Peter Scheer, Director of the CFAC, encounters a
type of Free Speech he can't stand

post from Pasadena New Progressive on 28 April 2009 01:54:00 AM. © Pasadena New Progressive

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Pandemic Level Raised

post from Michael Alan Leon: MAL Contends . . . on 28 April 2009 01:48:00 AM. © Michael Alan Leon: MAL Contends . . .

The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General has raised the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 3 to phase 4, the first stage of "response and mitigation efforts".

A pandemic is broadly defined as an epidemic (a sudden outbreak) affecting a whole region, a continent, or the world.

Just the flu so far and raising the level does not imply anything about how bad the Swine Flu bug will you feel. Besides washing your hands often and not going to Mexico unless you have to, another good idea is not reading Richard Preston or Daniel Kalla for a while.

From the WHO:

In the 2009 revision of the phase descriptions, WHO has retained the use of a six-phased approach for easy incorporation of new recommendations and approaches into existing national preparedness and response plans.

Phases 1?3 correlate with preparedness, including capacity development and response planning activities, while Phases 4?6 clearly signal the need for response and mitigation efforts. Furthermore, periods after the first pandemic wave are elaborated to facilitate post pandemic recovery activities.

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Portfolio magazine to close

post from AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth on 28 April 2009 01:04:00 AM. © AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth

Somehow it's just not fun to read about Wall Street glory when your job and retirement have been crushed by a bunch of greedy slime balls and freeloaders. The Wall Street cheerleading crowd will surely have more biting the dust following their complete failure to provide anything more than People magazine for Wall Street. CNBC:

Conde Nast said Monday they will cease publication of its Portfolio business magazine and Web site.

The closure of Portfolio will be effective with its May issue, while Portfolio.com will close in the second quarter of the year.

"The pressures and realities of the continuous deep economic slump have lowered Portfolio's revenue projections below what is needed to continue publication," Conde Nast Chief Executive Charles Townsend said in a statement Monday.

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The Prophet

post from jobsanger on 28 April 2009 01:03:00 AM. © jobsanger

From the website Atheist Comics.

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Kinky's The Candidate Representing Change

post from jobsanger on 28 April 2009 01:02:00 AM. © jobsanger

So far, there's still only two candidates who have expressed a serious interest in running for the Democratic nomination for governor of Texas in the 2010 election -- Tom Schieffer and Kinky Friedman. There are some Kinky-hating bloggers who are praying for another candidate, but I think they're probably out of luck this time. There is simply no one with the name-recognition and fundraising capability to take on Schieffer and Friedman.

That leaves the Texas Democratic voters with a choice between a Republican in Democratic clothing and a Cowboy author/comedian/singer. I find it hard to believe any Democrat could bring themselves to vote for Tom Schieffer.

Schieffer is both a friend of and supporter of George W. Bush. He supported him when he ran for Texas governor, and he supported him for president in both 2000 and 2004. How can anyone with a record like that even call himself a Democrat, let alone run for governor in the Democratic primary? Frankly, he smells like the Texas version of Joe Lieberman -- who calls himself a Democrat but won't support Democratic ideals and causes.

If you like the way the Republicans have run Texas, then Schieffer is your candidate. Schieffer would run Texas just like Bush and Perry have -- putting corporate interests ahead of what is good for ordinary citizens. How could anyone who idolizes Bush do otherwise?

Schieffer has said he want to run on a platform of improving education. But it would not surprise me at all if he didn't plant his knife firmly in the back of public school education by supporting vouchers. After all, that is what Bush and his Republican buddies want to do.

On the other hand, Kinky supports public schools and wants to make them better, so all students in Texas can receive a great education instead of just the chosen few. Kinky is really the only candidate that represents a real change from the way things have been done in Texas since the Republicans took over.

Does Kinky toe the Democratic Party line? No. He hasn't drunk the blue kool-aid (or the red kool-aid either for that matter). Kinky is an independent thinker, and that's why I think he can draw votes from a cross-section of different ideologies. He's not a progressive or a conservative or a libertarian, but he does have some aspects of all three. That's why he could draw votes from all sides in the general election if he gets that far.

Progressives are going to like his stands on better public education, adequate health care for all and abolishing the death penalty. Libertarians will like his stands on individual rights, the constitutional right to own firearms and decriminalization of marijuana. Conservatives will like his stand on keeping taxes low and providing for a healthy business climate in Texas.

Among all the candidates for governor from either party, Kinky is the only candidate who represents a real change from the ruling corporatocracy. It's time to shake up Austin and put someone in the governor's mansion who will put ordinary Texans first. Kinky Friedman is that candidate.

In a couple of days, I will be dropping a second donation in the mail for Kinky's campaign. This is a big state and no candidate can be successful without an adequate campaign fund. I urge you to do the same. It doesn't have to be a large donation -- every $10 or $20 dollars helps. Send what you can to Texans for Kinky, and help shake Texas up!

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In The Waters Of Fox River

post from jobsanger on 28 April 2009 01:01:00 AM. © jobsanger

Political Cartoon is by David Fitzsimmons in the Arizona Daily Star.

