In Other News ...

post from Talking Points Memo on 10 June 2009 05:31:00 PM. © Talking Points Memo

Minnesota election court orders Norm Coleman to pay Franken almost $100,000. [...]

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Diageo Hotline: "High Public Support & A Sense of
Urgency for Health Care Reform"

post from Daily Kos on 10 June 2009 05:30:06 PM. © Daily Kos

The general public's desire for health reform is highlighted by this new Diageo Hotline poll, but as we have been saying for years, cost outranks access as a public concern. MoE 3.5%

High Public Support & A Sense of Urgency for Health Care Reform

The Diageo/Hotline Poll finds that 62% of voters support "the President enacting a major overhaul of the U.S. health care system," with 38% of voters strongly supporting a major overhaul.

For the most part, support for major reform is strong across the board, though there are differences in support based on partisan affiliation, age, and income levels.

Specifically, one-third (35%) of Republican voters, 64% of Independent voters, and 87% of Democratic voters support a major overhaul of health care.

So, the desire for reform breaks along usual partisan lines, with independents looking a bit more like Dems in terms of recognizing need for reform. Also, this varies by age, with seniors supporting reform but not likin' change as much as their grandkids.

"President Obama and the Democrats start with strong public support for their desire to make major changes to health care in this country," commented Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of The Hotline. "Even so, those who are likely to be the happiest with the status quo - or at least most worried about change (those over 65 and those in the upper income bracket) - are probably the first to abandon reform once the details are revealed."

The Poll also finds supporters of health care reform bring a sense of urgency to the issue: among those who do support a major overhaul, the vast majority (94%) says that it is "important" for "Congress and the President to pass health care legislation this year."

What is vastly important, though is focusing in on what's important to voters: cost, cost, cost and cost. And access. Did I mention cost?

The Poll finds that, despite broad agreement on the need for health care legislation, there is some division over which aspect of reform should be more of a priority. In other words, voters (49%) say that "controlling the cost of health care" should be a bigger focus than "expanding coverage for Americans without health insurance" (35%).

And that, too, is partisan. And in this case, indies side with Republicans. Asked about what the greater focus should be:

But sometimes the partisan divide can be bridged!! Specifically:

Taxing Benefits to Pay for Health Care Reform Is a "Non-Starter"
While public support for health care reform is strong, when it comes to paying for health care reform, voters are decidedly against the idea of taxing health benefits. Specifically, only 26% support taxing health benefits, while 68% of voters oppose, with 51% strongly opposing taxing benefits.

The Poll finds opposition to taxing benefits spans the partisan divide. Specifically, taxing health benefits is opposed by 79% of Republicans, 73% of Independents, and 51% of Democrats.

There are readings as well on Obama's standings with the public (65% approval) and right/ wrong track (right now higher than wrong 45-43), but health care is the main topic of interest. Note that even the folks least likely to support change (higher income, seniors) still do so.

Republicans remain the Party of No (no ideas, no support, no don't (fill in blank).) At the same time, cost is important and outranks access as a public concern. Discussions about cost are therefore highly appropriate and address the public interest.

The urgency and support for the public is there for change, bipartisan or no, but what kind of change remains to be defined. That's an unfinished job, more for The Hill than for the polls.

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Were two terrorists aboard doomed Air France jet

post from AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth on 10 June 2009 05:30:00 PM. © AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth

Possibly just a coincidence, but a weird one if true.

[T]wo names on the passenger list are also on highly-classified documents listing the names of radical Muslims considered a threat to the French Republic.

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Shooting at National Holocaust Museum (Update)

post from Where's the Outrage? on 10 June 2009 05:27:26 PM. © Where's the Outrage?

I have no idea what this gunman’s (James W. von Brunn) problem was, but he was on the radar[...]

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Shooting at National Holocaust Museum

post from Where's the Outrage? on 10 June 2009 05:27:26 PM. © Where's the Outrage?

I have no idea what this gunman’s (James W. von Brunn) problem was but he was on the radar of[...]

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BuzzFlash Mailbag for June 10, 2009

post from BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash on 10 June 2009 05:26:06 PM. © BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash

BUZZFLASH MAILBAG

Want to join the conversation? Share your thoughts with other Mailbag readers by clicking here. You also may comment below; post articles yourself at BuzzFlash.net; or send urls for BuzzFlash to post to: www.buzzflash.com/contact/newstip.html.

Subject: Holocaust Museum Murder

Yet another right-wing wacked-out Christofascist white supremacist goes off the deep end -- and commits domestic acts of terrorism. So much for that Homeland Security Report requested by the BUSH Administration warning of terrorist threats from the right wing.

Being on my usual rip of calling Congressional Committees lately, this time I turned my efforts to the Homeland Security Committee. Unfortunately, the pseudo-Democrat is the head of the Committee (I do mean LIEberman).

Talked to a female and said I would not even regard talking to Lieberman because as far as I am concerned he is useless. Asked when those of us Red, White, and Blue Americans who are not of any particular political persuasion but who are TAXPAYERS and possibly VETERANS could stop worrying about homegrown right-wing wacked out domestic terrorists. I then referenced the white supremacist who was responsible for the deaths at the Holocaust Museum. She proceeded to remind, "Well you know Senator Lieberman is Jewish."

