Lakeside Diner

post from Firedoglake on 26 March 2012 07:45:22 AM. © Firedoglake

A variety of links to articles/interviews/speechs on current issues that may be of interest.[...]

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Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: Health care Monday
and other things

post from Daily Kos on 26 March 2012 07:30:03 AM. © Daily Kos

Visual source: Newseum

Paul Krugman zeroes in on the American Legislative Exchange Council:

And if there is any silver lining to Trayvon Martin?s killing, it is that it might finally place a spotlight on what ALEC is doing to our society ? and our democracy.
What is ALEC? Despite claims that it?s nonpartisan, it?s very much a movement-conservative organization, funded by the usual suspects: the Kochs, Exxon Mobil, and so on. Unlike other such groups, however, it doesn?t just influence laws, it literally writes them, supplying fully drafted bills to state legislators. In Virginia, for example, more than 50 ALEC-written bills have been introduced, many almost word for word. And these bills often become law.

E. J. Dionne writes that we were blessed with the three moments last week that took us beyond "the spin and obfuscation": Rep. Paul Ryan is a fake deficit hawk; the consequences of a gun law based on feelings was brought home in Sanford, Fla.; and an inadvertent truth slipped from the lips of a Romney campaign advisor when he forever linked the candidate's views to Etch-a-Sketch.

Rush says it's okay, so Larry Kudlow buys in:

On economic policy, for example, he would limit the government budget to 20 percent of gross domestic product, slash $500 billion in his first term and restrain Medicaid, food stamps and other entitlement transfers before block granting them to the states. His Medicare reform is nearly identical to the Wyden-Ryan approach. He's for a true all-of-the-above energy policy that would take the regulatory handcuffs off drilling on federal lands. He would repeal Obamacare. And he has come up with a supply-side tax cut that would lower marginal rates by 20 percent across the board and drop the corporate tax to 25 percent.
Those are very conservative positions. One could seriously ask whether Romney isn't the most conservative presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan.

Jonathan Capeheart writes that the thoughtful outpouring of something more than sympathy over the shooting of Trayvon Martin has given him hope that America will "use this tragedy to further engage in the soul-searching President Obama urged us to do on Friday." The emails he has received tells him this is already going on?messages like this one:

Miki Straughan recounted a story from 50 years ago in New Orleans where she hired a woman to help with her ironing. After lunch one day, Straughan?s blond, blue-eyed, five-year-old daughter played with the black woman?s 4-year-old grandson.
The grandmother proceeded to tell her adorable, chubby little black grandson NOT to get on the swing, NOT to touch the little white girl, Not to push her too hard on the swing. Not to run after her.
I said, ?For heaven?s sake, he?s just a little boy.? I never forgot her response. She said: ?You?re going back to Seattle but he has to live here .?.?. and I?m saving his life.?

Gregory Rodriguez:

Hate speech is a form of vandalism. It defaces the environment, and like a broken window, if left untended, signals to other hoodlums that the coast is clear to do more damage.
But unlike the proverbial broken window, which urban police departments and criminologists urge us to repair to maintain the aura of social order, nobody seems to be in much of a hurry to nip hate speech in the bud. That's because since the ill-fated attempt by several universities to regulate hate speech in the 1980s and '90s, any discussion of reining in racist taunts inevitably degrades into charges of political correctness and ends abruptly with the invocation of the 1st Amendment. [...]
I'm not worried about anyone's hurt feelings. What I am concerned about is the extra burden nonwhites (and other minorities) are expected to bear when entering the public square, and the way tolerated hate speech may keep them on the sidelines and weaken our democracy.

Having apparently spent a few minutes paging through his Cliff's Notes copy of Western History, Ken Blackwell stretches way on on a limb to compare Obama's decision on birth control coverage to Bismark's anti-Catholic kulturkampf. Call it pre-Godwin.

Mijin Cha writes that despite President Obama's "rhetoric on clean energy, it really is business as usual and dirty fossil fuels will continue to receive support and preference."

Randal Amster:

Swipe across that touchscreen, scroll down with that mouse, click that ad banner, pull that lever in the booth, change that channel repeatedly, post a link to that viral video, accept that new credit card offer, text while in that drive-through line, gas up the car and eat up from the microwave. Modern life is a veritable hall of mirrors for narcissists, complete with the rush of affirmation from every "like" attained and text message received with a sonorous chime. It's all so smooth and slick and seamless, how we've gone in less than one generation from people having time to ones being had by it. Yes, you can buy time, share it on vacation, put it on a sheet at work, use it for making a bomb, or turn it into an uncritical magazine ? but at the end of the day, there is no longer an end of the day.

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und-up-

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Health Care In The Court

post from Talking Points Memo on 26 March 2012 07:00:53 AM. © Talking Points Memo

This morning begins three days of arguments in the most significant Supreme Court case in decades. The central question: Will the Affordable Care Act stand? We'll be bringing you minute-by-minute coverage today and throughout the week. Follow it all in[...]

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Monday Open Thread

post from My Left Wing - Front Page on 26 March 2012 07:00:00 AM. © My Left Wing - Front Page

I think the important thing about my appointment
is not that I will decide cases as a woman,
but that I am a woman who will get to decide cases.

