying that the snow “must be a sign from God” about the existence of global warming. [Media Matters, 2/10/10]

Ethics Committee: Wall Street Fundraisers Weren’t As Bad As DeLay
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Allen Stanford’s Case Highlights Prison Violence
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1816 Flashback?
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The huge ever rapid shift rightward makes Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon look like lefty radicals today.

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