The "State of the Dream" & The 30-Years
Conservative Nightmare

post from Open Left - Front Page on 21 February 2009 07:53:40 PM. © Open Left - Front Page

As I explained in my previous diary dealing with the "State of the Dream 2009" report, in this[...]

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Pentagon Report: Guantanamo Complies With Geneva
Conventions

post from TalkLeft on 21 February 2009 07:45:00 PM. © TalkLeft

In the fox guarding the hen house department: A report on Guantanamo President Obama requested on his second day in office has been completed.

A Pentagon report requested by President Obama on the conditions at the Guantánamo Bay detention center concluded that the prison complies with the humane-treatment requirements of the Geneva Conventions.

The report is by Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, the vice chief of naval operations.

In related news, Attorney General Eric Holder is setting up a task force to review the cases of the 245 detainees still held at Gitmo. Here's who's on it: [More...]

The group, which is to include representatives of military, intelligence and other agencies, is to be led by a career federal prosecutor, Matthew G. Olsen, who has been a senior Justice Department lawyer dealing with national security issues.

Not a defense lawyer among them? Why?

Here's a twist:

The Pentagon has long insisted that no detainees are held in solitary confinement. Military officials have said instead that the prisoners are held in “single-occupancy cells.”

I'd like to know the difference between "solitary confinement" and being held 23 hours a day in one's "single occupancy cell."

Here's who probably could tell me:

According to one official, the report noted that some detainees had difficulty communicating from cell to cell, a contention that many detainees’ lawyers have also made.

Could it be the reason defense lawyers aren't on the new task force is that DOJ doesn't want to hear what they have to say?

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MO-Sen: Sarah Steelman Hates White Guys In Suits

post from Daily Kos on 21 February 2009 07:40:05 PM. © Daily Kos

Missouri Republican Sarah Steelman is preparing to run for the U.S. Senate, on a platform of fighting white guys in suits like the current Republican frontrunner, Rep. Roy Blunt.

She may be in the wrong business.

She's definitely in the wrong party:

"I’m in the process of laying the groundwork that I need to get done before making an official announcement," Steelman told POLITICO. "I’m definitely strongly leaning towards doing this."

Her expected entrance in the campaign increases the likelihood of a divisive primary, which Blunt had been trying to avoid.

In the interview, Steelman took some sharp jabs at Blunt, describing the seven-term congressman Blunt as being part of the "old-boys' network" who has spent too much time in Washington.

"Roy Blunt is another white guy in a suit, and I think the public wants change," Steelman said. "There’s a good old boys’ network out there that’s hard to penetrate... and it’s not always in the best interest of the party or for conservative principles."

As the GOP's unofficial captain and spokesman might say, that's Feminazi Talk!

Now, this comes the same week as Michael Steele's attempt to bring hip-hop to the party of the Southern Strategy, so maybe it really is going to be a brave new world for the Old White Elephants.

Of course, there already is a place in the political arena where women and minorities are encouraged to fulfill their potential. The thing is, that place is within the Democratic Party.

Sarah Steelman's personal record of taking on white Republicans in suits, anyway, is somewhat less than stellar. She was last seen losing a 2008 gubernatorial primary to a white Republican in a suit from Washington, Kenny Hulshof.

Hulshof himself proved something less than popular in the general election: Democrat Jay Nixon eviscerated him, 58% to 39%. Having lost to the guy who lost that badly can't do much for you, politically.

So how does Blunt feel about her candidacy?

"Sarah can’t win the primary," Blunt said. "If there’s a primary, I’ll win it."

What can you say? Republicans love white guys in suits.

The presumptive Democratic nominee, by the way, is Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, a woman. If she receives a primary challenge, it will likely be from Rep. William Lacy Clay Jr., an African-American.

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George Sorros: Current Financial Crisis Showing
Signs Worse Than Great Depression And Resembles The Downfall Of The Soviet Union

post from The Gun Toting Liberal on 21 February 2009 07:36:51 PM. © The Gun Toting Liberal

George Sorros Plays “Chicken Little” In Reuters ReportThere goes Mr. Sorros again — “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!“, he’s yelling from the rooftops (Reuters). Well I have a bit of news for Georgie-boy: President Obama has just saved spared our great...

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George Soros: Current Financial Crisis Showing
Signs Worse Than Great Depression And Resembles The Downfall Of The Soviet Union

post from The Gun Toting Liberal on 21 February 2009 07:36:51 PM. © The Gun Toting Liberal

George Soros Plays “Chicken Little” In Reuters ReportThere goes Mr. Soros again — “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!“, he’s yelling from the rooftops (Reuters). Well I have a bit of news for Georgie-boy: President Obama has just saved spared our great...

This is only a comment summary. Visit http://guntotingliberal.com to view the lastest content complete with some of the most outrageous original photoshops in the political blogosphere!

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Study shows African Americans are the most
religous group

post from Let's Talk Honestly on 21 February 2009 07:24:18 PM. © Let's Talk Honestly

Compared to the rest of the population, more African-Americans have a religious affiliation, attend worship, pray frequently and place greater importance on religion in their lives. Click the link below to read the entire article:http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.htmlPosted in african american, church, culture, religion Tagged: african Americans and religion, black church, church, Pew Study on religion, religion [...]

