USD Experiences High Volatility, Yen Drops
Sharply

Source: ForexYard USD Experiences High Volatility, Yen Drops Sharply

At the beginning of the European trading session the dollar was on its back foot, but those losses were reversed following comments by St. Louis Fed President James Bullard. However, by the end of the trading day, the dollar had given back most of . . . → Read More: USD Experiences High Volatility, Yen Drops Sharply

Read The Full Article:
http://jutiagroup.com/20110330-usd-experiences-high-volatility-yen-drops-sharply/

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Late Night Karaoke

[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Docudharma/~3/3W3jYzzKmjs/late-night-karaoke

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Beck's Theory That Israel May Come Under U.S.
Attack Is Riddled With Falsehoods

Glenn Beck continues to push the lunatic theory that recent events show that the left and the Obama administration are laying the groundwork for military action against Israel. In fact, Beck's theory rests on utter falsehoods and wild distortions.

Beck: ObamaAdministration "Is Siding With The Wrong Side," But "I Stand With Israel"

Beck: "OurAdministration Is Siding With The Wrong Side" And "Protecting The Killers AndThe Terrorists," But "I Stand Tonight With Israel." From the March 29edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:

BECK:[T]he world is being led to the water that Israel is the evil one and it'sabout to drink. Don't drink that water. They have measurably -- no, it's theMiddle East. They have immeasurably more freedom than any other Middle Easternnation. Women are free to drive. Women and our daughters can walk alone in thestreets without being stoned or jailed. You can bring a Bible or a Quran intoIsrael. When a woman can't walk down the street alone and be safe, and notbecause she's in a dangerous neighborhood but because she walked alone withouta man, how do you possibly stand with that country? How do you possibly stand witha group of people that say, "I'm going to kill you if you don't go to myfaith"? A country that treats women or people who are at all different like adog, treats a woman as a piece of furniture or a sexual toy that can be rapedand the courts will allow it -- how is it that a country like ours actuallylistens to those evil people saying this is evil and we believe it? How manyIsraelis have taken someone off the streets and then beheaded them on videotapejust for political reasons?

Ouradministration is siding with the wrong side. They are standing against goodand encouraging evil in the Middle East. We are reprimanding the nation that isas flawed as we are and protecting the aggressors. We're protecting the killersand the terrorists. We have gone from a nation who was doing the wrong thing bysiding with Mubarak to a nation who is doing an even greater evil by arming AlQaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood which empowers Iran and also in the enddestroys Israel. It is not difficult to tell good apart from evil. Let's startwith some simple ideas -- voting rights. Generally speaking, which is better?Voting rights of Iran, Muslim Brotherhood, those who run Al Qaeda? How aboutfree speech? Rights of women? Rights of homosexuals? America and Israel, or thepeople we seem to be siding with? I stand tonight with Israel. [Fox News, GlennBeck, 3/29/11]

Beck Claims ObamaAdministration Is "Pushing The Responsibility To Protect Act" That May Hurt The"Survival Of Israel"

Beck: "Players In TheWhite House Are Pushing The Responsibility To Protect Act." From the March 29edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:

BECK:Let's look at the direction in the Middle East. Do you think it's headedtowards the -- towards the peaceful conclusion? To a happier world? Do youthink it's going to end well, or not so much? Are things happening that arebeneficial to the survival of Israel, or not so much? Is there any leader inthe world standing up for Israel, or not so much? Yeah, Bob, I'd have to go fornot so much. Israel is under attack, and let me show you just a couple ofthings.

OK.First of all, we have George Soros's powerful group and his players in theWhite House saying that there are obstacles. And also, his players in the WhiteHouse are pushing the Responsibility to Protect Act. [Fox News, Glenn Beck,3/29/11]

REALITY: No"Responsibility To Protect Act" Has Been Introduced During Obama's Time InOffice. Asearch of the Library of Congress' Thomas database shows that at no pointduring Obama's tenure has anyone in Congress introduced a "Responsibility toProtect Act." While there are Congressional resolutions asserting that theUnited States has a responsibility to protect the international communityagainst mass atrocities, no binding legislation has been passed to date.[Thomas.LOC.gov, accessed 3/29/11]

Beck Twists StatementBy Obama Adviser To Portray Her As Anti-Israel

Beck Plays EditedVideo Clip Of Power To Suggest She Favors Using "Protect Doctrine" "AgainstIsrael." Fromthe March 29 edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:

BECK:That brings us to the responsibility to protect doctrine. This states thatstates have the right to protect the population, in fact, the responsibility toprotect the populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, andethnic cleansing. That's apparently what was happening in Libya. That's what weused -- justification to wage kinetic military action against a country that,as Defense Secretary Gates said, was not a vital interest to the United States.But we had a responsibility to protect. And that was an idea spawned by noneother than Samantha Power. She's a White House aide and the wife of the mostdangerous man in America, Cass Sunstein. I'm thinking about calling them themost dangerous couple of the year, because she's now out in the press braggingthat it was Obama who triggered the Libya uprising. What? Excuse me? I'm sorry,hmm?

Power,before being in the White House, explicitly stated how she would deal withIsrael. Here she is.

POWER[video clip] What we need is a willingness to actually put something on theline in sort of helping the situation. And putting something on the line mightmean alienating a domestic constituency of tremendous political and financialimport. It may more crucially mean sacrificing -- or investing, I think, morethan sacrificing -- literally billions of dollars not in servicing Israelis',you know, military but actually in investing in the new state of Palestine, ininvesting billions of dollars it would probably take also to support I thinkwhat will have to be a mammoth protection force.... [A]ny intervention is goingto come under fierce criticism, but we have to think about lesser evils,especially when the human stakes are just becoming ever more pronounced.

