Anyone who thinks they have all the Answers before they've even heard the Question - is Dangerously Deluded! Real Truth Requires Vigilance, Perseverance and Courage, regardless of Party and who wields Power. Left, Right, Center, Corporations, Government, Unions, Criminals or the Indifferent.
Yeah, we've all known it for a long time and Robert Greenwald did a great job of laying it all out with insiders and detailed analysis in his film "OutFoxed" - but today yet another report has come from behind partisan enemy lines, and the truth is devastating.
Indeed, a former Fox News employee who recently agreed to talk with Media Matters confirmed what critics have been saying for years about Murdoch’s cable channel. Namely, that Fox News is run as a purely partisan operation, virtually every news story is actively spun by the staff, its primary goal is to prop up Republicans and knock down Democrats, and that staffers at Fox News routinely operate without the slightest regard for fairness or fact checking.
“It is their M.O. to undermine the administration and to undermine Democrats,” says the source. “They’re a propaganda outfit but they call themselves news.
In other words, they're Liars.
Some of these quotes are just amazing.
“They say one thing and do another. They insist on maintaining this charade, this façade, that they’re balanced or that they’re not right-wing extreme propagandist,” says the source. But it’s all a well-orchestrated lie, according this former insider. It’s a lie that permeates the entire Fox News culture and one that staffers and producers have to learn quickly in order to survive professionally.
“You have to work there for a while to understand the nods and the winks,” says the source. “And God help you if you don’t because sooner or later you’re going to get burned.”
The source explains:
“Like any news channel there’s lot of room for non-news content. The content that wasn’t ‘news,’ they didn’t care what we did with as long as it was amusing or quirky or entertaining; as along as it brought in eyeballs. But anything—anything--that was a news story you had to understand what the spin should be on it. If it was a big enough story it was explained to you in the morning [editorial] meeting. If it wasn’t explained, it was up to you to know the conservative take on it. There’s a conservative take on every story no matter what it is. So you either get told what it is or you better intuitively know what it is.”
What if Fox News staffers aren’t instinctively conservative or don’t have an intuitive feeling for what the spin on a story should be? “My internal compass was to think like an intolerant meathead,” the source explains. “You could never error on the side of not being intolerant enough.”
Yeah, that pretty much explains everything doesn't it?
Technically not news, but still interesting to see exactly how they slowly indoctrinate their staff to becoming right-wing dittoheads.
When you first get in they tell you we’re a bit of a counterpart to the screaming left wing lib media. So automatically you have to buy into the idea that the other media is howling left-wing. Don’t even start arguing that or you won’t even last your first day.
“For the first few years it was let’s take the conservative take on things. And then after a few years it evolved into, well it’s not just the conservative take on things, we’re going to take the Republican take on things which is not necessarily in lock step with the conservative point of view.
“And then two, three, five years into that it was, we’re taking the Bush line on things, which was different than the GOP. We were a Stalin-esque mouthpiece. It was just what Bush says goes on our channel. And by that point it was just totally dangerous. Hopefully most people understand how dangerous it is for a media outfit to be a straight, unfiltered mouthpiece for an unchecked president.”
Just as it's dangerous to have an unfettered, unfiltered pack of attack dogs whose only purpose is to Destroy a Democratic President by any means unneccesarry. Y'now, like this.
Always the victim, always under seige.
“It was a kick ass mentality too,” says the former Fox News insider. “It was relentless and it never went away. If one controversy faded, goddamn it they would find another one. They were in search of these points of friction real or imagined. And most of them were imagined or fabricated. You always have to seem to be under siege. You always have to seem like your values are under attack. The brain trust just knew instinctively which stories to do, like the War on Christmas.”
And don't worry when you are really attacked or criticized, you have the rest of the so-called mainstream media that will come to your rescue.
“They don’t have enough staff or enough balls or don’t have enough money or don’t have enough interest to spend the time it takes to expose Fox News. Or it’s not worth the trouble. If you take on Fox, they’ll kick you in the ass,” says the source. “I’m sure most [journalists] know that. It’s not worth being Swift Boated for your effort,” a reference to how Fox News traditionally attacks journalists who write, or are perceived to have written, anything negative things about the channel.
You wouldn't want to turn into Keith Olbermann and become the new Head of News Programming at your own Network or Jon Stewart or anything.
The former insider admits to being perplexed in late 2009 when the Obama White House called out Murdoch’s operation as not being a legitimate new source, only to have major Beltway media players rush to the aid of Fox News and admonish the White House for daring to criticize the cable channel.
“That blew me away,” says the source, who stresses the White House’s critique of Fox News “happens to be true.”
Yeah, we know.
Vyan
Link to Original story : http://mediamatters.org/blog/201102100007
So Sarah Palin decided after her brilliant performance trying to upstage the memorial service for those injured in the Loughner attack to double down and upstage Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day by making a whirl wind tour of Sean Hannity's Satellite feed. You see six people were killed last week and 14 wounded in an attempted political assassination, but enough of those whiners and losers - let's get to Sweet Saint Sarah.
Hannity sets it up well...
She's here to respond to the political finger-pointing...
Oh is she? Well, I've got ten fingers and plenty of time - so this should go well.
His first question is just priceless.
Hannity: Where were you and what were you thinking at the time (of the Shooting?)
Yes, because the most important thing about this shooting was what Saint Sarah thought!
Palin: I was thinking how atrocious it was and evil it was to kill innocent..
And some people think it's pretty evil to kill Bambi's innocent mother for meat you don't even need just to boost the ratings on your phony/adventure vacation slob hunter show - but I digress.
Hannity: I googled your name and "Tucson shooting" and got over 10,000 responses connecting you to this shooting
As I wrote yesterday almost no one of any prominence directly connected this attack solely to Sarah Palin or blamed her for it personally - they mostly connected Palin to the fact that Gabrielle Gifford's Office had previously been attacked (doing so by quoting Giffords MSNBC interview from 10 months ago) and they talked about our toxic political climate - which included extreme statements mostly from Sharon Angle ("Second Amendment Remedies"), Glenn Beck ("I'd like to Kill Michael Moore with my bare hands"), Bill O'Reilly ("Could I behead Dana Milbank"), Bernard Golberg ("If it was me, I'd go to the New York Times with a Baseball bat"), Michele Bachmann (We have to be "Armed and Dangerous") with occasional Carl Paladino ("I'm gong to take you out") & Alan West ("Obama should put his life on the line") - all with the possibility that this shooting was connected to that climate.
Sherrif Dupnik didn't blame Palin personally.
Paul Krugman didn't even mention Palin, although he did talk about Beck and O'reilly.
Keith Olbermann mentioned seven people, including himself, for making statements that could have been construed as threats.
Keith Addressed this in his Special Comment Last Night.
Although I've always agreed it was wrong to blame Palin for this particular incident without conclusive proof, it's also premature to claim that a psychotic person couldn't have been triggered to violence by just about anything whether it makes sense or not. Mark David Chapman was triggered by the Catcher in the Rye, and John Hinkley by Taxi Driver. It's still too soon and unclear to rule anything completely out.
Particularly when his ex-girlfriend says he's very political and into the government - and that he's faking being insane to avoid prison.
On the issue of the Gun Sight Map Palin argues (just as everyone else on Fox News already has) that Palin can't be blamed for that because - once upon a time, long ago under a blue moon, in a galaxy far far away - Democrats Did it too.
Oh well, gee, I guess that makes it just fine and dandy then.