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Late Late Night FDL: Old Crow Medicine Show

post from Firedoglake on 28 April 2009 01:00:25 AM. © Firedoglake

New videos from Old Crow Medicine Show and Brian Borcherdt.[...]

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Estate Tax: Blanche Lincoln And Jon Kyl Attempt
To Aid Billionaires Defeated

post from DownWithTyranny! on 28 April 2009 01:00:00 AM. © DownWithTyranny!

Because of his anti-choice mania and his Republican outlook on social issues in general, Nebraska douche bag Ben Nelson is invariably the worst Democrat in the Senate. But when it comes to bread and butter issues that effect the lives of ordinary working families, Nelson has some tough competition for last place: Arkansas corporate whore Blanche Lincoln. Lincoln teamed up with Republican Minority Whip Jon Kyl to tinker with the already far too generous estate tax.

First, let's remember how the estate tax works. If they estate is worth less than $3.5 million (or $7 million for a couple) there is no tax; period. That's already grotesquely unfair and if theer are any changes at all, it should be to get rid of that, not to make the exemptions bigger, which is what the Republicans and Lincoln tried to do. On estates worth more than $3.5 or $7 million, the tax rate is 45% and Lincoln and Kyl were demanding it be lowered to 35%. So let's say some wealthy unmarried man dies and his estate is worth $10 million and right-wing loons still haven't figured out a way that allows him to take it with him. The first $3.5 million goes untaxed. In the end, his heirs get to keep $7,075,000 and the society that gave him the opportunity to amass so much wealth, gets $2,925,000.

Yesterday, in working out the differences between the House's version of the budget and the Senate's version, where Lincoln and Kyl got their tax break for multimillionaires inserted, it was agreed that the estate tax rules would not be changed. No doubt the Waltons will be disappointed by at least they know that their gal Blanche went to bat for them.

And great news for students who need college loans.

The fast-track rules also would apply to Obama's plan to eliminate lender subsidies on banks and other lenders presently participating in the federal student loan program. Direct lending by the government would replace the program, with the savings dedicated to boosting Pell Grants for lower-income college students.

While handing Obama a victory, there is still an extraordinary amount of work before Obama's vision of health care reform becomes a reality, including raising taxes and cutting spending to generate $1 trillion or more over the next decade to fund the health care initiative.

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Cruel and Unusual

post from They gave us a republic... - Front Page on 28 April 2009 12:26:07 AM. © They gave us a republic... - Front Page

I've had just about enough of this fucking torture debate. And GOD DAMMIT I mean every word of this fucking post...

You, the fucking ignorant, lazy, loose-brained 50% of the American people who think torture is "ok"..."sometimes." You fucking disgust me. And that goes for my fucking mother, too. Do you really think you are that smart? Brave? Decisive? You are nothing of the sort. In fact, you're stupid, cowardly, and knee-jerk as all get out. You don't have the rationalization(good sense)the good Lord gave a gnat!

Fifty percent of you, huh? Wow. Reminds me of another time in America's history where 50% of the people slaved, and slaved, and slaved over an issue. We fought a Civil War over that, didn't we? Hmmm, makes one think. Some in the south didn't condone the brutal forms of slavery, but slavery was "ok" in "some" situations when done "humanely."

The pro-torture losers here in Texas are already talking secession and calling it...get this..."state's rights." How many states will follow? Will your pea-brained pro-torture ass join in? Will you follow your state into rebellion for torture? Does that seem like a more patriotic cause than slavery to you?

Oh, I hear ya..."that's ridiculous Elmo!" But I beg to differ, dickwad. Remember that major issue this country was divided 50/50 over in 1852, when Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom's Cabin in response to the pro-slavery movement? Of course you don't, you do not read. But answer me this, wingnut - what is the single most important issue that divides Americans today, if not torture?

What? Torture is not a "major" issue to you? Neither was "slavery" to the social retards of the 1850's, but look where that got us. So, are you going to be one of the fools who fight for torture that claims to be fighting for state's rights? If we have another civil war, like the inbred cock suckers in this country want, will you follow them? I wanna know. Will you fight for torture under the banner of "state's rights"?

I know you torture sympathizers cannot get your little fucking mush brains around the similarities between slavery and torture. I'd bet, similarly, you are just as confused with the concept of oxidation. If I told you that rust was the same thing as fire, I bet you'd call me an idiot. But, in fact, rust and fire are both oxidation. One just is slower and more methodical than the other. I'd also bet, the only way you'd ever "get it" is if you were actually tortured(or enslaved)yourselves...morons.

Somewhere along the way you shit stains forgot about the 8th amendment to the Constitution, which says simply that we as Americans do not condone cruel and unusual punishment. Somewhere along the line you figured you could get all lawyery and shit and decide for the rest of us that torture was "ok" if it was NOT done on Americans, but we could perform some "enhancive interrogating" on a fucking foreigner if we wanted to. Think again you fucking two-faced back stabbing Tories. You don't get to change the rules in mid-fucking-stride, without even voting on it. Hell! Without even FIGHTING for it!

You pukes make me sick. I'd be honored to fight against a slimy motherfucking un-American traitor such as yourself...

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