BECK:Too high. That bad, bad Israel. The responsibility to protect doctrine. Itworked in Libya and they're going to try it again against Israel because thestakes are just too high. [Fox News, Glenn Beck,3/29/11]

REALITY: Power WasResponding To A Question About What Would Happen If "One Party Or Another" Were"Moving Toward Genocide." From an undated 2002 edition of ConversationsWith History, a program produced by the University of California-BerkeleyInstitute of International Studies:

HARRYKREISLER (host): Let me give you a thought experiment here, without asking youto address the Palestine-Israel problem: Let's say you were an adviser to thepresident of the United States. How would, in response to current events, wouldyou advise him to put a structure in place to monitor that situation, at leastone party or another be looking like they might be moving toward genocide?

POWER:Well, I don't think that in any of the cases, a shortage of information is theproblem, and I actually think in the Palestine-Israeli situation, there's anabundance of information, and what we don't need is some kind of early warningmechanism there. What we need is a willingness to actually put something on theline in sort of helping the situation. And putting something on the linemight mean alienating a domestic constituency of tremendous political andfinancial import. It may more crucially mean sacrificing -- or investing, Ithink, more than sacrificing -- literally billions of dollars not in servicingIsraelis', you know, military but actually in investing in the new state ofPalestine, in investing billions of dollars it would probably take also tosupport I think what will have to be a mammoth protection force, not of theold, you know, Srebrenica kind or the Rwanda kind, but a meaningful militarypresence, because it seems to me at this stage -- and this is true of actualgenocides as well and not just, you know, major human rights abuses, whichwe're seeing there. But -- is that you have to go in as if you're serious, youhave to put something on the line. And unfortunately, imposition of a solutionon unwilling parties is dreadful. I mean, it's a terrible thing to do; it'sfundamentally undemocratic. But sadly, you know -- we don't just have ademocracy here either. We have a liberal democracy. There are certain sets ofprinciples that guide, you know, our policy, or that are meant to, anyway. Andthere, it's essential that some set of principles becomes the benchmark, ratherthan a deference to people who are fundamentally politically destined todestroy the lives of their own people, and by that I mean what Tom Friedman hascalled "Sharafat." I mean, I do think in that sense, there's -- thatboth political leaders have been dreadfully irresponsible, and unfortunately,it does require external intervention which, very much like the Rwanda scenario-- that thought experiment, of "if we had intervened early" -- anyintervention is going to come under fierce criticism, but we have to thinkabout lesser evils, especially when the human stakes are just becoming evermore pronounced. [Conversations With History, UC-Berkeley Institute ofInternational Studies via YouTube, accessed3/29/11]

Beck Misrepresents Soros'Words On Israel

Beck Falsely Claims SorosSees Israel As "The Main Problem In The Middle East To Transformation." On his televisionshow, Beck lifted a statement from Soros out of context to falsely accuse himof saying that Israel is " 'the main stumbling block' to the transformation ofthe Middle East":

BECK:While Soros' group advocates for these radical groups, he then singles outIsrael, calling them -- I'm quoting -- "the main stumbling block" to thetransformation of the Middle East. He added, in this report, "in reality,Israel has much to gain from the spread of democracy in the Middle East as theUnited States has, but Israel is unlikely to recognize its own best interestsbecause the change is too sudden and carries too many risks."

Isn'tit good to have a grandpa or a great-great-great-grandpa that will just take usall by the hand and just fix all our problems, because we're just too dumb oryoung to understand. Remember, George Soros says Israel is the main problem inthe Middle East to transformation. It's too scary for them. [Fox News, GlennBeck, 3/29/11]

REALITY: Soros WasReferring Specifically To Support For Mubarak In Israel, Which Soros Argued WasNot In Israel's "Own Best Interests." In a Washington Post op-ed titled,"Why Obama has to get Egypt right," Soros wrote about the revolutions sweepingthe Middle East, focusing particularly on the situation in Egypt. From theop-ed:

Somehave articulated fears of adverse consequences of free elections, suggestingthat the Egyptian military may seek to falsify the results; that Israel may beadamantly opposed to a regime change; that the domino effect of extremistpolitics spreading to other countries must be avoided; and that the supply ofoil from the region could be disrupted. These notions constitute the oldconventional wisdom about the Middle East -- and need to be changed, lestWashington incorrectly put up resistance to or hesitate in supportingtransition in Egypt.

Thatwould be regrettable. President Obama personally and the United States as acountry have much to gain by moving out in front and siding with the publicdemand for dignity and democracy. This would help rebuild America's leadershipand remove a lingering structural weakness in our alliances that comes frombeing associated with unpopular and repressive regimes. Most important, doingso would open the way to peaceful progress in the region. The Muslim Brotherhood'scooperation with Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel laureate who is seeking to runfor president, is a hopeful sign that it intends to play a constructive role ina democratic political system. As regards contagion, it is more likely toendanger the enemies of the United States -- Syria and Iran -- than our allies,provided that they are willing to move out ahead of the avalanche.

Themain stumbling block is Israel. In reality, Israel has as much to gain from thespread of democracy in the Middle East as the United States has. But Israel isunlikely to recognize its own best interests because the change is too suddenand carries too many risks. And some U.S. supporters of Israel are more rigidand ideological than Israelis themselves. Fortunately, Obama is not beholden tothe religious right, which has carried on a veritable vendetta against him. TheAmerican Israel Public Affairs Committee is no longer monolithic or the solerepresentative of the Jewish community. The main danger is that the Obamaadministration will not adjust its policies quickly enough to the suddenlychanged reality. [The Washington Post, 2/3/11]

Beck Omits ContextAnd Suggests Soros Sees America As "The Main Obstacle To A Stable And JustWorld Order"

Beck: Soros Sees America As "The Main Obstacle To A Stable AndJust World Order." From the March 29 edition of Fox News' GlennBeck:

BECK:George Soros is also the guy that believes that -- this -- quoting him: "Themain obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States." Whoa. Solet's see if we have this right. Israel and the U.S. is an obstacle to what heor his groups believe should happen. Huh!