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Is Obama weakening on Iraq withdrawal timeline

post from Out Of Iraq Bloggers Caucus on 21 February 2009 07:14:00 PM. © Out Of Iraq Bloggers Caucus

Tis true that during the general election campaign ? though NOT true during Democratic primaries, IIRC ? that President Barack Obama always caveated (did I just utter a Haigism?) his Iraq withdrawal timetable by saying it depended on the analysis of the brass hats. (Likewise, Obama uttered his ?combat troops only? caveat ONLY after the general election started; he never mentioned that, IIRC, during the primaries.)

Anyway, it sounds like The One might be warming up his caveating vocal chords. Are you really that surprised?

But, given that there just aren?t enough troops to up the numbers in Afghanistan beyond 55,000 AND keep Iraq totals at their current level ? and that?s with the Army still worn-out, and Obama no closer to ?easing its pain? ? B.O. is going to have to either force Centcom head David Petraeus to get Iraq theater commander Ray Odierno and Afghanistan theater head David McKiernan to come to consensus, or else craft one.

At the same time, for Petraeus to move the ball too much further down the road, Obama the C-in-C is going to have to start making some policy decisions.

Besides, if he?s serious about talk of how he plans to plans to halve the deficit in four years, what better place to start than by getting ALL troops out of Iraq?

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TAB DUMP.

? Was Eric Holder's speech on race better than Barack Obama's?? An early look at Obama's budget.? What hook-up culture?? American on $195 a week.? Music from Slumdog Millionaire.[...]

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A Profile on Racial profiling: Robbie Tolan is
shot with his parents in their pajamas on their own property

Eric Holder made a statement recently that has got the right wingers up in arms.

"Though the nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," Holder said.
"Though race-related issues continue to occupy a significant portion of our political discussion and though there remain many unresolved racial issues in this nation, we average Americans simply do not talk enough with each other about race."

We heard after the election by the losers that racism is gone in America because a black man had been elected president. Tell that to the Tolan family. HBO ran this segment with Brian Gumbel and it's on tonight.

Shortly before 2:00am on December 31 2008, Robbie Tolan, a twenty-three-year-old baseball prospect, was shot by police in front of his home in Bellaire, Texas. The shooting occurred after police mistook Robbie Tolan's vehicle for a stolen car. Robbie's parents, Bobby and Marian Tolan witnessed the shooting as they stood in their driveway wearing their pajamas. Robbie Tolan survived the shooting, and was recently released from the hospital. But he has a bullet lodged in his liver and his baseball future has been cast in serious doubt. Since the shooting, HBO Real Sports, has been investigating how such a tragic event came to pass.
In 2005, black drivers in Bellaire were almost 12 times more likely to be pulled over and asked for a consent search than whites. Compared with the rest of Houston, black drivers were four times more likely than whites to be searched, according to the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, a non-profit organization that collects and compiles data on race and traffic stops.
Bellaire has a population of almost 16,000 and is less than one percent black. However, in 2007, 22 percent of the of the motorists given traffic tickets in Bellaire were black and 39 percent of the motorists who were stopped and searched were black, according to data collected by the Bellaire Police Department.
----
"And I said, 'this is my house my car, my son, my nephew. It's not stolen,'" said Bobby Tolan.
The Tolans then say that Sgt. Cotton pushed Mrs. Tolan against the garage door. At that point, Robbie reared up off the ground and said: "Get your fucking hands off my mom!" Sgt. Cotton then turned and fired his gun hitting Robbie Tolan in the chest.
"The guy never said a word," said Marian Tolan. "He never said, 'shut up,' he never said 'get down' or 'stay down.' He never said a word, he picked his gun, he took his gun and he just shot him."
The entire incident unfolded quickly. Two minutes past from when Robbie and Anthony exited their vehicle to when Robbie was shot, according to the Bellaire Police incident report.
read on...

After you watch this you will want to cry. The mayor of Bellaire looks like a fool. Jose Cruz, jr, a former baseball player had some profiling done to him several years ago in Bellaire also.

The Puerto Rican national said he was in his brand-new Mercedes with his pregnant wife and two kids when Bellaire police pulled him over. At the time, he said he had no idea what he had done wrong.
"They came out of nowhere," said Cruz. ?The officer proceeded to arrest me. He told me that there were warrants out for my arrest. I told him that I didn?t have so much as a ticket, much less a warrant."
he Bellaire High School grad ended up spending the night in jail. But it was a mistake. Cruz said it turned out that those warrants weren't for him.
Paul Doyle is the ballplayer's attorney, and he said there is real problem in the area. He believes Cruz may have been a victim of racial profiling.
?It wasn't until we got involved that the police came up with the pretext that they pulled him over because he didn?t have a front license plate. That was the excuse they used,? said Doyle. ?They're not going to say that they saw a Puerto Rican guy driving a nice car and stopped him.?
Doyle said that Cruz never wanted to come forward at the time, but the shooting of Robbie Tolan brought back too many bad memories.

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Louisiana Gubernatorial Sitcom

I tell you what, those Republicans may not have squat for rational ideas, but they sure have some humor. Heck, it was less than two days ago we were watching Steele and Boner in "DC Vice". Fear not intrepid viewers, these jokers are bringin da funny all[...]

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http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/02/21/louisiana-gubernatorial-sitcom/

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