Does Australia want to link Internet browsing history to passports?

Creepy, if true though ZDNet is not a fly-by-night source. The Rudd government is getting into some very disturbing territory. It's even more extreme than the EU monitoring.

Last week we were duly shocked by the discovery that the government is looking into a proposal to make ISPs retain a log of every website you ever visit. Now it’s coming out that they may want ISPs to link that information to other personal data like your passport number.

Ben Grubb over at ZDNet broke the original story, and yesterday followed it up with a deeper insight into the proposed scheme. While the government is denying it would capture individual browsing histories, unnamed sources from ISPs are saying that the original data set sent to ISPs from the government said that they’d require allied personal information, including passport numbers.

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Biden on Barton (the guy who apologized to BP)

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GOP kills jobs bill, with Lieberman's and Nelson's help

Had the administration not ceded the deficit issue to the Republicans, votes like this would have been easier. But the President didn't want to blame Bush and the GOP for the deficit, and he didn't want to sufficiently defend the stimulus and explain to people that they had a choice between a Great Depression and a bigger deficit. Instead, the President went along with the "we must cut the deficit" talk, and here we are with the consequences. Yes, the Republicans suck. But they'd have a lot less power if our own politicians showed some backbone. And when they don't, it comes back to haunt us again and again.

I'm not saying we'd necessarily beat the filibuster had Obama been stronger. I am saying that we lost the filibuster because Obama was weak. If the public understood that the deficit was a) mostly caused by Bush, and b) not nearly as important as staving off a Depression and creating jobs, the GOP would be facing far more pressure not to launch these filibusters at all.

More on the vote from Joan at DailyKos. Read More......

Religious right freaking out that a mosque might be built near Ground Zero in NYC

And mind you, while they're alleging all sorts of quasi-terrorist ties between the Imam running the mosque and groups that supposedly support terrorism, Pat Robertson's ACLJ goes out of its way in the email I just received to make it clear that the simply fact that the building is a "mosque" is enough to disqualify it from being built anywhere near the former site of the World Trade Center.

Why's that? Because the religious right doesn't believe in religious freedom. They want to shut other religions down and have America only run by far right Baptist bigots. That's why they don't want a mosque near Ground Zero. Because they don't like Muslims. Of course, the religious right doesn't like Catholics either (the religious right thinks the Catholics worship Satan - seriously). So it shouldn't be surprising that they have a problem with other faiths too. (I'm not posting the email since it is pushing some petition - I don't plan on helping bigots.) Read More......

GM to skip summer factory shutdowns due to demand

This is fantastic news. Bailing out GM wasn't easy or popular but when you see this, you have to be thankful for the tough call Obama made to keep GM going.

GM says nine of its 11 assembly plants will continue to operate during the traditional shutdown period from June 28 to July 9.

Most of GM's U.S. stamping and powertrain plants will also work to support assembly operations.

GM assembly plants working through the traditional summer shutdown are—Arlington, Texas, Bowling Green, Kentucky, Detroit Hamtramck, Michigan, Fairfax, Kansas, Flint, Michigan, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Lansing Delta Township, Michigan, Lansing Grand River, Michigan and Wentzville, Missouri.

The decision is expected to generate up to 56,000 additional vehicles. Those include Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac cars, crossovers, and trucks.

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'I apologize' - the GOP love affair with BP and big business lives on

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Banks to hit consumers again with more fees

Because bailing them out wasn't enough. They want even more. Again. The banks keep doing this because they know they can get away with it thanks to good friends in Congress. In their world, enough is never enough even if you just saved their life and exclusive lifestyle.

Bank of America and other U.S. banks may introduce new fees on basic services and eliminate free checking to replace revenue lost to new banking regulations, the Wall Street Journal said.

The move is expected to hurt retail clients who could be asked to pay new monthly maintenance fees on the most basic accounts that do not generate a lot of activity, the paper said.

To avoid a fee, customers will have to maintain certain account balances or frequently use other banking services, such as credit and debit cards, automated teller machines and online accounts, the Journal said.

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Scientists have limited options in Gulf due to GOP policies

As the article points out, it's not that different from Bobby Jindal dismissing the need to spend money to monitor volcano activity and then having a volcano erupt. Once there's a problem everyone wants answers but it's not possible because the funding has been chopped. Scientists in the Gulf have been doing the best they can with limited resources due to massive cutbacks from the Republicans. BP has stepped in to offer a generous $10 million to help fund a system that will likely costs closer to $1 billion. They're all heart and so generous, those BP folks.