Youknow who else thinks that? Osama bin Laden. Oh, I know. How about like Iran?Wait. We didn't stand up for the people of Iran. That's a weird coincidence.It's almost like Iran. Remember, they say we're the "great Satan" and Israel isthe "little Satan." They're just using "Satan" while he's using "obstacles."[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 3/29/11]

REALITY: Soros WasCritiquing The Policies Of The Bush Administration, And His Top Priority Was"Changing That Attitude And Policies Of The United States." In his book TheAge of Fallibility: Consequences of the War on Terror, Soros wrote that the"main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States"and this was because "the Bush administration is setting the wrongagenda." He went on to write that "[c]hanging that attitude andpolicies of the United States remains my top priority." From The Age ofFallibility:

Themain obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States. This is aharsh -- indeed, for me, painful -- thing to say, but unfortunately I amconvinced it is true. The United States continues to set the agenda for theworld in spite of its loss of influence since 9/11, and the Bush administrationis setting the wrong agenda. The Bush agenda is nationalistic: it emphasizesthe use of force and ignores global problems whose solution requiresinternational cooperation. The rest of the world dances to the tune the United Statesis playing, and if that continues too long we are in danger of destroying ourcivilization. Changing that attitude and policies of the United States remainsmy top priority. [The Age of Fallibility: Consequences of the War on Terrorvia Media Matters, 11/10/10]

Beck MisrepresentsReport By Group That Received Soros Money To Claim It Supports Radical GroupsLike Al Qaeda

Beck DistortsInternational Crisis Group Report To Claim It "Advocates For ... Radical Groups." Beckstated:

BECK:The only thing that would make George Soros look foolish is his ideas spokenclearly out in the open -- ideas that are wildly out of step with the Americanpeople and, I do believe, becoming dangerous, which is why he has to keep themin disguise. He has put together one serious operation. It's a seriousoperation that is on the wrong side of history.

Forexample, do you know about the Soros-funded International Crisis Group? Look upthe International Crisis Group. It is -- oh, it's quite amazing. And it seemsto be right in the center of almost everything that is happening overseas,especially in Libya now and Egypt. The International Crisis Group hasconsistently worked to support the groups in the Middle East who want toestablish an Islamic government, including the Muslim Brotherhood and even AlQaeda.

Thereis a report that came out in June 2008 -- it's this one -- it's entitled,"Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood: Confrontation or Integration?" Guesswhat they decided would be best? It was put out by his group, the InternationalCrisis Group, who I believe he sits on the board and so did [Mohamed] Elbaradeifor a while. Well, he resigned as soon as he got that call.

Thereport calls on Egypt's government and calls the crackdown of Egypt'sgovernment back then -- the crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood as, quote,"dangerously short-sighted," adding, "the regime should takepreliminary steps to normalize the Muslim Brotherhood's participation inpolitical life." Oh, had Mubarak only listened. Had he only listened. Now,while Soros' group advocates for these radical groups, he then singles outIsrael, calling them -- I'm quoting -- "the main stumbling block" to thetransformation of the Middle East. [Fox News, Glenn Beck,3/29/11]

REALITY: ICG ReportStressed That Muslim Brotherhood Needed To Moderate And Alter Certain Views. In a June 2008report titled, "Egypt's Muslim Brothers: Confrotation Or Integration,"Soros-funded group the International Crisis Group analyzed the situation inEgypt in the aftermath of that country's 2005 elections, in which the MuslimBrotherhood captured an unprecedented 20 percent of parliamentary votes. Itoffered several recommendations to the government of Egypt and to theBrotherhood, including "amend[ing] the Society's political program." From thereport:

TheSociety of Muslim Brothers' success in the November-December 2005 elections forthe People's Assembly sent shockwaves through Egypt's political system. Inresponse, the regime cracked down on the movement, harassed other potentialrivals and reversed its fledging reform process. This is dangerouslyshort-sighted. There is reason to be concerned about the Muslim Brothers'political program, and they owe the people genuine clarifications about severalof its aspects. But the ruling National Democratic Party's (NDP) refusal toloosen its grip risks exacerbating tensions at a time of both politicaluncertainty surrounding the presidential succession and serious socio-economicunrest. Though this likely will be a prolonged, gradual process, the regimeshould take preliminary steps to normalise the Muslim Brothers' participationin political life.

[...]

TheMuslim Brothers also carry their share of responsibility. Although they havemade considerable efforts to clarify their vision and can make a credible casethat they embrace the rules of democratic politics, including the principles ofcitizenship, rotation of power and multiparty political life, serious questionslinger. Many of their pronouncements are ambiguous; not a few - including intheir most recent political program - retain a distinctly non-democratic,illiberal tone. This is particularly true concerning the role of women and theplace of religious minorities, neither of whom, for example, the MuslimBrothers believe should be eligible for the presidency. Clarification isneeded. Democratising the Society's internal practice also would help,particularly if the group's more pragmatic wing is able to make a credible casefor a doctrinal revision as the price to pay for political integration.

[...]

Tothe Society of Muslim Brothers:

4.Engage in a dialogue with members of the government, opposition and civilsociety, notably by:

(a)approaching officials and reform-minded NDP members to discuss conditionsnecessary for the Society's peaceful political integration;

(b)engaging with secular opposition parties and movements to form a consensus onhow the Society can best be integrated as well as wider issues of politicalreform;

(c)engaging with representatives of the Christian community in a frank dialogue onsectarian relations and the Society's stance toward religious minorities;

(d)supporting comprehensive political reform clearly, as opposed to a bilateralarrangement between the Society and the regime; and

(e)  ensuring that consensus positions on these issues are formed within the Societyin a democratic manner to avoid contradictory approaches by members.

