Charles De Gaulles Great Speech Of June 18,1940

post from Texas Liberal on 17 June 2012 08:26:19 PM. © Texas Liberal

June 18, 1940 is the day that General Charles De Gaulle made the speech on the BBC from London that began French resistance to Nazi occupation. It was a great speech that is still recalled in France and in all places where the great events of World War II are remembered. (Above–De Gaulle speaking on the BBC during [...]

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Take the Anti-Corruption Pledge

post from The Politics of Jamie Sanderson on 17 June 2012 08:01:03 PM. © The Politics of Jamie Sanderson

The Anti-Corruption Pledge from Rootstrikers on Vimeo.

Rootstrikers want to end the corrupting influence of money in politics. By taking the pledge, you join the fight and specify exactly what you are ready to fight for?what does a clean election system look like to you?

We built this tool so that you can take the lead to establish what political accountability means to you. When you take the pledge, you'll get a badge that shows exactly what reforms you believe are required. With that badge comes our only ask: share your beliefs with others so that we have more leaders in this fight.

The Anti-Corruption Pledge

Hold South Carolina Lawmakers Accountable. Ask them to take the Pledge.

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What Even Woodward and Bernstein Cant Say Out
Loud: Nixon Wrecked the Paris Peace Talks

post from Firedoglake on 17 June 2012 08:00:22 PM. © Firedoglake

The recent retraversal by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of their Watergate reportage is a welcome, albeit flawed, corrective to the decades of efforts by Nixon and his cheerleaders to rewrite history.[...]

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Sally Quinn's sad eulogy for the pundit class

post from Daily Kos on 17 June 2012 08:00:05 PM. © Daily Kos

Empty martini glass. Sally Quinn's cocktail glass is all empty.Last Sunday afternoon, I found myself in Providence, Rhode Island. It had been a spectacular Netroots Nation, and I had planned my return flight to Los Angeles for later in the afternoon so as to allow myself a more extended visit to the city. As I livetweeted my adventures, I got a tweet from my friend and fellow Angeleno Dave Dayen of the FDL News Desk. He happened to have just about the same itinerary, and by happy coincidence, was in the same area. So what had just been Ilissa and me winding down the weekend became a party of three.

If you're looking to know the latest about the world of political media, there are few better people to talk to than Dayen, especially if you're the type who seeks a dose of stiletto-sharp sarcasm appropriately directed at what I like to call the "high broderists" in the DC punditocracy. And there was a lot to talk about, because last Sunday had brought forth a goldmine from the pen of Sally Quinn at the Washington Post. Now, before we proceed further, this column absolutely has to be read in its entirety. Normally, I would consider quoting the most relevant sections as a starting point for further exposition. But in the case of this piece by Quinn, such a technique would result in a wholesale violation of the Post's copyright: the whole thing is an increasingly deteriorating trainwreck of self-pity, bizarre value judgments and misplaced priorities. In short, the key concerns that make District-based punditocracy one of the worst hindrances to any hopes of resolving our seemingly permanent political crises.

After Dayen showed me the article in a Providence Panera, my first reaction was one of incredulity. I am not intimately familiar with who is who in political pundrity, and it took several layers of reinforcement for me to be convinced that the entire piece was not a piece of satire worthy of The Onion's reporting about that Planned Parenthood abortion-plex. No, Quinn is being genuine. And her sincerity here is honestly more frightening than most things Fox News puts out on a daily basis.

The central thesis of Quinn's argument, if such folly could be worthy of term, is that money has replaced power in Washington, DC. To many, this idea seems confusing: money is power, has been power, and will continue to be power. This applies to most fields, but politics especially: anyone who has ever supported a grassroots campaign against a money-laden incumbent or sought to take on the banks to get reform passed knows this correlation to a tee. And failing that, power means being in a position to be influenced by money: if you get to cast the vote or issue the executive order, then you're also the one with the power.

But that's not how Quinn defines power. According to Quinn, power only consists of the power she's familiar with: bending the ears of the powerful at a party over a cocktail weenie. The moneyed interests, Quinn laments, could always influence things with a campaign contribution. But she could match that influence by hosting a nice gathering in the District's social scene and on a fortunate night, have a conversation with a high-up official about a relevant topic of interest. But as the importance of money waxes, especially in the wake of Citizens United, nobody has time for the social scene any more. Heck, the Obamas don't even go out on the town any more unless it's a fundraiser, and maybe that's why his popularity is going down with the media figures in the district!

Quinn's complaint about her lack of relevance and her reminiscing about her glory days have the contemptible attitude of a middle-aged man desperately trying to relive his glory days as a high-school quarterback. The excitement and nostalgia she seems to feel as she reminisces about the excitement of never knowing whom you might encounter at a party on the circuit is strange as it is; but it is rendered descipable when put into the context of the system whose disappearance she bemoans.

Quinn may have finally joined the ranks of those who have realized what a disaster Citizens United portends, but unlike those who are concerned with having an actual functioning democracy, Quinn's motivations are far more selfish: democracy may not matter to Quinn, but the supremacy of the SuperPAC means an erosion of government by socialites and pundits?as if somehow, having our country's decisions dictated by the random encounters of Quinn and her socialite circle are somehow better than moneyed interests simply buying their desires at a more predictable pace.