(Just for the record, the DLC map they use targets several states as being vulnerable for the 2004 Presidential Election, not people or even specific Congressional offices)
At no time does she or Hannity even mention what happened to 11 out of 20 of the Representatives on her target sights. For those who still don't know - here's a hint:
Tom Perriello (Virginia-5) was threatened in March 2010, including the infamous incident when the gas line was cut at his brother's house; the attacker erroneously thought it was Rep Perriello's house.
Tell me, when the Democratic Leadership Council made it's maps - how many of those Representatives received death threats and had their windows shot out or their gas lies sabotaged!?
Just curious.
Palin claims that her initial video response 4 days after the shootings wasn't "self-defense" - it was a defense of those falsely accused! Ok, since this isn't really about you Sarah, Sharon Angle didn't just call for the murder of government officials when she repeated warned/threatened that they might have to resort to "Second Amendment Remedies"? What exactly the the hell was she talking about then? If She's going defend the entire Right-Wing she has a tall order in front of her.
The Republican Party is Ann Coulter's party. It's the party of O'Reilly calling the victims of Hurricane Katrina "drug-addicted" and "thugs". It's the party of Glenn Beck calling them "scumbags" and talking about "choking the life out" of Michael Moore. It's the party of Bill Bennett talking about "you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down". It's the party of Pat Robertson calling for Hugo Chavez's assassination. Want some more? Fine.
It's the party of Michael Reagan saying Howard Dean should be "hung for treason". It's the party of Brit Hume saying his first thought upon learning about the London terror attacks was, "Hmmm, time to buy". It's the party of John Gibson wishing those attacks on France. It's the party of Neal Boortz calling Rep. Cynthia McKinney a "ghetto slut". Get the picture?
Or some of these gems ...
Let's do a quick review (thanks to Media Matters) of some of the things that Republicans, including Hannity, regularly say about Democrats and Liberals.
Sean Hannity suggested that the DNC may have been behind the Abu Ghraib prison abuse photos, asking: "Was that a DNC plot too?" (The Sean Hannity Show, 9/10/04)
Laura Ingraham stated that Democratic Sens. John Kerry (MA), Joseph R. Biden Jr. (DE), and Barbara Boxer (CA) are "on the side of" North Korea leader Kim Jong Il because they were opposed to John R. Bolton's nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. (Hannity & Colmes, 4/11/05).
Ann Coulter on Bill Clinton, "he was a very good rapist" and "molested the help" and on Al Gore, "Before we knew he was clinically insane" - "He seemed kinda gay"
Bill O'Reilly says he doesn't do "personal attacks", except of course for when he does.
On The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly has referred to media writer and Fox News Watch panelist Neal Gabler as a "rabid dog" and said of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, "How nuts is this guy?" O'Reilly also said guest Christopher Murray "sounds like a fascist" for saying that that public institutions should not display religious symbols and called former Public Broadcasting System host Bill Moyers a "totalitarian." Students at the University of Connecticut who heckled right-wing pundit Ann Coulter during her campus appearance there earned the title of "far-left Nazis" from O'Reilly. He's also called John Kerry a "sissy", and claimed that Bill Clinton would be welcomed as president by Osama bin Laden.
Jonah Goldberg has distorted comments by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), called syndicated columnist Helen Thomas a "thespian carbuncle of bile," and accused former President Jimmy Carter of engaging in a "mildly ghoulish exploitation of Coretta Scott King's funeral."
Then of course there's Michelle Malkin whose has claimed that "the vast majority of Hispanic politicians" believe that "the American Southwest belongs to Mexico;" has referred to certain Californian politicians as "Latino supremacists;" and characterized recent immigration protests as "militant racism" marked by "virulent anti-American hatred."
Despite all this Palin completely blew off the criticism of her using the term "Blood Libel" saying that it describes a false accusation of having blood on your hands. Except there is blood on the hands of the Right-Wing....
That's a total of 7 Dead, 7 Wounded by right Wing Violence in the last 2 years, while not counting the attack on Giffords.
It almost gets kinda sad/funny when Palin starts to complain, after some hefty Hannity prompting, that she and her family have received lots of death threats.
Yeah, well so has Nancy Pelosi from this guy, Gregory Guisti after Glenn Beck did a mock murder scene of her.
ELEANOR GIUSTI: Greg has -- frequently gets in with a group of people that have really radical ideas and that are not consistent with myself or the rest of the family and -- which gets him into problems. And apparently I would say this must be another one that somehow he's gotten onto either by -- I'd say Fox News or all of those that are really radical, and he -- that's where he comes from
While his actions were undeniably wrong and his choices were terrible, in part they were the actions of others played out by a very gullible Charlie. He was under the spell that Glenn Beck cast, aided by the turbulent times in our economy. I don't believe that Charlie even had the ability to actually carry out his threats.
Byron writes, "You want to know about Soros and Tides, yes, Glenn Beck is doing very well uncovering his wickedness, check his 'June' programs for 'Petrobraz', also look into 'DiscoverTheNetworks.com.' "
Byron also writes that "very good information regarding 'Petrobraz' can be found in Glenn Beck's 'June' shows, where he accurately covered the Obama-Soros-Petrobraz-Chicago (Crime Inc.) connections for several days. It's all true."
Byron adds that he "found allusions to the Horizon disaster as a 'false-flag' operation in Alex Jones 'Info.Wars.com' and 'PrisonPlanet.com.' "
"Think like a conspiracy theorist," Byron tells me during the interview. "Except don't use the word 'theory.' Because the conspiracies are not theories. The official report is the lie; the conspiracy is the truth.?"
Other than the fact Byron Williams was fortunately pulled over in a traffic stop and got into a shoot out with Police instead of the ACLU - exactly how is he all that different from Loughner who happens to believe Conspiracy theories about the Constitution that are just as nutty?
But let's not cloud up Palin's persecution fantasies with pesky facts that there is already an epidemic of violence inspired by right-wing rhetoric.
Instead lets listen to her whine that she was falsely accused of a "Blood Libel" while immediately turning around and saying that Loughner was "Leftie".
Palin: (The Map) had nothing to do with an apolitical and even left leaning criminal.
Call me silly but one of these things is not like other. If you are "Apolitical" then you can't be "Left-Leaning" and vice versa. This guy posted political rants on his youtube and his home movies - and just as many have pointed out he didn't espouse any Tea Party ideology in those videos - but he didn't expose any LEFTIST ideas either.
"
If you gonna to go on and on about how it's unfair to make something political out of this - what's exactly with the "Left Leaning" jab? Was it because he read Marx? Is "Left=Communist" how your mind works? What about Mein Kampf, does "Left=Nazi" to you?
Pardon me but most of us consider being cold "Communist" and "Nazi", not to mention "Socialist" as much a slur as "Tea-Bagger", "Hate-Monger" or "Fascist Scumbag".
What about the fact he read Ayn Rand and if anything, his rants sounded mostly Libertarian which happens to be FAR FAR Right in most people's estimation?
Loughner was operating under a ton of wild Constitutional Conspiracy theories concerning the States authority to coin Gold & Silver, but then doesn't Christina O'Donnell operate under the twisted anti-constitutional theory that their "is no separation of Church and State"? Some of us would call that pretty much "Crazy" too, and she nearly became a U.S. Senator. Rand Paul thinks that when someone walks into a private establishment you - the customer - pretty much become their property to abuse as they see fit. I myself have had an extensive s with Tea Partiers on Twitter who claim the 16th Amendment doesn't authorize the Federal Government to collect Income Tax.