5. Finalise and amend the Society's political program, in particular by:

(a)altering its position on the role of women and non-Muslims in public life;

(b)continuing to seek input from a wide range of its members as well asnon-members; and

(c)clarifying relations between the Society and a future related political party.[International Crisis Group, "Egypt's Muslim Brothers: Confrotation OrIntegration," 6/18/08]

Beck And Right-WingMedia Have Repeatedly Pushed Theory That Obama May Attack Israel

Beck Claims UnitedStates Will "Mount A Campaign Against Israel." On his radio show,Beck discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip, claiming that the Muslim Brotherhoodis "taking over the military in Egypt" and forming what he called a "mammothprotection force for the Palestinians." He then said: "I'm telling you, Israelis being set up." He continued: "And you watch, you mark my words,responsibility to protect will be used to go and mount a campaign againstIsrael. Please, I am begging Jewish-Americans to wake up. Please, wake up."[Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 3/25/11]

Frank Gaffney:"The Gadhafi Precedent: Could Attack On Libya Set The Stage For ActionAgainst Israel?" In a WashingtonTimes op-ed, Frank Gaffney commented on the U.S. decision to join amultilateral effort to establish a no-fly zone over Libya, writing that the"Gadhafi Precedent" could be "used in the not-too-distant futureto justify and threaten the use of U.S. military forces against an American ally: Israel." [The Washington Times, 3/21/11]

Fox Nation:"Could Attack On Libya Set State For Action Against Israel?" The Fox Nationwebsite highlighted Gaffney's article, using the headline: "Could Attackon Libya Set Stage for Action Against Israel?":

[Fox Nation, 3/22/11]

WorldNetDaily:"American Military Targeting Israel?" In a columnreferring to Gaffney's article, WorldNetDaily's Aaron Klein wrote: "CouldPresident Obama's decision to sidestep Congress and strike Libya as part of aninternational coalition put the U.S. on a military collision course withIsrael?" He further stated: "While the prospect of American orWestern forces confronting Israeli troops may seem remote, one Middle Eastpolicy expert is warning the precedent set by Obama in agreeing to target Libyaopens the door to other possible United Nations-backed confrontations,including perhaps one day with Israel." [WorldNetDaily, 3/22/11]

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Just A Reminder

Republicans love to spread the lie that Democrats are big spenders who don't care about the deficit. But the truth is that Democrats have been much more fiscally responsible than Republicans. This chart reminds us that it's Republican presidents who love to spend and run up huge deficits. Of course some of you will want to point out the huge debt currently faced by the nation, but when you do please be honest enough to admit that most of it is due to policies initiated by George Bush -- policies that current Republicans will not let the president do away with.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/lhav/~3/k906dUG1y20/just-reminder.html

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Popularity Dropping For Top GOP Candidates

I 've posted recently about how there is still no favorite among the potential Republican candidates for president in 2012. The top candidates are still hanging around 20% -- a long way from being a real favorite. The nomination is still wide open.

But it turns out that it's even worse than that. Not only are none of the candidates really exciting Republicans, but the top four candidates are actually dropping in favorability among the general population. And that's not good for Republican hopes of upsetting President Obama next year.

Public Policy polling, one of the more respected polling organizations did a recent survey and that survey shows that the top four candidates have actually dropped in favorability since April of 2009. Here is how they stack up.

MITT ROMNEY
April 2009 -- favorable 40%/unfavorable 35% (+5)
March 2011 -- favorable 32%/unfavorable 44% (-12)
A drop of 17 points in the last two years
Dropped 18 points with Republicans & 9 points with Independents

MIKE HUCKABEE
April 2009 -- favorable 42%/unfavorable 34% (+8)
March 2011 -- favorable 35%/unfavorable 42% (-7)
A drop of 15 points in the last two years
Dropped 7 points with Republicans & 19 points with Independents

SARAH PALIN
April 2009 -- favorable 42%/unfavorable 49% (-7)
March 2011 -- favorable 35%/unfavorable 57% (-22)
A drop of 15 points in the last two years
Dropped 18 points with Republicans & 19 points with Independents

NEWT GINGRICH
April 2009 -- favorable 36%/unfavorable 44% (-8)
March 2011 -- favorable 26%/unfavorable 57% (-31)
A drop of 23 points in the last two years
Dropped 25 points with Republicans & 33 points with Independents

The fact that the top four candidates are all dropping in popularity, both with Republicans and Independents, shows that not only is the race still wide open but there is room for new candidates to enter the fray. It looks like the voters are still waiting for someone that really excites them.

The problem so far is that none of the others so far can even equal these four. Candidates like Pawlenty, Santorum, Huntsman and Cain are not recognizable to most voters and have been unable to get more than 2-3% support. It looks like Michele Bachmann is going to toss her hat in the ring, but that doesn't excite anyone but the teabaggers (since it is unlikely she could get much support from the general population).

There's still a few months before things really get serious in the presidential contest, but a candidate would need to start raising money soon to be ready for the primary campaign. And so far, there's no real excitement for the current options (especially outside the Republican Party -- and if you can't bring in Independents, you can't win).

