Scarborough and Halperin Accuse Obama of Using
'Medi-Scare' to Frighten Seniors

post from Crooks and Liars on 20 July 2012 10:00:19 PM. © Crooks and Liars

Scarborough and Halperin Accuse Obama of Using 'Medi-Scare' to Frighten Seniors

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This Friday morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough and regular Mark Halperin decided to go after President Obama for what he said on a campaign stop in Florida this week, where he talked to voters about Mitt Romney's plans to turn Medicare into a voucher system and balance the budget off of the backs of seniors rather than asking the rich to pay more in taxes.

They both tried to paint the President as unfairly attacking Romney and for not differentiating between those who are on the program today and those who would be affected by the changes. Then Halperin admits that Paul Ryan's plan, which Romney has endorsed, is indeed radical and that there very well could be changes to current seniors' benefits. Halperin also thinks Republicans deserve some credit for "at least trying more new ideas" and that Democrats had better get on board to "save" these programs. Sorry Mark, but eliminating and privatizing them is not "saving" any of our social safety nets, it's gutting and getting rid of them. And it's not "new" since Republicans have been trying to get rid of the New Deal programs since the day any of them were enacted.

It is enough to make someone's head spin watching these two attempt to play the false equivalency game here and pretend "both sides" are equally at fault on the here and that anything the President said is unfounded. As Halperin admits, Republicans do want to fundamentally change Medicare and I don't think any current seniors want to see those benefits cut for their children. And I don't believe President Obama is out there misrepresenting what the Republicans would like to do. He told voters Romney and the Republicans would like to turn Medicare into a voucher program and they don't want to raise taxes on millionaires. Those things are true. Republicans have already talked continually about how it would not affect current seniors when Paul Ryan first proposed his budget, and it didn't make their ideas any less popular.

Rough transcript below the fold.

SCARBOROUGH: This line of attack is straight out of Bill Clinton's '95 and '96 Medi-scare attacks, saying that Republicans want to cut Medicare to pay for tax cuts for the rich and he's using it in Florida. Will it work?
HALPERIN: Let me be clear, my own position is I'm against waste and fraud, but I don't mind abuse. Look, this is stunning to me that we have two of the most serious people I've ever covered as general election presidential candidates and both of them are engaging in this stuff on a range of issues. No one wants to change the program for current retirees. The President's not really making that clear to Florida seniors right now.
And the Republicans are right that the President and his party need a plan to save these programs. Republicans are at least trying more new ideas to save the programs for future generations, but there is also some truth to what the President said. Which is Republicans, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, do fundamentally want to change the plan.
But there's no doubt going forward in advertising and the President's own rhetoric, the President is going to be engaged in the kind of tactics Democrats have used before quite effectively and blurring the issues, suggesting current seniors, who benefit from Medicare will have the program fundamentally changed for them. There may well be some changes for current retirees, but what the President's conflating is the plan to change it down the road vs. what people who are currently beneficiaries get.
I think it's worked in the past. I think there's a good chance to work again because the Ryan plan is pretty radical in its change, meaning there's fundamental changes associated with it. I think Gov. Romney is going to have to join this debate. He can't sit back as a matter of policy and he's going to have to have the courage of his convictions. If he's for the Ryan plan, he needs to start educating the public about what the changes would mean.
SCARBOROUGH: This stuff always works. I mean, it always works.

And as is standard fare for these shows, more dire warnings about the fiscal cliff and how the working class had better get prepared for more austerity and pain ensued, because we all know, tough medicine on how to balance our budget must always be taken by the working class and the poor.

Read The Full Article:
http://crooksandliars.com/heather/scarborough-and-halperin-accuse-obama-usin

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Aurora Police Audio Transmissions; Shooting
Suspect Purchased 6,000 Rounds Of Ammunition Online

post from Crooks and Liars on 20 July 2012 09:27:02 PM. © Crooks and Liars

Police radio transmissions from Aurora, Colorado, depict the shooting tragedy as it unfolded early Friday morning. The audio is used under a creative common license from Radioreference.com

The following are some of the transmissions, and I caution you that the audio is very disturbing to hear, if you choose to listen, there are graphic descriptions of the scene inside the theater. The dispatcher who handled these calls deserves some sort of award for keeping it together, as do the rescue workers.

"They're saying somebody's shooting in the auditorium."

"They're saying there's just hundreds of people running around."

"Somebody's spraying gas in there, too."

"Need more officers inside theater nine."

"We got another person outside shot in the leg, a female. I got people running out of the theater ..."

"We need gas masks."

"I'm being told that he's in theater nine."

"Get out some damn gas masks for theater nine. We can't get in it."

"I need at least three or four ambulances brought in here."