Frankly, as far as I'm concerned there's a whole lot of crazy going on, it doesn't just start and stop with people like Loughner.
People like this guy at the Heritage Foundation who claimed "Obama is a Domestic Enemy" - and got laughs and applause from the crowd.
Or Arizona Republican Trent Franks who said "Obama is an Enemy of Humanity - who has no place in government" :
Is this what you call "Civil Discourse"? You know what you do with "Enemies of Humanity" - you kill them!
But, here's the part that gets under my skin
Hannity: Why do you think the Left Singled you out Governor?
Palin: It's not about me, it's about the message. Those on the Left Hate my message and they'll do all that they can to stop me, because they don't like the message. They do not like to hear that message, and as many of them have promised to do- they'll destroy that message and the messenger.
Oh, so the killer was "Left Leaning" and basically the "Left" will stop at nothing because of their Hate?
Sounds to me like you're connecting this killer to the Left that has criticized your repeated, unneccesary Gun references, in the wake of a political gun crime.
That's just despicable.
Sarah "Death-Panel-Princess/He-Pals-Around-With-Domestic-Terrorists" Palin seriously thinks it's "the Left" that has engaged in a deliberate campaign of fear-mongering, politics of personal destruction and guilt by association?
What Sarah doesn't get, or maybe she gets it but doesn't want it pointed out - is that She's the Hater. She always has been.
When she goes around talking about "Real America" what she really doing is insulting and attacking "Unreal" America - which is the rest of us. She's used double-talk to make it clear that we don't count in her America, and frankly what happens to us doesn't matter.
Just like when she says "When we take up our arms, we're taking up our VOTE!" - is a load of crap. If you're talking about taking up your vote, then you say TAKING UP YOUR VOTE, if you talking about using weapons against your opponents then you say the other thing. If your habit is to say one thing and mean another, why should anyone believe that you say?
Palin: I've repeated over and over my condemnation of violence, and that "when we take up our arms", we're taking up our vote.
People do use combat metaphors in politics, but when she was saying this - it was March of 2010 - while simultaneous all the above threats and attacks were taking place.
Hannity: I don't think those on the Left have been very civil to you.
Palin: It reminds me that those on the Left, if it weren't for their double-standards - they'd have NO STANDARDS.
Yeah, that's real civil like isn't it?
In the end Palin takes absolutely no responsibility for her own words, not for "Don't Retreat, Reload", not for targeting Democrats who in the end are threatened and attacked, and further she seems as though she's Defending Beck, and Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin and Michael Savage and Ann Coulter every extreme Right-wing fire-breather for anything they've ever said - yet attacking and blaming the Left for any problematic comments.
A picture perfect performance of total hypocrisy.
Let me leave you with David Corn just to sum it all up as he points out why whenever political violence occurs, everyones prime suspect - Is the Tea Party.
Only 5% of the general public find violence against the government justified, but 13% of the Tea Party.
Corn: Republicans talk about "Death Panels", they talk abut things that are not true. We have to be sure that things like that do not take root in the political discourse.
...
There should be schism between some Republican leaders who want a respectful and responsible debate - when you start calling people "Nazy" and "Terrorist". Whether or not you tell people there are second amendment remedies, it sets the tone that these people don't deserve to live
Although Palin pretends to want to "play nice" and to oppose "the blame game" - what she clearly shows that she really wants is to be able to play it without anyone else complaining.
She wants to accuse Democrats of being hypocrites and Nazis, but don't anyone dare suggest her words might have any real impact or affect on anyone.
Sorry Sarah, no Sale. You talk smack, you're going to get some criticizing smack right back.
Rather than flinch, back down, fall to his knees and kiss the ring of Limbaugh after going half a round going nose to nose with him the way that Michael Steele and Rep. Todd Tiahrt and Phil Gingrey did or the way Congress generally follows him like a pack of whipped puppy dogs - Karl Rove has actually doubled down on his criticism of Official Republican Candidate for Senate, and full-on-wack-a-doddle, Christine O'Donnell.
Rove: Prove Me Wrong
Don't look out now, but We've got a JUMPER!!
And that Jumper is Karl Rove.
Karl Rove who admittedly hasn't really been right on his predictions since he gave us "The Math" to explain why Republicans would keep control of the House in 2006, and was not that much later - quietly ushered out of the White House and into the Private Sector - seems to have permanently spit out the Kool Aid all over his former pals Michelle Malkin...
"I just finished watching Karl Rove trashing GOP Senate primary winner Christine O'Donnell. It was on Sean Hannity's FNC show. Might as well have been Olbermann on MSNBC," Michelle Malkin wrote on her blog last night. "The establishment Beltway strategist couldn't even bother with an obligatory word of congratulations for O'Donnell."
Over at HotAir, Malkin's take was reposted it under the simple headline, "War." This morning, HotAir blogger Ed Morrissey took his own shot at establishment figures like Rove who he said should get over Mike Castle's defeat last night and hop aboard the O'Donnell train. Morrissey writes that establishment GOP types should rally around their nominee in Delaware, just as they would expect O'Donnell's supporters to do if Castle had won.
"Rarely have I seen such childishness from the supposed leaders of a political establishment, who set the very rules and customs they now want to ignore because they just got embarrassed on a national stage," Morrissey writes. "Grow up, shut up, and get to work."
Rarely? It's not like Charlie Crist, Lisa Murkowsky or Sue Lowden and their supporters all "hopped onto the Tea Train" after they lost their nomination fights. Neither is Mike Castle. I have the feeling all the Cracks in this Tea Pot just might be permanent.
Right, Sarah Palin...?
Palin, who endorsed the tea party-backed O'Donnell, was asked about Rove's comments on Fox News today: "You may have heard Karl Rove just a moment ago suggesting that Christine O'Donnell is not electable as a statewide candidate. Your thoughts?" Palin replied: "Well, bless his heart. We love our friends, they're in the machine, the expert politicos. But my message to those who say that the GOP nominee is not electable, or that they're not even going to try, well I say, 'buck up!'"
Yeah, people said YOU couldn't be elected Vice President and we call all see how that turned out.
And lastly Rush Limbaugh, who nearly popped of vein over Rove's "Betrayal"...
"If 51 seats was really the objective -- if getting the majority is really that important, then let's go balls to the wall for Christine O'Donnell!" Limbaugh screamed on his radio show today after playing a clip of Rove's already infamous anti-O'Donnell interview on Hannity last night.
"Why not fight for it?" Limbaugh asked. "Why not fight for it? Castle's OK as the 51st vote but this woman isn't?"
As a matter of fact, no she's not - because frankly, just like Joe Miller , Sharon Angle, Rand Paul and Carl Paladino - Christine O'Donnel is more than a half-bubble Off Plumb.
She's like a Refugee from Jesus Camp.
And we all remember how much Karl Rove may have been willing to take their votes, but he never had much respect for the Jesus Crowd
Three days later, a Tuesday, Karl Rove summoned [Don] Willett [a former Bush aide from Texas who initially shepharded the program] to his office to announce that the entire faith-based initiative would be rolled out the following Monday. Willett asked just how — without a director, staff, office, or plan — the president could do that. Rove looked at him, took a deep breath, and said, “I don’t know. Just get me a f—ing faith-based thing. Got it?” Willett was shown the door.
Kuo also writes that Rove referred to evangelical leaders as “the nuts,” and claims Rove deputy Ken Mehlman “knowingly participated in a scheme to use the office, and taxpayer funds, to mount ostensibly ‘nonpartisan’ events that were, in reality, designed with the intent of mobilizing religious voters in 20 targeted races.”