In late May, scientists from Universities in the Gulf states went to Capitol Hill to testify before Congress and explain what they are doing with regard to measuring the oil gusher and the impact of all the oil in the Gulf. We all want to know where the oil is headed next so we can prepare to protect as much of the shore and wildlife as possible. Sadly, WUSF is reporting that scientists can’t answer those questions today because their funding has been in half during the last decade.

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Can Republicans take back the House?

Interesting analysis from Larry Sabato about the GOP's chances in November.

These days the best D.C. parlor game is guessing November’s House results. We’ve recently made our own contribution, with a district-by-district analysis that projects—as of early June—a Republican net gain of 32 seats. But the Crystal Ball has always done House projections in two ways. The second method requires advanced statistical modeling of the sort Professor Alan Abramowitz provides in this week’s Crystal Ball. Prof. Abramowitz’s record has been superb in election prognostication, and his analysis shows a GOP gain of 39 House seats—precisely the number needed to take control. There is not much difference between 32 and 39 in a June forecast. Both methods will be tweaked as we enter late summer and early fall. There are two reasonable conclusions to draw from these numbers. First, whether they gain 25 or 32 or 39 or 50 seats on November 2, Republicans are headed for a good midterm year, though it is very unlikely to match the over-the-top prognostications of some GOP leaders (who have gone as far as +70 to 100 or more seats). Second, Republican control of the House is on the bubble. Events over the next four months, reflected in President Obama’s approval rating in good part, will determine whether Republicans fall over or under the all-important number of 39.

Democrats are in a stronger position to defend their majority in the House of Representatives today than they were in 1994 because a larger proportion of their seats are in strongly Democratic districts and they have fewer open seats to defend. However, if the national GOP tide turns out to be as strong this year as it was in 1994, Republicans would have a reasonable chance of regaining control of the House with a very narrow majority.

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Sam Seder on the BS behind the gay blood donor ban

I'm liking these Sam Seder videos. Last week, he exposed the Border Security BS. Today, he does a number on the gay blood donor ban:
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GOP IL Senate candidate Mark Kirk's 'teaching career' now called into question

NYT:

Representative Mark S. Kirk of Illinois, a Republican candidate for the United States Senate, has often reminisced about his time as a teacher.

On the floor of the House, in campaign commercials and during interviews, Mr. Kirk has invoked his experience in the classroom. At a speech this spring to the Illinois Education Association, Mr. Kirk declared, “as a former nursery school and middle school teacher, I know some of what it takes to bring order to class.”

A review of public comments that Mr. Kirk has made over the last decade shows that while he may refer to himself as a former teacher, he does not talk about the brevity of his experience: a year in London at a private school and part-time in a nursery school as part of a work-study program while he was a student at Cornell University.

Kirsten Kukowski, a spokeswoman for the Kirk campaign, said that his work in the nursery at a United Methodist ministry called Forest Home Chapel in Ithaca, N.Y., took place in his final year of college in 1981. The campaign did not provide verification, and it could not be independently confirmed. A longtime member of the church who had a son in the nursery around the same time said she did not recall any male teachers.

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Watch GOPer Joe Barton apologize to BP for the WH 'shakedown'

Wow. Most of us think that the Gulf Coast oil spill is the biggest tragedy we're dealing with these days. But, not Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX). At a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee this morning, Barton, the ranking GOPer on the Committee, said:

I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday. I think it is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown. In this case, a $20 billion shakedown.

You really have to see it to believe it. He's just so smarmy as he grovels before BP. And, we wonder why the United States has no energy policy. Barton is Exhibit A.

The GOPers never cease to amaze me. They're fealty to Big Oil knows no limits. And, poor BP, suffering the "tragedy of the first proportion" for having to pay for its mistake.

UPDATE @ 11:43 AM: The White House just responded via a statement from the Press Secretary:

“What is shameful is that Joe Barton seems to have more concern for big corporations that caused this disaster than the fishermen, small business owners and communities whose lives have been devastated by the destruction. Congressman Barton may think that a fund to compensate these Americans is a ‘tragedy’, but most Americans know that the real tragedy is what the men and women of the Gulf Coast are going through right now. Members from both parties should repudiate his comments.”

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Gulf oil leak first responders continue to get sick

Shouldn't someone other than BP be deciding what protective gear these workers should or should not be wearing? Clearly this gear does not help BPs case but outside of BP, who really cares? The US government should be much more interested in the health of those working the front lines in this disaster than BPs ego or liability. Read More......