"We need rescue inside the auditorium. Multiple victims."

"Notify all the hospitals. We have people coming in."

"Everybody inside: realize that behind the screens, those are open ... so you need to check behind those screens also."

The Victims

Ten people were killed inside the Aurora theater while two others died at area hospitals. By Friday night, the bodies were removed from the theater and authorities started "the agonizing process" of notifying families, according to Police Chief Dan Oates.

The youngest of the injured, a 4-month-old boy, was treated and released from a hospital, the child's mother said.

As of Friday, 30 people remained hospitalized, 11 of them in critical condition, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said.

The wounded were being treated at five medical centers. Hospitals gave these accounts Friday afternoon:

-- University of Colorado Hospital had 23 patients, nine remaining in critical condition. Ten patients were treated and released.

-- Denver Health Medical Center received six patients. Three remained in fair condition and three were released. A patient was transported to the hospital later and was in fair condition.

-- Children's Hospital Colorado said it had six injured, ranging from critical to good condition. One patient had passed away.

-- Swedish Medical Center had three patients in fair condition. A 19-year-old man was treated and released.

-- Parker Adventist Hospital treated and released two patients.

Friday evening, the names of only two people who were killed were confirmed by CBS4. One was a male named Alex Sullivan, 27, of Aurora, and another was a Metro State University of Denver named Jessica Ghawi.

The U.S. Department of Defense says three members of the U.S. Armed Forces were wounded in a movie theater shooting in Colorado and one is unaccounted for.

The agency says a Navy sailor was injured and a male sailor who was at the theater early Friday morning cannot be located. The sailors are part of a Navy Cyber Command unit at Buckley Air Force base in Aurora.

Two Air Force airmen based at Buckley were also wounded, but their specific unit hasn?t been released.

The names of the deceased are expected to be released after their families have been officially notified by authorities.

Classmates: Holmes Was a ?Loner?

Students at the University of Colorado Denver?s campus in Aurora are describing accused killer James Holmes as ?quiet? and ?a loner.? Holmes, a Ph.D. student who was studying neuroscience, is suspected of killing 12 and injuring dozens more at a screening of the latest Batman installment, The Dark Knight Rises. His high-school lab partner told reporters he was ?a smart kid,? adding, ?I never figured he'd do anything like this.? Neighbors in his university-managed building described him as unfriendly and quiet.

Police to Detonate Holmes? Bombs

The apartment of James Holmes, 24-year-old suspected of killing 12 people in Colorado, is so extensively booby-trapped with explosive devices that police cannot safely defuse them. The solution: A robot. Police plan to send a robot into to detonate the devices sometime on Friday night, Reuters reports. The apartment building--as well as nearby buildings--have already been evacuated to prep for the blast, which is expected to be small in size. Holmes was arrested Friday for allegedly opening fire on an audience attending a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colo., killing 12 and injuring over 50 others.

Suspect Purchased 6,000 Rounds Of Ammunition Online

Aurora, Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes purchased 6,000 rounds of ammunition, and four guns online in the weeks leading up to the tragedy that has claimed a dozen lives and left over 50 others injured at a movie theater within a shopping mall outside Denver. The guns included an AR-15 "assault rifle," a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, and .40 Glock handgun, that were found inside the theater, and another .40 caliber Glock handgun was found in the car. Police were not certain on Friday if that gun had been used in the shooting.

At a news conference on Friday night, Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said, "My understanding is all weapons he possessed, he possessed legally. All ammunition he possessed, he possessed legally."

Oates said 3,000 rounds were .223-caliber bullets for the AR-15. The chief said he didn't know where Holmes obtained the full suit of body armor and gas mask he was wearing when arrested. A drum-style magazine for an AR-15 assault rifle was also recovered at the movie theater. With the 100-round magazine, "he could have gotten off 50 to 60 rounds -- even if it was a semi-automatic -- within one minute," Oates said.

Developing...

Earlier breaking report here.

Read The Full Article:
http://crooksandliars.com/diane-sweet/aurora-mass-shooting-12-confirmed-dead

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Aurora Mass Shooting: Suspect Purchased 6,000
Rounds Of Ammunition Online

post from Crooks and Liars on 20 July 2012 09:27:02 PM. © Crooks and Liars

Classmates: Holmes Was a ?Loner?

Students at the University of Colorado Denver?s campus in Aurora are describing accused killer James Holmes as ?quiet? and ?a loner.? Holmes, a Ph.D. student who was studying neuroscience, is suspected of killing 12 and injuring dozens more at a screening of the latest Batman installment, The Dark Knight Rises. His high-school lab partner told reporters he was ?a smart kid,? adding, ?I never figured he'd do anything like this.? Neighbors in his university-managed building described him as unfriendly and quiet.