Maybe Rove's real problem is that "the nuts' are starting to take over the entier Republican tree. They're handy to have when their under your thumb, but not when their running you out of your party
O'Donnell -- The Government Spends Too Much Money on Aids or Obama is "So Liberal" he's Anti-American.
Not only that as Maddow already reported, O'Donnell is part of the "Pray the Gay Away" Campaign called SALT that flat is noting but flat out FAIL.
According to O'Donnell "Gay has always meant joyful and gleeful, until the homosexual agenda changed the meaning using the same tactics that Hitler's Nazi Germany Did."
Speaking of honesty, here's Christine O'Donnell on Politically Incorrect in 1998 discussing Bill Clinton and "the truth" in the midst of the Lewinsky Scandal with Jasmine Guy and Eddie Izzard. She argues that one should tell the truth and be honest, even if you're were hiding Jews and your house and Nazi's showed up looking for them (A scenario that became the opening scene of Inglorious Bastards)...
This take no prisoners, intolerant, inflexible position on so-called "honesty" is held by a person who at this time claimed to be a college graduate, but hadn't yet paid her back tuition and received her degree, and who sued the Non-profit Right-Wing think tank where she worked for sexual discrimination, claiming they had a policy that "women should be subordinate to men", while they argued that she was running her own for profit business on their time. She also sued them for lost wages, claiming they had denied her an opportunity to join a Master program Princeton when she hadn't even been accepted to a Masters program at Princeton, and as I mentioned before - didn't even have her Bachelors yet.
But she says people need to be "Honest always"? Really? This woman is a cold calculated Con Artist (like most money-grubbing Republican phonies from the Koch brothers to Rick Scott) she a semi-pro pseudo pundit who makes a living saying outrageous crap, it's as if a mashup of Ann Coulter and Monica Goodling had just won the Republican Primary - and the sad part is that all this time on the edge of the spotlight has given her more chops than most people would expect.
I think we risk underestimating her, Sharon Angle, Joe Miller and Rand Paul at our dire peril. The majority of Republicans probably will rally around her, even as non-ideological policy wonks like Rove begin to peel away. The wheels are coming off the Mad Tea Party Train, and exactly how much damage it will do before finally burning out and crashing is anyone's guess.
Vyan
Update:Predictable as Wet rain - Rove is now walking it Back. Roll Over Rovie. Heel. Fetch! Sit. Good Rovie!!
Update 2: It appears that Rove's initial projection was right on the money - Election Projection - now says that current polling data suggests that Repubs are likely to pick up just 7 seats in the Senate, not 8 - which would leave Democrats with 50 Seats and the majority (and that's not counting either Senator Sanders or Lieberman).
If O'Donnell does defeat Mike Castle, Republicans will likely have to go elsewhere to find the 10 seats needed for the majority.
Update 3: And then there was O'Donnell's accusation of President Clinton of being involved in Vince Foster's Murder on C-Span's Washington Note in 1996 appearing as the Founder of her Anti-Gay group SALT (Savior's Alliance for Lifting the Truth).
The Daily Show correspondents Wyatt Cenac and John Oliver debated last night whether Fox News' Fox and Friends was being evil or stupid when they didn't reveal the connection between Fox News and the funder of the Cordoba House Islamic center near Ground Zero. Or, as Jon Stewart put it, "the terror funder is Rupert Murdoch's News Corp funder. Nooooooo!"
Oliver defended Fox News as stupid: "Things are hectic on the morning show. Plus Gretchen [Carlson] wasn't there and she's the only one who knows how to use Google."
Cenac argued that they were evil, since they avoided showing pictures of Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal because "he already looks like he's about to feed Timothy Dalton to his white tiger."
Oliver said he has to believe they are stupid, "because if they're not as stupid as I believe them to be, they are really f*cking evil."
Cenac replied: "And if they're not as evil as I think they are, they are stupid. We're talking potatoes with mouths."
As much as people would like to kick the President right now for what happened to Shirley Sherrod (even though we now pretty much know he personally had nothing to do with it until after the fact) the real fight to be had is the Non-Stop Bullshit Nozzle that is Fox news, and Conservative Media.
Rather than respond to Maddow's criticism of the politicization of their coverage, they've begun to smear her too. Then they smeared Sherrod, Again...
Let's be honest here - This is what Fox is all about, OPERATION SCARED SHITLESS!
I actually watched most of O'Reilly's show last night - largely because the Daily Show is on hiatus - and it was just plain vile, from start almost to finish. Bill continued his smug attacks on Maddow, and NBC claiming that "Fox creams them in the Ratings" and that's why they're so pissy at Fox.
But wait a minute, Rachel isn't on NBC, she's on MSNBC. Fox creams NBC? In your DREAMs pal.
On the other end of the spectrum is NBC, where "Nightly News with Brian Williams" averaged 9.92 million total viewers for its best first quarter average in five years. ABC's "World News with Diane Sawyer" came in second with 8.27 million total viewers, while "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric" placed third with 6.45 million total viewers.
Yeah, I'm thinking 2.3 Million is more than 9.9 Million in Fox Math, where they give you "Both Sides" of the equation.
The other stations (including CNN) aren't criticizing Fox out of Jealously, or a desire to steal their thunder - they're criticizing Fox because - YOU LIE.
If voter intimidation is so important to you, why hasn't Fox covered the Minutemen Voter intimidation case? Why do they refuse to admit the New Black Panthers Voter intimidation criminal charges were dropped by the Bush Administration?
Why has Fox failed to report that every law enforcement agency (including the Broklyn DA, California Attorney General and Congressional Research Service) that looked at the ACORN videos has said they didn't break the law, and that in fact - it was O'Keefe the videographer who may have broken several different wire-tap statutes, and is facing several lawsuits in several jurisdictions as well as his recent Federal Conviction in the Landrieu Office Invasion Case?
Maddow didn't say that Fox News deliberately hypes up bogus racial stories - like say the Big Mexican Woman helping Afghanistan go AWOL - because they themselves are Racists, she said - very specifically - that they do it as part of a Political Strategy to fire up the Republican Base.
Big difference there. Here's a TIP: You don't have to be a Racist to use and exploit someone else Racial Paranoia, just a cynical manipulative Douche Nozzle is all. (Although admittedly, it is possible to be both, ala Pat Buchanan)
Also the main criticism of the Tea Party by the NAACP wasn't that they're all Racist, it's that their seemed more than willing to condone and accept it - thereby endorsing and exploiting it - within their rants.
Even Breitbart clearly understands this since the thrust of his counter-attack defending the Tea Party by releasing the Sherrod Video as he's repeatedly claimed wasn't to attack Sherrod, it was to attack the NAACP by showing them accepting Racist arguments in their midst without question or complaint.
Except we now know, that's not what happened - meanwhile, I'm still waiting for the explanation for the "Monkey See, Monkey Spend!" and other signs at Tea Party Rallies which appeared without complaint.
Also it's rather hard to bitch and whine about being called "Racist" (when you weren't) and then turn around and CONTINUE TO CALL SHIRLEY SHERROD A "RADICAL RACIST"!! the way that Laura Ingraham did later in your own program, Billo!
Speaking of Racial Paranoia, where is the evidence that people with Racists sentiments have "burrowed their way into the Obama Administration"? Van Jones was let go for signing a "Let's Fully Investigate 9-11" letter, not a "I Hate Whitey CRakkas!!" letter.