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/lhav/~3/oQT1BZsREVE/popularity-dropping-f
or-top-gop.html

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Defense Of Marriage

Political Cartoon is by John Cole in The Scranton Times.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/lhav/~3/vAfpUNPQv-4/defense-of-marriage.h
tml

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Those Incredible Republicans

Republicans can be pretty amazing in the things they try to convince Americans are for the best. They can put forth the most outrageous ideas and justifications, and do it with a straight face. They're either the best liars in the country, or they're completely devoid of any common sense or shame. Just look at some of the things they want us to believe now:

Let's start with a Texas Republican -- Rep. Ron Paul. This nut has decided that the Constitution is applicable only when he and other Republicans want it to be. Paul told a crowd of home-schoolers a few days ago that it is not only legal, but also constitutional for states to nullify federal laws they don't like. He said, "The chances of us getting things changed around soon through the legislative process is not all the good. And that is why I am a strong endorser of the nullification movement, that states like this should just nullify these laws. And in principle, nullification is proper and moral and constitutional, which I believe it is. . ."

Either Paul was just telling the right-wing crowd what they wanted to hear (a distinct possibility since Republicans don't seem to mind lying at all) or he has never actually read the Constitution. Or maybe he thinks only parts of it actually apply when he can't get what he wants. Article VI of the United States Constitution clearly states that ". . .the Laws of the United States. . .shall be the supreme Law of the Land." This is not ambiguous. It has been settled law for a very long time that federal law trumps state law -- even federal laws that Republicans don't like.

Then we have Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty, both of whom want to be the Republican presidential nominee. Their bright idea is to give the filthy rich corporations a "tax holiday". It's not bad enough that these same corporations hide tons of money out of the country to avoid paying the taxes they owe on it, but now these Republicans want to allow these tax-dodgers to bring the money back home without paying any taxes on it. They are trying to claim the corporate bigwigs will use the money to create new jobs. What a ridiculous assertion!

I say that because this has already been tried once. George Bush fell for this con back in 2004 and gave the corporations their tax holiday. They brought millions back, without paying any taxes on it, and stuck it in the bank accounts of management and owners -- without creating a single job. Then they started shipping their new profits overseas to avoid paying taxes on it (sure in the knowledge that they could bring it back tax-free in the future with another tax holiday). Now they want to pull the same con again, and Republicans are all for it (because they know some of it will wind up in their campaign funds).

Next, we have Republican Rep. Sean Duffy (Wisconsin) who seems to be running for "whiner of the year". When one of his constituents asked what his salary was and if he was willing to take a 5% pay cut, Duffy responded that he only made $174,000 and drove a "used minivan". When the man pointed out that was three times the salary his family had to live on (and also three times the national average for workers), Duffy whined that "I have more debt than you. . .I don't live high off the hog."

Now it is no one's fault that Duffy ran up a lot of debt except his own, and if he wants to drive a used minivan that is also his concern. Most Americans would be thrilled to earn what Duffy does (especially with the government benefits it comes with). Duffy's protestations are absurd, and with all the cuts the Republicans want regular Americans to endure, he should be happy to take a piddly 5% pay cut.

And it's not just the national Republican politicians trying to put something over on the public. In the recent Wisconsin mess the Republicans kept telling Wisconsin residents that ending collective bargaining for state employees was necessary to balance the state budget. It was just an effort to save money in this time of recession. That was a lie.

And State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican, let the cat out of the bag in a fundraising letter he sent to Republican voters. I guess he didn't think any of those voters would let the truth out. In the letter he said admitted (even bragged) that the real reason was to "break the power of unions like WEAC and AFSCME once and for all." That's no surprise to workers. They knew that was all the Republicans wanted. It balancing the budget was important then they wouldn't have given their rich corporate buddies a tax break at the same time.

And then there are greed-mongers like former Texas State Rep. David Swinford of Amarillo. This Republican abruptly resigned his seat last August so he could spend some quality time with his family. At least that's what he said at the time. But now we know the real reason he resigned before his term was complete -- he needed the time to line up some clients before the new legislative session opened. That "quality time" with his family is now being spend back in Austin working as a lobbyist for several companies. It is expected he will make from $200,000 to $300,000 this year from his lobbying efforts, trading on his ties with other legislators.

It should be illegal for lawmakers to immediately become lobbyists and turn their public service into a moneymaking venture. There should be a waiting period before they can become lobbyists. A bill to create such a waiting period has been introduced, but it has no chance of passage in the Republican-dominated legislature. Those Republicans don't want to kill their own chances of getting rich off their public service in the future.

We must always remember that with Republican politicians it's always about the money, and they don't mind lying to you or telling you what you want to hear to finally cash in. That's why they favor the rich and the corporations over ordinary Americans -- because that's where the money is (and they will always protect their own path to that money). It's just the way they are.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/lhav/~3/BieRancSaKY/those-incredible-repu
blicans.html

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Bachmann Does Iowa

Political Cartoon is by David Horsey in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/lhav/~3/a3sP0pvpb3g/bachmann-does-iowa.ht
ml

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Late Late Night FDL: Janis On Cavett

Janis Joplin -- Move Over, on The Dick Cavett Show, June 25, 1970; and Get It While You Can, from the same show.[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/firedoglake/fdl/~3/9K84C1EV-FA/

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

The Nightowl Newswrap

• The right wing really does pay their trolls Another CraigsList job ad -- for writers to post right-wing comments on blogs and social media sites to "balance the left-wing bias of major media outlets" by creating a persona that posts consistent, on-message comments that stick to supplied talking points. (This one is Canadian, but we have seen and linked them in this country, too. God help Canada if their right wing goes as insane as ours has.)

• One down, seven to go "The voice of the people in Wisconsin is making itself heard against Governor Scott Walker and the Republican senators, who pushed Walker's anti-union bill through utilizing a variety of seemingly illegal tactics, in the recall campaign against Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac), which appears to have enough signatures to force a recall election. ... You will recall Randy as the senator whose wife and maid said they would sign for his recall or perhaps for getting his girlfriend a state job paying $11,000.00 more annually than the previous person made doing the same job. Or maybe you'll remember Randy as the guy who claimed death threats were keeping him from attending a parade with is wife, only to be outed as having filed for divorce months ago."