Sandra Day O'Connor

Born March 26, 1930

Read The Full Article:
http://www.myleftwing.com/diary/27861/monday-open-thread

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Muse in the Morning

post from Docudharma - Front Page on 26 March 2012 06:00:00 AM. © Docudharma - Front Page

Muse in the MorningCyan with Bronze I know you have talent. What sometimes is forgotten is that being practical is a talent. I have a paucity for that sort of talent in many situations, though it turns out that I'm a pretty darn good cook. :-)Let[...]

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Quiet Start to the Week

post from Jutia Group on 26 March 2012 05:24:31 AM. © Jutia Group

Source: Advanced Currency Markets | G10 Advancers and Decliners vs USD GBP -0.05 EUR -0.14 CHF -0.15 JPY -0.45 FX trading was restrained at the start of the trading week. Asia?s regional indices were flat with Nikkei up +0.07%, the Hang Sang -0.10% and the Shanghai Composite falling by -0.18% (Europe should open a fraction higher). EURUSD bounced around the 1.3241 to 1.3285 but started to feel heavy the closer we get to the European open. Brent had a choppy open spiking to $127.00 before dropping down to…

Read More . . . → Read More: Quiet Start to the Week

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Japan shutting down nuclear reactors

post from US Politics | AMERICAblog News on 26 March 2012 05:00:42 AM. © US Politics | AMERICAblog News

Japan had used a lot of nuclear energy until the Fukushima disaster, but that changed everything. The transition from nuclear to other energy sources (fossil fuel, in this case) has been rapid and likely expensive, though there was a heavy cost to nuclear energy. BBC News:

Japan has shut down another nuclear power station, bringing it a step closer to suspending atomic energy, following the Fukushima disaster.

Only one of the 54 nuclear reactors remains in operation, and it is due to be switched off in May.

Residents have demanded reactors not be turned back on after routine maintenance due to safety fears.

In the US, nuclear looked like an increasingly popular option in certain circles before Fukushima but that has slowed significantly. Many of the US reactors are aging and need maintenance but we still desperately also need an alternative plan for the future.

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Its Gingrichs fault people think hes a jackass

Although, unlike this, it is reasonable.[...]

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Obama Administration Honors Ken Aden For His
Public Service At The White House

Ken Aden's campaign slogan has been "People First," but it's a lot more than just a slogan. It's an organizing principle for how he runs his life. Ken is the Blue America-endorsed congressional candidate running in a tough as nails district in northwest Arkansas but Obama didn't invite him to the White House to talk campaign strategy. He invited him to the White House to recognize his community service and to meet with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to be part of the White House's first Cesar Chavez Champions of Change event. The invitation:

In honor of Cesar Chavez Day 2012, the White House will honor 10 leaders who, like Cesar Chavez, have dedicated themselves to improving the lives of others throughout their community and across the Nation. The Cesar Chavez Champions of Change will be honored at a ceremony at the White House on March 29, 2012. You are cordially invited!

?Champions of Change? is part of President Obama?s ?Winning the Future," where we recognize a group of Americans, businesses, or organizations working to make a difference in our country. Different groups are highlighted each week ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community activists. The Office of Public Engagement solicited nominations to honor those who exemplify Cesar Chavez? core values, including service to others, knowledge, innovation, acceptance of all people, and respect for life and the environment. After receiving over 200 nominations, we have identified 10 Champions that work on diverse issues throughout the country.

Please join us to commemorate Cesar Chavez? life and work and to honor those that continue his spirit of ?Si Se Puede?/Yes We Can!

The event will be held on Thursday afternoon, March 29, Cesar Chavez Day. The invitation and honor came as a complete shock and surprise to Ken. "I'm at a loss for words to even be recognized for my work within some of poorest communities of the state," he said. "It came as a total surprise to receive the email from the White House. There's simply nothing better than tirelessly working hard to make a difference. Many non profit organizations are working everyday behind the scenes to make the lives of so many people better. I miss my community work and hope to return to the non profit sector one day."

While Ken is in DC this week, he won't be on the campaign trail back in Arkansas and he won't be raising money in a tough race against a dedicated one-percenter, Steve Womack. If you'd like to help make up the deficit... you can do it here.

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http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2012/03/obama-administration-honors-ken-aden.
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Euro Rallies vs. USD to Finish Week

Source: ForexYard Euro Rallies vs. USD to Finish Week

The euro hit a three-week high vs. the US dollar on Friday, following a disappointing US housing figure. The New Home Sales figure came in at 313K, well below the 326K analysts had been forecasting. The EUR/USD moved up as a result, reaching as high as 1.3282 before staging a slight downward correction to close out the week at 1.3268. Turning to today, traders will want to note the US Pending Home Sales figure, scheduled to be released at 14:00 GMT. Should the figure come in below the forecasted 1.0%, the euro may be able to extend its bullish run against the USD.

Economic News USD – Dollar . . . → Read More: Euro Rallies vs. USD to Finish Week

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http://jutiagroup.com/20120326-euro-rallies-vs-usd-to-finish-week/

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