Ingraham : She says that Fox wants to roll back the clock on Racial Discrimination in America.
Yeah, ok - well maybe Sherrod was listening when Fox News Contributor John Stossel doubled down on Rand Paul and said the Civil Rights Act Should Be Repealed!.
No, that's not a mis-quote - listen to him.
STOSSEL: Totally. I'm in total agreement with Rand Paul. You can call it public accommodation, and it is, but it's a private business. And if a private business wants to say, "We don't want any blond anchorwomen or mustached guys," it ought to be their right. Are we going to say to the black students' association they have to take white people, or the gay softball association they have to take straight people? We should have freedom of association in America.
STOSSEL: And I would go further than he was willing to go, as he just issued the statement, and say it's time now to repeal that part of the law
KELLY: What?
STOSSEL: because private businesses ought to get to discriminate. And I won't won't ever go to a place that's racist and I will tell everybody else not to and I'll speak against them. But it should be their right to be racist.
Yes, there is someone at Fox who wants to "Roll discrimination back to the pre-Civil Rights Era" and this isn't a new idea, it's the same idea that Laura Ingraham's ex-boyfriend Dinesh D'souza put in the the mid-90s in his book "The End of Racism", which in his mind required first and foremost Repealing the Civil Rights Act, dismantling Government Anti-discrimination efforts and Affirmative Action Remedies, and just letting the free market work it's "Magic".
That's just brilliant Houdini, brilliant - how well did that plan work for the almost 100 Years between the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments and the Civil Rights Act?
And I really don't recall seeing a lot of people at Fox jumping to their feet to oppose Stossel or Paul's ideas on this matter, do you?
The other part that Sherrod argues about involving Racism within the USDA relates to a recent case from the 90's where they reached $Billion settlement with Black Farmers in the South - one that Right-wingers in Congress have so far refused to fund.
We aren't talking about "long past" discrimination in a "very general sense" - we're talking about very specific discrimination, AGAINST BLACK FARMERS BY THE USDA where NO ONE WAS FIRED that occurred in the last 20 years. This isn't some pre-Civil Rights Era chestnut, it's current. In fact, addressing that long standing and current problem within the USDA is exactly the Job the Secretary Vilsack Offered Her. Sherrod isn't making this up because she's got some long racial grievance with White People, exactly the opposite is true, these are the current circumstances the USDA is under. Calling her a "Racist" for recognizing the problem, certainly isn't going to fix the problem.
But here Ingraham ignores the facts of the matter to yet again misconstrue what Sherrod said into a some kind of bigoted stated on her part - Against FOX.
See, the problem isn't just that Fox is exploitative and (probably) bigoted - it's that FOX puts out LIES!
Maddow: That‘s pretty raw in 1960 comic book form, right?
Well, here‘s what it looked like in 1990. It‘s the same thing, this time in the form of a campaign ad on television.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: You needed that job and you were the best qualified. But they had to give it to a minority because of a racial quota. Is that really fair? Harvey Gantt says it is. He supports Ted Kennedy‘s racial quota law but makes the color of your skin more important than your qualifications.
You wrote on this issue next Tuesday. For racial quotas: Harvey Gantt. Against racial quotas: Jesse Helms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADDOW: The balled up white fist, the anger at what‘s being given to black people because it‘s being taken away from white people. It‘s a zero-sum. Black people are coming for you. They‘re coming for your job. They‘re coming to get you. You better band together not surrender, to fight back against the black people who were coming for you.
After the political success in the South, the politicians like George Wallace, who, again, remember, was elected four times as Alabama governor, after the political success of politicians like Lester Maddox, who used as his political symbol when he ran for governor in Georgia the pick ax handle he brandished to defend his segregated restaurant from black people.
That and after the civil rights era, the political strategy of terrifying white people about the threat posed by black people—black people coming to get them, coming to take what‘s rightfully theirs. That strategy got a new name, the Southern Strategy.
In 1970, Republican political strategist Kevin Phillips explained to “The New York Times,” quote, “From now on, Republicans are never going to get more than 10 percent to 20 percent of the Negro vote, and they don‘t need more than that. But Republicans would be shortsighted if they weakened enforcement of the Voting Rights Act.” Meaning, if they blocked black people from registering the vote because he says, “The more Negroes who register as Democrats in the South, the sooner the Negrophobe whites will quit the Democrats and become Republicans. That‘s where the votes are.”
That‘s where the votes are. That‘s the way to get white votes, by counting on white people being afraid of black people. Make clear where the black people are, politically, and count on what Kevin Phillips calls Negrophobia—locking up all of the white votes on the other side.
Since the 1970's that's what the Republican Party has been - the party of the Negrophobes. It's not that they hate black people - no, not hardly. They just don't want black people taking all their stuff away from them. Their schools. Their jobs. Their money.
That's also the way it's been during the entire candidacy and Presidency of Barack Hussein Obama.
Going all the way back to the cherry-picked and twisted quotes from Reverend Wright, to Obama's big giant Pal the Domestic Terrorist (who was never tried or convicted of anything), his membership in ACORN (even though he was never a member), his "radical communist" buddy Van Jones, Sonia Sotomayor the "Wise Latina" who discriminated against those White Fire-fighters (by following standard judicial precedent), his administration blocking Voter Fraud cases against Black People and the New Black Panthers (except they didn't, the Bush DOJ did) and now fostering the racist (but NOT racist) Shirley Sherrod at the USDA and NAACP - the plan has been to MAKE WHITE PEOPLE afraid of a Black President.
And if you don't see that - you just don't know "the facts!"
See Obama is the Bad guy, and opposing him and his secret hidden agenda to spread the wealth around by TAKING IT FROM HARD WORKING WHITE PEOPLE and giving it to those lazy non-working non-tax paying Coloreds, is simply the right thing to do. It's not racist at all, in fact it's better for the Coloreds themselves, just like Mark Williams said:
Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards.
Yeah, who'd want any of that darn "Freedom" anyway?
Every issue, from the Budget to how Obama has responded to the BP Crisis (Creating a Slush Fund of $20 Billion to give to his "pals") has racial overtones.
Everything Obama does, to these people, is Reparations.
Therefore none of the these signs are "Racist" because their merely a reaction to Obama's Racism against them.
Obviously they're just defending themselves from the Negro-led aggression. (Just like Al Qeada, is merely "Defending Islam" from Western-led anti-Muslim aggression) They're just protecting their way of life. Saving America from the Socialist Hoarde. And Fox News is their Pied Piper.
But while all this is going on we've also had outbreaks of violence. The Shooting at the Holocaust Museum, Gregory Guisti who threatened Nancy Pelosi's Life, White Powder sent to Rep. Anthony Weiner's Offices, the Hutaree Militia and their plan to Murder Cops and Blow-Up their Funeral, the Pittsburgh Cop Killer who didn't want Obama to Take His Guns Away, James Adkisson who shot and killed Liberals at a Knoxville Unitarian Church, James Stack flying his plane into the IRS Building... and this latest attempted attack on the ACLU and Tides Foundation in San Francisco.
Police now say that Williams, an unemployed carpenter, told them that "his intention was to start a revolution by traveling to San Francisco and killing people of importance at the Tides Foundation and the ACLU," according to court documents.
The ACLU aims to defend civil liberties, and the Tides Foundation partners with nonprofits "dedicated to lasting progressive social change."