My response was "So what?" and proceeded to school her that the the Jewish people were NOT the ONLY victims of the Nazis. I told her that she was guilty of the same mindset as a a lot of other people in thinking it was only Jews who were victims of the Nazis.

I told her that black Germans, trade unionists, the physically and mentally handcapped and homosexuals were also persecuted and subjected to the "final solution" of the Nazis.

Check out history. There were approximately 9 million people exterminated by the Nazis. About 6 million were Jewish, but approximately 3 million were others, including the indigenous people also known as Gypsies.

To me, this is just as egregious as equating "anti-Semitic" with only meaning "anti-Jewish." There is a VAST difference between being anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic. Semites are a tribe of people, not just Jewish people.

I am only trying to point out that the Holocaust was not just a Jewish issue, but an issue that had much broader applications that could put many more of us at risk if we are believed to be "not proper" according to whomever.

We need to be concerned with EXTREMISM of ANY KIND due to ANY REASON -- be it color, sex, ethnicity, or sexual preference.

Lisa Johnson
Tacoma, WA

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Some Remodeling Suggestions For Operation Rescue

post from The Liberal Doomsayer on 10 June 2009 05:24:00 PM. © The Liberal Doomsayer

This story tells us the following?

TOPEKA, Kan. ? The group that tried for years to put slain abortion provider Dr. George Tiller out of business is interested in buying his now-closed clinic in Wichita, its president said, but an attorney for the doctor rejected the idea as a publicity stunt.

Operation Rescue president Troy Newman said that his group has discussed the idea of buying the tan, windowless clinic in east Wichita. He made the comment after the Tiller family announced Tuesday that the clinic would be closed permanently.

"I would love to make an offer on that abortion clinic, and that's some of the discussion that we're having," Newman said in a telephone interview Tuesday from his group's headquarters in Wichita.

Here are some suggestions that I believe Newman should pursue after he purchases what was formerly the clinic on behalf of Operation Rescue (and despite what Tiller family attorney Dan Monnat said in the story ? and based on this also ? I believe this is a lot more than a publicity stunt by Newman; it sounds like he has the means to actually do it, a pathetic commentary I know)?

Create a separate viewing area to watch Bill O?Reilly and his fellow miscreants at Fix Noise as they implore that such-and-such a doctor or nurse is a ?baby killer? and accuses them of tactics used by Nazi Germany (or whatever the most popular type of defamation is at the moment).

Provide a shooting range (or, at the very least, a video game simulating this activity) that would properly train Newman?s supporters if they attempted to shoot a medical provider in that person?s house of worship so as not to accidentally kill other congregants in the process (yes, I know we?re referencing a legal matter in which Newman and his group claims innocence).

Stock something along the lines of a kindergarten playroom full of crayons and water color paints so all of Newman?s followers have all they need to make scary looking posters with all-capitalized letters saying ?KILLER,? ?ABORTION? and ?MURDER? (maybe some of those more artistically inclined could conjure up images of dead babies).

Set aside a workspace full of PCs with Internet access so anyone who chooses to do so can send angry Emails and leave nasty blog comments to web sites that give sympathetic treatment to a woman?s right to choose (which, despite all of this, still remains the law of the land, let?s not forget).

I mean, hey, if you?re going to be a dangerous, hateful demagogue, then you should be given the ?tools to succeed,? right?

(I?m officially removing my tongue from my cheek now - and by the way, what Digby sez here.)

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http://liberaldoomsayer.blogspot.com/2009/06/some-remodeling-suggestions-for.html

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Beck and OReilly Admit They Cant Prove Anything
on ACORNbut Theyre Still Tryin

On Thursday, June 4, 2009, Glenn Beck devoted his entire show to attacking ACORN with what seemed to be reruns of past segments. But ? lo and behold! ? the show also included Beck’s get-together with BFF Bill O’Reilly from May 28 in which they seemed to finally be admitting that their evidence of any [...]

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Karbala Council Preparing to Oust Police Chief

Sources in the southern province of Karbala have told Slogger of rumors in the city that some members of the Karbala Provincial Council intend to dismiss the provincial police commander in order to bring back the former police commander.

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Fox News’ Shep Smith: DHS Report Was A
‘Warning To Us All,’ But ‘The Right Went Absolutely Bonkers’

This afternoon, a gunman — reportedly white supremacist James von Brunn — shot and killed a security guard at the Holocaust Museum in Washington. Discussing the shooting, Fox News’ Shepard Smith reminded the audience that when the Department of Homeland Security released a report warning of violent, right-wing extremists earlier this year, “the right went absolutely bonkers!” He called the report a “warning to us all,” and said DHS was “warning us for a reason.” Watch it:

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Southern Povery Law Center’s Heidi Beirich told Smith that the shooting is a reminder of the real danger extremists and “crazies” pose to the U.S.:

SMITH: There’s these crazies out there. And we know it’s absolutely — there is no truth whatsoever — zero to any of those ideas. Yet, they live within the computer and they fester within people’s minds.
BEIRICH: Shepherd, you’re hitting the nail on the head. We’re extremely concerned about these kinds of crazed conspiracies, whether they’re about the President, or the fact — we’re hearing things like FEMA setting up camps to round up Americans and put them in. I’m getting bad sort of deja vu from the 1990s, when anti-government militias were on the rise, when Tim McVeigh committed that violence in Oklahoma City. I’m really hoping we’re not going through a repeat of that.

Watch it:
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