Losing $14.9 Trillion in retirement wasn't enough - Wall Street wants more

The Senate Finance Committee really needs to put back in the language that would force Wall Street to list their fees for maintaining your 401K. It's not a flashy issue because who really likes thinking about a retirement plan that is years away, but it's very important. Again, a 1% change in fees could cut 28% out of your lifetime savings! Wow! Those in the House who pushed for this plan delivered pies to the Senate Finance Committee to show the massive chunk this takes out of the retirement plans of Americans. When is enough enough for Wall Street and when will some Democrats like Max Baucus start to side with the American public who has been hammered by Wall Street? Read More......

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

So, BP is setting up the $20 billion escrow fund. That'll be good for the "small people." That's the chair of BP's descriptor, of course, not mine. Although, English isn't his first language, so we could cut him some slack. But, the sentiment was pretty clear.

The President has a series of private meetings on his schedule today, including one with the new Marine Corps Commandant Nominee General, James Amos. Now, I'm sure the President will explain to Amos, who does work for him, that DADT has got to go. There may be an amendment offered in the Senate to add the four Service Chiefs to that complicated certification process. That's viewed as a "killer" amendment by SLDN. I'm sure Obama will be vocal about his support for repealing DADT and his opposition to that amendment. I'm sure.

The conference committee on the Wall Street reform bill continues today. Meanwhile, the Senate can't seem to pass a jobs bill. People on the Hill have become obsessed with the deficit (except when it comes to funding the wars.) They've lost sight of what's happening in the real world. The unemployment rate hasn't dropped -- and it's actually much higher than the number we see every month. I don't get why Democrats don't get that a bad economy and high unemployment, issues of which they should be showing real concern, also hurt them politically.

The general consensus seems to be that the good guys did a far better job during the Prop. 8 closing arguments yesterday. Who ever thought we'd love to read this line: "Theodore Olson of Gibson, Dunn did a masterful job for the plaintiffs." Glad he's on our side this time.

Okay. Let's get started. Read More......

BP to deliver 'down payment' of $20 billion

This is a good start which yes, will help the "small people" as BP's Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg likes to refer to those who aren't working the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies. (Where does BP find their leaders?) This is one of the recommendations that was discussed weeks ago so it's good to see the administration came around on this important point. It would be interesting to see how the families of the oil rig workers who died are being compensated. There had been some debate over this issue.

What will be important is that there is no final settlement. When costs arise, BP pays, whether it's after the $20 billion has been paid or 5, 10, 30 years down the line. Costs will continue to emerge as we've seen with the Exxon Valdez for many years. At some point BP will want to cut a deal as investors will want to see an end to any "unexpected" costs. In all likelihood the government will also want to take up such an offer to get cash faster due to budget issues or perhaps a Republican administration that's soft on Big Oil.

Four days of intense negotiations between the White House and BP lawyers allowed President Obama to announce Wednesday that the oil giant would create a $20 billion fund to pay damage claims to thousands of fishermen and others along the Gulf Coast.

The fund will be administered by Kenneth R. Feinberg, the lawyer and mediator who ran the fund for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and has emerged as a troubleshooter on issues like executive compensation and resolving claims for asbestos and Agent Orange victims.

While acknowledging that oil is likely to continue spewing from the well for perhaps months to come, Mr. Obama was able to throw something of a lifeline to desperate coastal residents worried about meeting payrolls, mortgages and shrimp boat payments.

Even James Carville is pleased with this move. Read More......

Spanish borrowing costs increase as debt questions continue

At this point there are few great answers for Spain. With unemployment stuck around 20% it's hard to completely chop spending or else the problem will become even larger. BBC:

The Spanish government's cost of borrowing has hit a new record amid renewed concerns over the state of its economy and public finances.

The interest rate Spain is being asked to pay by investors is now 2.23 percentage points higher than that being demanded of Germany.

This widening gap in the bond market marks a drop in confidence in Spain's ability to repay its debts.

The Spanish cabinet has also approved unpopular changes to labour rules.

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Sarah Palin calls for *more* government intervention with Big Oil

It's another painful Palin moment, finger wagging included, though she does seem to be suggesting much more intervention by the government. Is that what the Teabaggers and Palin herself are now supporting? Here I thought less government is what they wanted, though she does somehow also talk about less government and letting business do what business wants to do. Criticizing the wobbly response by the administration is fine but sheesh, make up your mind about more or less government.

And by the way, what does building dikes have to do with an oil spill? Palin never fails to deliver the stupidity. Read More......