Williams' mother has said her unemployed son was upset by "the way Congress was railroading through all these left-wing agenda items."
The ACLU has long been a target of the Right for daring to protect those pesky Civil Liberties as they are outlined in that musty old Constitution - but why the Tides Foundation?
Could it be because Glenn Beck says their Evil?
Dirty Commies trying to propagandize our kids with environmentalism. Clearly they have to DIE. (For those of you who are utterly sarcasm-challenged - yes, this mean YOU Red State - most of the above is satire)
Here's what I really think: As Keith said yesterday - this IS. WAR.
It's time we realized that and realized which side of it we're really on... and Fight the Lies, the Hate and the Negrophobia with every fabric of our hearts, minds and immortal souls.
Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Capitol and White House, armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition. And imagine that some of these protesters —the black protesters — spoke of the need for political revolution, and possibly even armed conflict in the event that laws they didn’t like were enforced by the government? Would these protesters — these black protesters with guns — be seen as brave defenders of the Second Amendment, or would they be viewed by most whites as a danger to the republic? What if they were Arab-Americans? Because, after all, that’s what happened recently when white gun enthusiasts descended upon the nation’s capital, arms in hand, and verbally announced their readiness to make war on the country’s political leaders if the need arose.
Imagine that white members of Congress, while walking to work, were surrounded by thousands of angry black people, one of whom proceeded to spit on one of those congressmen for not voting the way the black demonstrators desired. Would the protesters be seen as merely patriotic Americans voicing their opinions, or as an angry, potentially violent, and even insurrectionary mob? After all, this is what white Tea Party protesters did recently in Washington.
Imagine that a rap artist were to say, in reference to a white president: “He’s a piece of shit and I told him to suck on my machine gun.” Because that’s what rocker Ted Nugent said recently about President Obama.
Imagine that a prominent mainstream black political commentator had long employed an overt bigot as Executive Director of his organization, and that this bigot regularly participated in black separatist conferences, and once assaulted a white person while calling them by a racial slur. When that prominent black commentator and his sister — who also works for the organization — defended the bigot as a good guy who was misunderstood and “going through a tough time in his life” would anyone accept their excuse-making? Would that commentator still have a place on a mainstream network? Because that’s what happened in the real world, when Pat Buchanan employed as Executive Director of his group, America’s Cause, a blatant racist who did all these things, or at least their white equivalents: attending white separatist conferences and attacking a black woman while calling her the n-word.
Yeah, there would be any problem at all...
That's exactly why Megyn Kelly can't STOP talking about the Black Panthers Case, even when fellow Fox Contributers tell her is Small Potatoes.
Williams: This is really small potatoes. When I look at the details of the case, I notice the other man was a certified poll-watcher.
Kelly: There is now a policy of not pursuing any voter intimidation cases of where the defendant is black.
Williams: There's no evidence of that. I know about this Whistle-Blower - he's involved in an effort to poltiicize it because he's upset that the Bush Justice Department was accused of not pursuing voter-intimidation, even when people were carrying guns.
The bottom line is that a guy (Samir Shabbaz) was caught on camera with a stick while standing outside a polling place. He had been sent there along with another Black Panther Member to help provide Security and prevent Voter Intimidation by local police.
He was not criminally charged, but he was civilly sued and an injunction was granted which originally prevented him from coming within 100 Feet of Any Polling Place with a Stick - ANYWHERE. The "Scandal" is that this injunction was downgraded to just prohibiting this one guy from coming withing 100 feet of a polling place - with a stick - in Philadelphia until 2012.
In Us. v. New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, the district court found that the United States had alleged that Minister King Samir Shabazz "stood in front of the polling location at 1221 Fairmont Street in Philadelphia, wearing a military-style uniform, wielding a nightstick, and making intimidating statements and gestures to various individuals, all in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1973i(b)," Order, dated May 18,2009, at 1, and entered judgment "in favor of the United States of America and against Minister King Samir Shabazz, enjoining Minister King Samir Shabazz from displaying a weapon within 100 feet of any open polling location on any election day in the City of Philadelphia, or from otherwise violating 42 U.S.C. § 1973i(b)." Judgment, dated May 18,2009. We (the DOJ) believe this injunction is tailored appropriately to the scope of the violation and the requirements of the First Amendment. We intend to enforce fully the terms of this injunction. Section 11(b) does not authorize other kinds of relief, such as monetary damages or civil penalties.
The argument brought forth by this so-called "Whistle-blower" is that this downgrading is part of an Obama sponsored DOJ plot to Screw White-People by deliberately ignoring cases of Black voter intimidation and fraud (ala the Phony ACORN Scandal).
My problem with this is that I don't think the guy even violated the statute. According to both Kelly and a letter written by the DOJ to a Congressman who inquired about the case No actual VOTERS were harassed or Intimidated.
I think it your being accused of voter intimidation - you should have actually intimidated voters, and no one has presented any evidence of that.
Also, the law requires the the person be within 100 Feet of the polling place and since I've been a poll worker for nearly the last decade - I have my doubts about that. Poll workers are required to post signs marking the 100 Foot Zone, but in the video where the stick is shown no such signs are visible as the videographer approaches the two men. There are signs visible behind them in the windows of the apartment building - which seems to indicate they were outside that zone (which is where they were instructed to be).
If that's the case, and someone would have to know the layout of the building and location of he polling place inside to confirm this, even with the injunction he could still stand in the exact same place, with the exact same STICK.
Unless Megyn Kelly finds out that is.
Kelly: You obviously don't know what you're talking about...
She's not the only one - since the DOJ letters says this.
these defendants failed to respond to the complaint, that does not mean the Department "had effectively won the case" against them. The Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit "does not favor entry of defaults or default judgments."
The only reason I can say "IF" on any of this is because Shabazz didn't show up to contest the case and the injunction was granted by default, not by merit.
Regardless of Shabazz's own personal issues of loudmouth bigotry, basically to me this is really a case of profiling, Shabazz was essentially convicted in absentia of being a Big Scary Black Man with a Sticktm, it's that kind of presumption of guilt until proven innocent that continues to get a lot of young black men killed even when their trying to do the right thing - case in point - Oscar Grant.
Returning to their tried and true Health Care Scare-Athon 2010! Chris Wallace of Fux News decided to grill David Axelrod yesterday about the White Houses "Controversial" decision to parachute in during the night with an unprecedented recess (cough - John Bolton - cough) appointment of ("Well Documented Communist and Old People Hater") Donald Berwick to run Medicare and Medicaid.
Strange, and I thought Fox was on the WH's "Do Not Call Back" List...
For those of you who actually spend your time watching actual news, the latest bogus Scandal in the Fox NutWerk is that Dr. Donald Berwick once had the audacity, the bold temerity to admit his Socialist/Facists/Commie leanings by saying this...
Berwick: I am romantic about the NHS. I love it
And...
BIOTECHNOLOGY HEALTHCARE: Critics of CER have said that it will lead to the rationing of healthcare.
BERWICK: We can make a sensible social decision and say, "Well, at this point, to have access to a particular additional benefit [new drug or medical intervention] is so expensive that our taxpayers have better use for those funds." We make those decisions all the time. The decision is not whether or not we will ration care -- the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open. And right now, we are doing it blindly.
See!.. See! It's like we told you - he wants to KILL Old People. He wants them to suffer and die, withering away in Waiting Rooms for days on end until the flesh falls from their bones.