Police to Detonate Holmes? Bombs

The apartment of James Holmes, 24-year-old suspected of killing 12 people in Colorado, is so extensively booby-trapped with explosive devices that police cannot safely defuse them. The solution: A robot. Police plan to send a robot into to detonate the devices sometime on Friday night, Reuters reports. The apartment building--as well as nearby buildings--have already been evacuated to prep for the blast, which is expected to be small in size. Holmes was arrested Friday for allegedly opening fire on an audience attending a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colo., killing 12 and injuring over 50 others.

Suspect Purchased 6,000 Rounds Of Ammunition Online

Aurora, Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes purchased 6,000 rounds of ammunition, and four guns online in the weeks leading up to the tragedy that has claimed a dozen lives and left over 50 others injured at a movie theater within a shopping mall outside Denver. The guns included an AR-15 "assault rifle," a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, and .40 Glock handgun, that were found inside the theater, and another .40 caliber Glock handgun was found in the car. Police were not certain on Friday if that gun had been used in the shooting.

At a news conference on Friday night, Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said, "My understanding is all weapons he possessed, he possessed legally. All ammunition he possessed, he possessed legally."

Oates said 3,000 rounds were .223-caliber bullets for the AR-15. The chief said he didn't know where Holmes obtained the full suit of body armor and gas mask he was wearing when arrested. A drum-style magazine for an AR-15 assault rifle was also recovered at the movie theater. With the 100-round magazine, "he could have gotten off 50 to 60 rounds -- even if it was a semi-automatic -- within one minute," Oates said.

Developing...

Earlier breaking report here.

Read The Full Article:
http://crooksandliars.com/diane-sweet/aurora-mass-shooting-12-confirmed-dead

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Aurora Mass Shooting: 12 Confirmed Dead, 59
Injured, 11 in Critical Condition, Suspect Arrested

post from Crooks and Liars on 20 July 2012 09:27:02 PM. © Crooks and Liars

As I put together this update, FBI agents as well as local police are holding an emotional press conference. They expect within the hour to have a list of the confirmed deceased so that they can begin contacting their families. Seven families still have no idea where their loved ones are at this moment, or if they are dead or alive.

They caution to not believe everything you read in the media in these early days as they investigate and gather information.

There is an enormous amount of information coming from this one press conference, and the livestream will certainly go over all that through-out the evening. I will also link to any transcript if one becomes available.

Classmates: Holmes Was a ?Loner?

Students at the University of Colorado Denver?s campus in Aurora are describing accused killer James Holmes as ?quiet? and ?a loner.? Holmes, a Ph.D. student who was studying neuroscience, is suspected of killing 12 and injuring dozens more at a screening of the latest Batman installment, The Dark Knight Rises. His high-school lab partner told reporters he was ?a smart kid,? adding, ?I never figured he'd do anything like this.? Neighbors in his university-managed building described him as unfriendly and quiet.

Police to Detonate Holmes? Bombs

The apartment of James Holmes, 24-year-old suspected of killing 12 people in Colorado, is so extensively booby-trapped with explosive devices that police cannot safely defuse them. The solution: A robot. Police plan to send a robot into to detonate the devices sometime on Friday night, Reuters reports. The apartment building--as well as nearby buildings--have already been evacuated to prep for the blast, which is expected to be small in size. Holmes was arrested Friday for allegedly opening fire on an audience attending a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colo., killing 12 and injuring over 50 others.

More soon. Earlier breaking report here.

Read The Full Article:
http://crooksandliars.com/diane-sweet/aurora-mass-shooting-12-confirmed-dead

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Europe Staggered by New Round of Debt Crisis

post from Firedoglake on 20 July 2012 09:17:28 PM. © Firedoglake

Markets on the continent are melting down, particularly due to the increased Spanish borrowing costs. As I explained yesterday, the votes in Germany to approve the bailout of Spanish banks, which was reiterated by the Eurozone, effectively reversed the[...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/firedoglake/fdl/~3/_qdkLvMWD0o/

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Tea Party Report: Confronting That Legal
Immigrant, Cenk

post from Crooks and Liars on 20 July 2012 09:00:26 PM. © Crooks and Liars

Our pal Susie Sampson gets some sit-down time with our favorite Young Turk, Cenk Uygur, to talk about important stuff like immigration. On a day like this, we can use the laugh.

Read The Full Article:
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/tea-party-report-confronting-legal-i

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Oh so now govt spending DOES create jobs

Funny how when it's defense contractors who stand to lose, suddenly federal spending DOES create jobs.