• It's good to be reminded of the long, long list of actual accomplishments this President has achieved in his first two years in office. Some idiots are convinced since they didn't get a pony that he ain't dun nuthin' -- did we mention that these people are idiots?

• A fresh new scam targeting Missouri senior citizens "A new telephone scam is making the rounds, says Saline County Sheriff Wally George. ... George said the caller tells the person that they are calling to update social security records and need to verify bank address and account numbers. ... Another variation of the scam is telling the subject that Social Security is changing its routing numbers and needs to update account records to ensure people continue to receive their check. ... George said senior should know that the Social Security Administration never calls anyone by phone to update information or to inform you of changes in reference to your social security account. ... "They only contact you by mail," George said."

• So there is no penalty for prosecutorial misconduct? What the fuck??? They can railroad anyone to Death Row and get away with it. Welcome to Gilead. "In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, who contended that his office should not have to pay a $14 million judgment awarded to former death row inmate John Thompson, who was wrongfully convicted of murder when prosecutors withheld evidence. ... At a news conference wtih Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, Cannizzaro said the opinion "removes a dark cloud of uncertainty that was hanging over the district attorney's office when I arrived here in 2008." ... Cannizzaro noted that the judgment, which he estimated had grown to about $20 million with interest over the past four years, would have effectively shuttered the DA's office. ... The court's opinion was written by Justice Clarence Thomas, who was joined by John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy. At issue was whether the DA's office could be held liable for the actions of a couple of prosecutors who admittedly hid some blood evidence favorable to Thompson in an armed robbery case before taking him to trial for the 1984 murder of hotel executive Ray Liuzza during an Uptown stickup. ... Prosecutors typically enjoy immunity from such lawsuits, but a jury in 2007 sided with Thompson, who sued the DA's office for railroading him into death row via the purposely bungled robbery case. Then-District Attorney Eddie Jordan defended the civil case in federal court, but the Thompson prosecution was overseen by longtime Orleans Parish DA Harry Connick. ... The decision by Thomas concluded that the DA's office could not be held responsible for failing to train prosecutors about their obligation to turn over exculpatory evidence based on a single case.  It means that Thompson will not collect his award."

• Of course The Weekly Standard is scrambling like a junkie whore to paint the Koch brothers as victims of liberal hate Do you have any idea how long the douchebags who create propaganda over there could avoid getting honest work if the Koch's saw fit to underwrite that rag with a couple million bucks?

• Okay, Newt, you have to pick one...we can become "atheistic" or we can throw our lot in with the coming caliphate -- but we can't do both, because they're kinda the epitome of what we would call "mutually exclusive" "Newt Gingrich warned churchgoers on Monday that an unholy (semi-holy?) combination of Islamic theocrats and secular atheists could seize control of the United States within decades. ... "I have two grandchildren -- Maggie is 11, Robert is 9," Gingrich said at a church in Texas, according to Politico. "I am convinced that if we do not decisively win the struggle over the nature of America, by the time they're my age they will be in a secular atheist country, potentially one dominated by radical Islamists and with no understanding of what it once meant to be an American.""

• Shut it down, bitches. America will know who to blame. "This week, Boehner and House Republicans are drawing thick lines in the sand in budget negotiations with Democrats, and the threat of a shutdown -- something Boehner has insisted he wants to avoid -- has spiked. On Tuesday, principals on both sides spoke as if a shutdown wasn't just inevitable, but imminent. Cue finger-pointing. ... Democrats won't be responsible for a shutdown, said House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer. "It's self-evident by the statements of so many Republicans and the votes of 54 people...that voted not to continue government...unless they got what they wanted." ... Hoyer was one of several high-profile Democrats to make this case. ... "At the end of last week the House Republicans did a strange thing," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on the Senate floor Tuesday morning. "They pulled back from the talks. They changed their minds about what level of spending cuts they could accept. We were right on the verge of a potential breakthrough and they suddenly moved the goalposts." ... Schumer added, "Speaker Boehner is caught between a shutdown and a hard place. He's caught a tiger by the tail in the form of the Tea Party. There's even a Tea Party rally planned for later this week to pressure the Speaker not to budge.""

• We would say that this guy is blatant, but "blatant" is far too tame a word to describe this. "A foreign national was indicted yesterday for allegedly illegally importing an unmanned spy plane into the U.S., and then trying to resell it on eBay. ... According to a press release from the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement service, Henson Chua of the Philippines was indicted and charged by a grand jury in Tampa with violating the Arms Export Control Act and smuggling. Chua is accused of importing an RQ-11B "Raven" Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from the Philippines into the U.S., which is listed on the U.S. Munitions List as a defensive item, "without having first obtained from the U.S. Department of State a license or written authorization." He then "aided and abetted the attempted export" of the same UAV. ... U.S. arms code prohibits people from buying and selling defense equipment without permission from the government, primarily to prevent people from selling U.S.-manufactured equipment to foreign governments. But Chua managed to reverse the process."

• Yeah, you can stop painting that Mission Accomplished sign now. "Troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, have shelled pro-democracy forces heading west on the main coastal highway, pushing them out of Bin Jawad, a small town around 150km east of Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown. Al Jazeera's Hoda-Abdel Hamid, on the road leading east from Ras Lanuf, reported that explosions had also occured in that town on Tuesday, which opposition fighters had earlier retreated to from Bin Jawad. "So certainly what we can say at this stage is that Bin Jawad is not any more in the hands of the rebels, actually the Gaddafi forces now are managing to pound Ras Lanuf and are getting closer and closer to them, pushing the opposition fighters eastwards more and more," she said. I think this is an exact repeat of what happened about three weeks ago." Pro-Gaddafi forces were mostly using mortars and artillery, as opposed to the tanks and airstrikes of early advances, she said."