Now if this Berwick character had ever been wise enough to Criticize that evil British National Health System, then we'd be on the right track and could breathe a sigh of relief - since Americans clearly don't want and don't need a Health Care System that doesn't require proof of insurance before they can be seen by a doctor. If he'd only said something more like this...
BERWICK: Is the NHS perfect? Far from it. Far from it. I know that as well as anyone in this room, from front line to Whitehall, I have had the privilege of observing performance and even to help to measure its performance.
[...]
BERWICK: There is less progress in some areas, especially with comparison to other European systems, such as in specialty access, in cancer outcomes, in patient centeredness, in life expectancy and infant mortality for socially deprived populations. In other words, in improving its quality, two facts are true: The NHS in en route, and the NHS has a lot more work ahead.
See this guy is a guy you can trust with our Health Care, He's not blinded by romantic rose colored glasses over those British Death Panels, he has a critical view. Why couldn't the White House appoint THAT GUY?
Excluse me?
That Berwick is Donald Berwick? There must be some mistake, Fox - America's News Station - wouldn't - gulp - Lie or anything would they?
I mean come on, we all know how horrible NHS is - just look at this study from the Digital Journal which said it's hard to a doctor in the UK - On the Weekends!
The 14% who said they waited more than six months for elective surgery was second only to the United Kingdom (15%), compared with a low of 2% in Holland... Almost one-third of Canadians said they had to wait six days or more to get an appointment with their doctor last time they were sick, easily the highest among the seven countries.
The UK also has the worst record for waiting times with 15% having to wait for more than six months for elective treatment.
See next time I need to have an elective kidney transplant I'm not going to Whitehall - I'm getting it done right here in the U.S. of A where all I have to worry about is having my insurance claim denied and paying for it out of my own pocket.
(Also from the same article)
The thing that struck me in this survey is the trouble that Americans have in getting to see their own doctors. As in previous surveys, U.S. adults were most likely to have gone without care because of... high out-of-pocket costs.
Also from the study this report is from actually shows that Canada had the longest wait time for non-critical elective surgerys (which would be like removing a mole or other cosmetic procedure) they were more likely to see their doctor on the same day than either the UK OR THE U.S., and even if you do have to wait a few days - that occurred less frequency in Canada and the UK, than it does in America.
In general the outcomes in Canada and UK are about as good as those in the U.S. (with both Infant Mortality and life expectancy being better THERE, rather than here) only in those countries the overall cost is about half what America pays for Health Care.
According to the World Health Organization the UK Ranks at number 18 in Healthcare outcomes - while the U.S Ranks at Number 37. Their position is TWICE AS GOOD as ours, In overall Life Expectancy they are at #14 while we are at #24. England also has a lower infant mortality rate than the U.S. (4.85 per 1000 births to 6.26). In contrast our Health Expenditures as a percent of GDP is second at 15.4% (behind only the Marshall Islands) while the United Kingdom is in 41st Place at 8.2% of GDP.
(In All seriousness) my wife has been trying to get in to see her OB/GYN for the last - oh THREE MONTHS - but they're so booked up at UCLA Med Center she can't get an appointment. Her only other choice would be to go to their Emergency Room and wait, and bitter past experience has shown us the average wait time at that ER is about 20 Hours.
She's seen people waiting for hours in the ER who'd had the tip of their finger cut-off, crying in pain and bleeding the entire time -- all the attending triage nurses would tell him is "Keep pressure on it" - which of course was an excruciating thing to do without meds, since he hadn't seen a doctor yet to get a prescription. It was a total Horror Show.
And that was in America!
American where we don't countenance RATIONING - except when Insurance Companies do it as Former Cigna Exec Wendell Potter explained to Congress.
To help meet Wall Street's relentless profit expectations, insurers routinely dump policyholders who are less profitable or who get sick
Why would you want to give health care to sick people who've paid for it? Where's the Profit in that?
This particular lie, again supporting the narrative that Obama hasn't "done enough" to stop the BP Gulf spill, is rather noxious simply because it's just not true.
CARLSON: Meantime, international help has been offered, but not accepted. A lot of people are asking why. It's called the Jones Act, which prohibits international ships from operating in US ports. Our next guest says it's time to waive the outdated law.
[...]
CARLSON: Let's talk about this Jones Act waiver. So basically, what this means is that currently international ships cannot come into US waters, but doesn't this all boil down to a political discussion about unions?
So basically Fox claims that Obama has failed to bring in more help for this Oil Spill because of those damn dirty Unions! Let's also recall that President Bush also suspended the Davis-Bacon Act after Katrina which protected the wages of workers involved in the cleanup - and we've all seen how such "swift, decisive action" resulted in a completely restored and renewed 5th Ward five years later... Not.
President George Bush has issued a Proclamation suspending the prevailing wage provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act in geographic areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.
The proclamation suspends section 3142 of U.S. Code title 40, which provides for prevailing wage standards for federal government construction contracts. Under the Act, federal construction contracts in excess of $2,000 must pay workers under those contracts the area "prevailing wage" under a wage determination for the various classes of workers.
Under section 3147, the President has authority to suspend the Act during a national emergency. "An unprecedented amount of Federal assistance will be needed to restore the communities that have been ravaged by the hurricane," the Proclamation notes. "Accordingly, I find that the conditions caused by Hurricane Katrina constitute a 'national emergency' within the meaning of section 3147 of title 40, United States Code."
The suspension applies to contracts to be performed in certain counties of Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana parishes; the suspension will remain in place "until otherwise provided."
Yeah, cuz the best way to save the people after Katrina, was the screw the crap out of the people after Katrina and bring in Blackwater/Xe and Halliburton Contractors.
According to Sister Sarah - the Dutch know how to do this because of their experience with Dikes!
Glenn Beck is also on the case and out to say that Obama cares more about the Unions, than the Environment.
Of course the problem with all this is - it just isn't true! Via Media Matters.
National Incident Command: "15 foreign-flagged vessels are involved" in the response. A June 18 document released by National Incident Commander, Adm. Thad Allen, and a June 15 press release from the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center state: "Currently 15 foreign-flagged vessels are involved in the largest response to an oil spill in U.S. history. No Jones Act waivers have been granted because none of these vessels have required such a waiver to conduct their operations as part of the response in the Gulf of Mexico."
Acting Maritime Administrator: "[T]wenty-three percent of the vessels responding to the oil spill are not U.S.-flag," and they are "not in violation of the Jones Act." David Matsuda, acting Maritime Administrator, stated in June 17 congressional testimony that "[d]uring the current situation in the Gulf of Mexico, U.S.- flag vessels have been used in every situation where U.S. vessels and crew are available. Seventy-seven percent of the vessels providing oil spill response in the Gulf are U.S.- flagged." He added, "Even though twenty-three percent of the vessels responding to the oil spill are not U.S.-flag, none of these are known to be in violation of any U.S. law or regulation. Vessels that do not call upon points in the United States are not in violation of the Jones Act."
Foreign equipment has also been used. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs stated during the June 15 edition of Fox & Friends that "foreign entities are operating within the Gulf that help us respond" to the oil spill. Gibbs also stated in a June 10 press briefing that "we are using equipment and vessels from countries like Norway, Canada, the Netherlands. There has not been any problem with this. If there is the need for any type of waiver, that would obviously be granted. But this -- we've not had that problem thus far in the Gulf." Fox News reporter Brian Wilson wrote on June 10 that "[t]he Coast Guard and the Administration are quick to point out that some foreign technology is being used in the current cleanup effort," including containment boom and skimmers.