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-does-create-jobs.html

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Just what Scouts need: being taught "values" by
people who have none

Zach Wahls delivered a petition to the BSA earlier this year.
"In their eyes, this issue is now resolved and the book is closed. Indeed, they've even stopped answering calls from Fox News. . . .

"No secret committee is going to silence the thousands of scouts and scout leaders who want to see an end to this antigay policy. . . . Secret committees of 11 people do not and will not speak for more than 3 million scouts"
-- Zach Wahls, in an advocate.com op-ed,
"A Secret Committee Will Not Stop Us"

by Ken

Hate-mongering, conspiratorial secrecy, compulsive serial lying -- it appears that these are now the core values of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). The upshot is that the youth of America are being taught "values" by a rampaging band of sociopaths and mental defectives.

I hope everyone remembers proud Eagle Scout Zach Wahls, the pride of Iowa, whose testimony before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee on the "family values" of the loving family he and his sister grew up in, a family with two mothers, riveted the country (I called my original post "Isn't young U. of Iowa engineering student Zach Wahls the embodiment of REAL family values?"), and whose activism since then has been ardent, smart, and tireless. (You can check out his webpage, zachwahls.com, and find his book [right] at Amazon.)

Now Zach has written an op-ed for The Advocate, "A Secret Committee Will Not Stop Us," which he begins by conveniently summarizing the latest hi-jinks behind the scenes at the Boy Scouts:

This week, the Boy Scouts of America made a huge national stir by affirming its anti-LGBT policy.

That is to say, they made a huge national stir by doing nothing new.

The only "new" thing about their announcement was the fact that they reached this "decision" by appointing a secret, 11-member subcommittee that "studied" this policy for "two years." This committee, that had a "variety of beliefs" on this policy, somehow managed to reach a unanimous decision. Twice. According to conflicting reports from the BSA, they first presented their conclusion back in February of this year. Then they presented it (again?) on Tuesday.

"The timing of the BSA announcement, however," Zach writes, "could not have been more politically expedient."

On Monday, 24 hours earlier, the BSA learned that the vice president of their executive board, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, had gone on the record not only opposing their anti-LGBT policy, but also committing to work with fellow board member Jim Turley, Ernst & Young?s CEO, to end it. A few hours later, they learned that Jennifer Tyrrell -- the gay den mother ousted from the Boy Scouts who rallied more than 300,000 people to sign her Change.org petition -- planned to deliver those signatures to BSA?s Dallas headquarters on Wednesday.

Clearly, somebody inside the BSA decided this was unacceptable.

Having learned that the resolution to end its policy of discrimination actually stood a chance of working its way through the BSA's executive board, the BSA dropped the hammer, trying to crush this grassroots movement to help the Boy Scouts become more inclusive and accepting.

In their eyes, this issue is now resolved and the book is closed. Indeed, they've even stopped answering calls from Fox News.

So far gone, then, is Boy Scouts officialdom, that even Fox Noise is treated as part of the enemy. But if Zach's infectious enthusiasm is anything to go by, the BSA pervs may find themselves terminally isolated. "Fact is," he writes, "the movement to end the BSA?s antigay policy is ramping up, and is poised to be stronger than ever."

No secret committee is going to silence the thousands of scouts and scout leaders who want to see an end to this antigay policy. We will continue to mobilize grassroots support from Eagle Scouts and others to transform scouting into an inclusive organization that values fairness and equality. That?s why, as an Eagle Scout, I?ll be attending the 100th anniversary of the Eagle Scouts at the National Order of the Arrow Conference July 30 through August 4 to rally current scouts and scout leaders to support an end to the antigay ban.

If the BSA is willing to circumvent its own internal process for progressing and growing as an organization, that's just fine. We'll circumvent them and take this straight to the grassroots. The BSA operates on a franchise model, after all, so there's really nothing they can do. Charter organizations (like schools and churches) give access to the BSA -- not the other way around.

Secret committees of 11 people do not and will not speak for more than 3 million scouts. Though the old guard at the BSA may be unwilling to change their position, we suspect that the young people actually involved with the organization all across the country will prove more thoughtful.

#

Read The Full Article:
http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2012/07/just-what-scouts-need-being-taught.ht
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Pentagon Clampdown on Leaks Part of Response to
WikiLeaks

The Pentagon announced measures to further ensure classified information is not disclosed without authorization by defense personnel who have security clearances. The announcement came after Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Patrick Dempsey and Defense[...]

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Buy This Stock Now for a 40%-Plus Upside
Potential

During the 1970s, perhaps one of the strangest decades for American fads, CB radios and trucker-style entertainment blew up big. From cheesy novelty radio hits like "Convoy" to movies like "Smokey and the . . . → Read More: Buy This Stock Now for a 40%-Plus Upside Potential

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