• Didn't work in Tunisia, didn't work in Egypt, ain't gonna work in Syria. Don't these tyrants watch the news? "Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, has accepted the resignation of the country's government, following two weeks of anti-government protests that have gripped Syria. "President Assad accepts the government's resignation," an announcement on state television said on Tuesday. Naji al-Otari, the resigning premier, has been chosen by Assad as caretaker prime minister. The government has little power in Syria, where power is concentrated in the hand of Assad, his family and the security apparatus. Otari has been prime minister since 2003. The 32-member cabinet will continue running the country's affairs until the formation of a new government. A new cabinet is to be formed in 24 hours, sources have told Al Jazeera. Assad is to address the nation on Wednesday, according to a senior official, in his first speech in two weeks of unprecedented dissent."

• Remember Iraq? Yeah, it's still a civil-war-ridden hellhole. "At least 55 people have been killed and 95 injured after armed men stormed a government building in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit immediately after a suicide bomber detonated explosives that cleared the way for the attack. "A suicide bomber detonated his explosives belt outside the provincial council building in Tikrit, and immediately after that gunmen stormed into the building," a police official told the AFP news agency on Tuesday. Another provincial official said the men, who wore security forces' uniforms, threw hand grenades and opened fire at a checkpoint of the Salahuddin provincial council building before they managed to storm it. Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh, reporting from the capital Baghdad, said officials told her none of the hostages were spared. "They were shot at point-blank range, execution style ... and in a rather horrific account, the council spokesman said the bodies of three councilmen, who were among the hostages, were set on fire after they were killed." "

• Well of course he's behind it. Getting away with it, too. "The UN peacekeeping mission in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) has released a statement saying forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the country's incumbent leader, opened fire on civilians in Abidjan on Monday, killing about a dozen people. The organisation said that in another incident, a group of pro-Gbagbo youths put a tyre around a young man and burnt him alive in the Riviera area of the city, and that another group "savagely attacked" two UN staff. "With the increase in human rights violations and barbaric practices, there are grounds for wondering whether President Gbagbo is still in charge of his forces and supporters," Tuesday's statement said. "UNOCI believes it is imperative to end this spiral of violence by finding a definitive solution to the political impasse which stemmed from the post-electoral crisis." Gbagbo's camp was not immediately available to comment on the UN statement."

• Have we mentioned how incredibly fucking stupid it is to antagonize people whose good will and cooperation you desperately need? "Muslim citizens of the United States face growing discrimination in daily life, manifesting itself in violence, vandalism and arson, a US congressional panel has been told. Speakers on Tuesday said that evidence of anti-Muslim bigotry included inflammatory remarks made by elected public officials. "We continue to solicit and receive the support of many Muslim Americans who love this nation and work with our government to protect it," Democratic senator Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate judiciary subcommittee chair, said. "At the same time, many law-abiding Muslim Americans face discrimination and charges that they're not real Americans simply because of their religion." "

• Nothing like a horrible industrial catastrophe to pump energy into a flagging protest movement. "The death toll from explosions at an ammunition plant in southern Yemen has risen to 150. Initial reports said 78 had died, but more bodies have since been pulled out of the factory in the town of Jaar. The explosion has caused great anger among locals, who accuse the authorities of planning it to try to win further support from the US, a BBC correspondent says. Yemeni officials have blamed al-Qaeda for the blasts. The explosions came after weeks of protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule. They occurred while residents were searching for ammunition left behind by suspected Islamist militants, who had been involved in clashes with government forces in the area on Sunday."

• "Stop talking about jobs!" "One of the mantras of congressional Republicans over the past two years has been to ask, "Where are the jobs?" House GOP leader John Boehner (OH) made this into a theme of the campaign last fall. As then-GOP chairman Michael Steele summarized the argument: "Americans are still asking, 'Where are the jobs?' ... Washington Democrats still have no answers." ... This afternoon, Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and other progressives took to the floor of the House of Representatives to turn this question back on their Republican colleagues. Ellison and the others asked where all the jobs-creation legislation was, excoriating their conservative colleagues for focusing on legislation like terminating the HAMP program, which would do nothing to create jobs. ... At one point, Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL) took to the floor to respond to the progressives. She attacked the HAMP program, urging her colleagues to end it, and signaled that she would oppose progressive amendments to the GOP's bill for ending the mortgage modification program. Then, she incredulously told her colleagues to stop talking about jobs and focus rather on the substance of the amendments."

• This fucker really should shut up about his job "At a townhall meeting in Amery, Wisconsin last week, the "Real World's" Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) exposed just how out of touch with ordinary Americans he is. According to progressive blog Rightguardia, one constituent - an underemployed construction worker - explained that his wife, a teacher, may have to take a cut in wages if Wisconsin's draconian budget bill goes through. "I'm just wondering what your wage is and if you guys would be willing to take a cut," he asked Duffy. ... Displaying that delicate sense of empathy characteristic of conservatives, Duffy whined about his $174,000 congressional salary and his "used minivan." When the man pointed out his salary was "three times what I make," Duffy reassured him that "I have more debt than you." "I'm not living high off the hog," he added."

• Religious leaders launch hunger strike to oppose republican budget cuts "As Congress' negotiations over a resolution to keep the government funded devolve, exasperated religious leaders on Monday said the deep federal budgets cuts being proposed are immoral. In response, they're going on a hunger strike. ... "The budget is a moral document, and it's very important," said former Rep. Tony Hall (D-Ohio), the head of the Alliance to End Hunger. "I think a country is judged on how it treats the poorest of its citizens. We live in a country that's been very blessed, and if we can't take care of our neediest citizens, then I think that doesn't speak well of us." ... Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, the heads of five anti-hunger organizations -- including Jim Wallis of Sojourners, Rev. David Beckmann of Bread for the World, and Ritu Sharma of Women Thrive Worldwide -- announced open-ended fasts in protest of proposed cuts to domestic and international food programs contained in the six-month spending bill that has been passed by the House."