So Foxes big solution to the Oil Spill problem is to Ignore U.S. Laws - just like they think it's just fine that BP and other agencies regularly Ignore U.S. Safety and Environmental Regulations and that what we really need to do is Invite More Foreign Help in to U.S. Waters. Ok, fine - I guess having a few thousand more illegal aliens running around in the Gulf causing potential Shipping Accidents with the thousands of boats that are already there is just fine, long as they aren't headed for Arizona anytime soon.
Vyan
From the Dkos Comments: Why Doesn't the Obama Administration think they need to waive the Jones Act to allow Foreign Ship to help with a Spill Cleanup? Because they're already exempted from the Jones Act already.
http://www.1800jonesact.com/...
Specifically, 55113 illustrates the exemption of foreign vessels involved in spills and cleanup.
Media Matters has identified at least 62 recent instances of media conservatives defending BP, 38 of which occurred on the Fox News Channel, Fox Business, the Fox Nation, or the talk shows of Fox News hosts. There were at least 21 criticisms of BP's escrow account as an Obama "shakedown" or "slush fund," 10 attacks on President Obama for supposedly "demonizing" BP, 15 examples of conservatives deriding investigations of the company, 12 claims that environmental regulations are responsible for the spill, and five absurd conspiracy theories about the spill.
And it's not like it's a winning argument for the vast majority of the nation.
According to the latest CNN poll, a huge, huge, huge majority of Americans supports the $20 billion escrow fund that BP agreed to create in order to help pay for the Gulf of Mexico cleanup.
Via Media Matters - Fox and Rudy 9-11-Iuiani are yet again hammering the Obama Administration as being weak on "Terruh" in their response to the attempted Time's Square Car Bombing.
Discussing the incident with former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, co-host Gretchen Carlson said, "Let's face it. Anyone who wants to blow up and kill people in Times Square, it's no doubt an act of terrorism. We just interviewed though, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, who refuses to say the word terror. Is this a mandate within the Obama administration, not saying the word terror?"
But as usual, Fox and Carlson were yet again WRONG!
In the just concluded interview Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano actually *didn't* refuse to say the Magical Mystical Special Super Secret Word - "TERROR!" - she said repeatedly she wouldn't rule it out.
DOOCY: The other key thing, Madam Secretary, is that this is terrorism, right?
NAPOLITANO: Well, it's certainly something that I would not rule out. The way it was carried out, the kind of device that was used. Again, until we know the perpetrators, the people -- person or persons who were responsible -- you don't know the derivation, you don't know their intent. But I would not rule that out.
DOOCY: Well, right. Clearly, the guy was trying to, if not kill people, scare people, which is terrorism.
NAPOLITANO: Well, and we do know that if that --you know, if the explosions had been properly done and ignited, that would have been quite a fireball in that particular area. It was not properly done, it was not effective. And one of the very significant things that occurred here was that street vendors noticed this truck improperly parked, notified law enforcement, law enforcement immediately took action. Really an illustration about how everyone has a role to play when we're talking about our security.
CARLSON: I think the American public sees it as an act of terrorism, but the proof will be in the coming days.
The fact is we don't yet know exactly why this device was placed or who placed it, and Napolitano is simply reflecting the truth of that reality.
Also the argument Obama "refuses to say Terror, Terrorist or Terrorism" is blatantly false.
Good morning, everybody. I just want to take a few minutes to update the American people on the attempted terrorist attack that occurred on Christmas Day and the steps we're taking to ensure the safety and security of the country.
[...]
Thanks to the quick and heroic actions of passengers and crew, the suspect was immediately subdued, the fire was put out, and the plane landed safely. The suspect is now in custody and had been charged with attempting to destroy an aircraft. And a full investigation has been launched into this attempted act of terrorism and we will not rest until we find all who were involved and hold them accountable.
[...]
Second, I've ordered two important reviews because it's absolutely critical that we learn from this incident and take the necessary measures to prevent future acts of terrorism. The first review involves our watch list system, which our government has had in place for many years to identify known and suspected terrorists so that we can prevent their entry into the United States.
Obama on December 7th speaking to the Turkish people.
We reaffirmed the shared commitment to defeat terrorist activity regardless of where it occurs. I expressed condolences to the Prime Minister and the Turkish people for the recent terrorist attack that was taken there and pledged U.S. support in trying to bring the perpetrators of this violence to justice.
Here's the thing, Fox is already steering this situation into a "Terrorist Act" clearly by a MULSIM foreign power or agency. They've been proding police with questions about whether this is related to the Controversial South Park near-depiction of Mohammad.
Authorities have not ruled out a link between Saturday's failed Times Square bombing and a New York Islamic group that warned the creators of "South Park" that they face retaliation for lampooning the Prophet Muhammad.
Younus Abdullah Muhammed, who runs the website RevolutionMuslim.com, told the New York Daily News he was in Times Square when the bomb-packed SUV was found, but he said he was not involved in the failed terror attack.
"What do you think, I commanded somebody to blow up a building in the middle of Times Square?" Muhammed told the newspaper.
"It had nothing to do with the 'South Park' controversy. It was not an attack targeting Viacom," he said. He could not be reached for further comment early Monday.
But what if yet again, Fox is Wrong and this wasn't done by an evil wacky Muslim?
What if this really was done by one of Hannity's "Tim McVeigh" wannabes? What if this bomb was really an attempted repeat of the bombing attacks by Eric Robert Rudolph who bombed the Atlanta Olympics, several women's clinics and a gay nightclub?
What if it was a repeat of the kinds of firebombings perpetrated by Shelley Shannon - who describes/confesses to her actions here on the Army of God Website, and is now serving time in prison for shooting Dr. George Tiller in each arm.
Or a group like the Hutaree Militia who planned to kill police officers, then bomb their funeral. Or someone like James Van Brunn, the BIRTHER who killed a guard at the Holocaust Museum in DC?
Or someone like Joe Stack who flew his plane into the Austin IRS Offices? Or someone like Gregory Guisti who threaten to Kill Speaker Nancy Pelosi after FOX News told him how "Evil" and "Far Left" she was?
What if it wasn't a terrorist from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen or Afghanistan - what if they came from the Nation of Fox?
There isn't any evidence that they did - yet. But it's also something - we can't rule out, can we?
There are two things that make me personally think this probably wasn't a muslim terrorist bombing attempt, 1) Their Car Bombs tend to WORK REALLY WELL with sophisticated cellphone remote triggers or else they stay with the bomb and ensure that it goes off, while this one was a Fracking Mess...
The would-be car-bomber who left an SUV loaded with propane and gas cans, fireworks and timing devices on a Times Square street also had more than 100 pounds of fertilizer, but not the kind that would explode, police said today.
Sources also told ABC News that the valves on the propane tanks were not open, which would have made it less likely that the gas inside would have ignited.
Which would've made this the biggest Firepie in history and 2) Video Surveillance showed a "WHITE GUY" leaving the area and attempting to disguise himself - not a dark skinned Arab.
Police are looking for white male in his 40s who was seen leaving the area near the SUV and shedding a dark shirt, revealing a red shirt underneath, about a half block from where survellance cameras saw the vehicle entering Times Square at about 6:28 p.m. Saturday, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said.
Listen closely, any second now there should be a collective "Oh Shit!" coming from Fox Plaza soon...
Byron writes, "You want to know about Soros and Tides, yes, Glenn Beck is doing very well uncovering his wickedness, check his 'June' programs for 'Petrobraz', also look into 'DiscoverTheNetworks.com.' "