Don't get me wrong: I welcome any advocacy Quinn is willing to do to advance the cause of severing the relationship between money and political power. But the fact that it took the declining influence of the cocktail weenie to achieve that result is simply disheartening.

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Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Arrests 6-Year-Old
Undocumented Immigrant

post from ThinkProgress on 17 June 2012 08:00:05 PM. © ThinkProgress

Joe Arpaio, the controversial Arizona Sheriff from Maricaopa County, arrested a 6-year-old undocumented immigrant on Friday. The move came the same day President Obama announced a new policy halting deportations for young undocumented immigrants.

The Arizona Republic has the story:

The girl was with 15 other people believed to be in the country illegally who were traveling to the Midwest and northeast United States, said Chris Hegstrom, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office…
The arrest took place Friday night at an undisclosed location in northern Maricopa County…
The sheriff said his deputies arresting child suspected of being an illegal immigrant the same day Obama implemented the policy is a coincidence. But if more illegal children enter the country after hearing about the new policy, Arpaio said it may not be by happenstance.
“Are we going to get more of these situations where illegals feel like now they’re going to be safe? I don’t know,” he said.

Immediately following the President’s announcement Arpaio told a local ABC affiliate that it would not impact his approach toward young undocumented immigrants. “They will still be arrested,” he said.

Arpaio is currently being sued by the Department of Justice for mulitple civil rights violations. He also admitted to using taxpayer resources to pursue an investigation into President Obama’s birth certificate, a widely debunked conspiracy theory.

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Chris Wallace Uses 'Illegals' Slur to Describe
Young Immigrants

post from Crooks and Liars on 17 June 2012 08:00:04 PM. © Crooks and Liars

Chris Wallace Uses 'Illegals' Slur to Describe Young Immigrants

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Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday referred to young undocumented immigrants with the word "illegals," a term that many consider to be a slur.

"The president announced a new immigration policy this week to stop deporting illegals who have been brought into this country as children and and who have good records, no criminal records, law abiding," Wallace told White House adviser David Plouffe. "What's changed from last year other than the fact that the president now needs Hispanic voters to get re-elected?"

"Nothing's changed," Plouffe insisted. "The president can't change the law on his own. This is not a permanent fix. This was prosecutorial discretion announced by the Department of Homeland Security, not a change in the law."

"There's one way to fix this permanently -- only one way -- and that's for Congress to pass the DREAM Act, which is something that, unfortunately, Gov. Romney said he would veto if he becomes president," he added. "Gov. Romney essentially said the 11 million people here should just go home, they ought to self deport. So, this is someone you're not going to be able to trust."

"President Romney -- if he's elected -- is not going to fix our immigration system."

In a online video produced for the Drop the I-Word campaign, Baruch College Professor Robert Smith explained why the word is so dangerous in political discourse: ??Illegal? functions like a racial epithet. It?s a way of legitimizing violence against a particular group of people because of what they are. That the definition of a hate crime.?

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Dept. of Irony: Team USA, Sponsored by BP

post from TheGreenMiles.com on 17 June 2012 07:22:00 PM. © TheGreenMiles.com

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Teams receive no federal funding. I understand they need to raise money and can't be too choosy about the sources.

But ... the 2012 and 2016 U.S. teams are sponsored by BP? Really?

BP is already deploying team members to the Gulf Coast on public relations trips.

As Karen Dalton Beninato tweeted, "Hence this year's 50 Yard Oil Slide."

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Center-Right New Democracy Wins in Greece, But
May Have Trouble Forming Government

With 71% of the vote in, the center-right New Democracy Party has a small but sustainable lead in the Greek Parliamentary elections. They hold 30.1% of the vote to 26.5% for the left-wing Syriza party. Pasok, the center-left party, holds third with[...]

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This Week: In Memoriam

In Memoriam for June 17, 2012

Click here to view this media (h/t David at VideoCafe)

This Week with George Stephanopoulos notes the deaths of service members in Afghanistan:

US Army PFC Nathan Tyler Davis, 20, Yucaipa, CA
US Army SPC Bryant J Luxmore, 25, New Windsor, IL
US Marines Cpl Taylor J Baune, 21, Andover, MN
US Army SFC Barett W McNabb, 33, Chino Valley, AZ

The Pentagon lists Cpl. Baune as officially the 2000th American serviceperson to be killed in Afghanistan. According to iCasualties, the total number of allied service members killed in Afghanistan is now 3,049.

In addition, the following notable names lost their lives this week: Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, television and film writer Judy Freudberg, actress Ann Rutherford, former Congressman Norman F. Lent, Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrum, "Goodfellas" inspiration Henry Hill, football player Jesse Powell and Los Angeles police brutality victim Rodney King.

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http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/week-memoriam-148

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Today on The Stars Hollow Gazette

Our regular featured content-On This Day In History June 17 by TheMomCatThese featured articles-Slave Food by ek hornbeckElections Egypt, France and Greece by TheMomCatour weekly features-My Little Town 20120613: Fireworks by TranslatorSix In The[...]

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