• We concur with Rep. McDermott's assessment. "The current continuing resolution under which the federal government is operating expires on April 8, and at the moment, it seems that budget talks between House Republican leadership and Senate Democrats have broken down. Republicans want their spending bill - H.R. 1 - to "serve as a starting point for all negotiations" (even though Democrats have now upped the amount of spending cuts they're willing to pass, alongside zero concessions from Republicans). ... As we've noted, H.R. 1 includes debilitating cuts to programs that benefit women, children, students, and veterans. And by limiting their cuts to the non-defense discretionary portion of the budget, the GOP's cuts disproportionately fall upon those who depend most on government programs that provide important services like education and health care. ... Republicans claim the cuts are necessary to reduce the deficit, but in an interview with The Wonk Room today, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) noted that cuts to anti-poverty programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are "fiscally stupid" due to their potential for providing savings over the long-term"

• California's off-shore emissions rules upheld by Ninth Circuit "The merchant shipping industry has failed a second time to short-circuit California's effort to combat the toll on the health of its population from air pollution caused by oceangoing vessels. ... The industry is contesting California's authority to regulate fuel used by seagoing vessels up to 24 miles off its coast. ... The Air Resources Board estimates the vessels' emissions of particulate matter cause 300 premature deaths across the state every year. ... California mandates that ships "use cleaner marine fuels in diesel and diesel-electric engines, main propulsion engines, and auxiliary boilers" while operating far beyond the traditional three-mile jurisdictional limit. The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, in a lawsuit closely watched by states on both coasts, argues that federal statutes and the U.S. Constitution preempt those state rules. ... The association asked U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. to summarily invalidate the rules adopted by the ARB in 2009. ... England refused, and the association took its case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. On Monday, a three-judge appellate panel upheld England and sent the case back to Sacramento for trial. ... In their 45-page opinion, the judges acknowledged as unusual both California's Vessel Fuel Rules and the environmental problems they are intended to address. ... Neither the constitution nor federal maritime law "should be used to bar a state from exercising its own police powers in order to combat these severe problems," the judges said."

• Whoops. "A BP employee lost a laptop containing personal data belonging to thousands of Louisiana residents who filed claims for compensation after the Gulf oil spill, a company spokesman said Tuesday. ... BP spokesman Curtis Thomas said the oil giant on Monday mailed out letters to roughly 13,000 people whose data was stored on the computer, notifying them about the potential data security breach and offering to pay for their credit to be monitored. The company also reported the missing laptop to law enforcement, he said. ... The laptop was password-protected, but the information was not encrypted, Thomas said. ... The data included a spreadsheet of claimants' names, Social Security numbers, phone numbers and addresses. But Thomas said the company doesn't have any evidence that claimants' personal information has been misused."

• If the administration ignores the Judge's ruling, charge the Governor with Contempt of Court and throw his ass in jail to ponder his fealty to the Koch Brothers "A Dane County judge issued another injunction Tuesday enjoining Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette from publishing the controversial anti-union bill. ...  In yet another twist to the political saga in Wisconsin, Judge Maryann Sumi put the passage of the so-called Budget Repair Bill on hold. She referred back to her original injunction and told the court room: "Apparently that language was either misunderstood or ignored, but what I said was the further implementation of Act 10 was enjoined. That is what I now want to make crystal clear." ...   The publication is halted while Sumi hears further testimony about allegations made by Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne that the largely Republican Joint Committee of Conference violated Wisconsin's Open Meetings Law. Ozanne said the bill was rushed through with inadequate notice in a procedural trick. ... A three-judge panel of the Fourth District Court of Appeals also favored Wisconsin Democrats in a seperate ruling on Tuesday, rejecting Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's attempt to withdraw an appeal he filed to block the original temporary injunction. "We conclude that it appears we lack such authority and we deny the motion," the unsigned opinion states."

• The etiology of the word used as an insult probably came about because no other word fit, or seemed strong enough. When we consider it in that light, Bill Maher is absolutely, positively, 100% right. And when he called her a "stupid twat" too. Also.

And finally...

• Shame! Shame on every medieval, fossil-fuel-loving, Big-Oil-cocksucking, know-nothing rethuglican motherfucker who thinks murkin coal will save the world. "China remains the world's leading investor in low-carbon energy technology, a global study has shown. The table, published by the US Pew Environment Group, showed that the Chinese invested $54.4bn (?34.1bn) in 2010, up from $39.1bn in 2009. While the US saw investment increase by 51% to $34bn, it still slipped from 2nd to 3rd in the ranking, behind Germany's $41.2bn. However, the UK slipped outside the top 10 as investment fell by 70% in 2010. Globally, the sector - which does not include nuclear power - attracted $243bn of investment, a 30% increase from 2009 and a whopping 630% rise since 2004. The authors also said that 40 gigawatts (GW) of wind and 17GW of solar energy were installed during 2010, taking the global clean power capacity to 388GW. The report Who's Winning the Clean Energy Race, using data compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, examined the clean energy sector's investment and technological trends in the G20 leading economies. "Looking at global trends, the solar sector experiences the strongest growth among the various technologies," observed Michael Liebreich, chief executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance. "Declining prices and generous government support in key countries helped the solar sector achieve 40% of total clean energy investment in 2010," he added. The report outlined that as well as attracting the most investment, China was also the world's leading producer of wind turbines and solar energy units."

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!