The Lone Star State Loon: Texas Governor talks secession. Doesn't that border on rebellion, insurrection or sedition?

Keith Olbermann and Jim Moore discuss the latest insanity from the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry. He's talking about secession. Seriously.

Aren't there laws against this? How about "Rebellion or insurrection" (18 USC § 2383) or maybe "seditious conspiracy" (18 USC § 2384)? I'm serious. This is getting out of control. Perry should end up in a federal prison. (And, I'm not going to make any jokes about Rick Perry being in jail. I'm not. This is too serious.) Read the rest of this post...

'Legalized rape' protesters pelted with stones

Not exactly a positive development in Afghanistan. The protesters have a lot of courage considering the violence used against them by religious extremists. Karzai continues to say that the law will change but there's not much to suggest he has much control over the process.

A group of some 1,000 Afghans swarmed a demonstration of 300 women protesting against a new conservative marriage law on Wednesday. The women were pelted with small stones as police struggled to keep the two groups apart.

The law, passed last month, says a husband can demand sex with his wife every four days unless she is ill or would be harmed by intercourse — a clause that critics say legalizes marital rape. It also regulates when and for what reasons a wife may leave her home alone.

Read the rest of this post...

Savage: 'rogue homosexual elements within Homeland Security are engaging in extra-constitutional activity'

Lead Republican intellectual Michael Savage, writing on one of the most important publications for the right wing noise machine, WingNutDaily, is concerned about a new report about domestic extremists issued by Homeland Security. Apparently, Savage is convinced that the report is proof that "rogue homosexual elements" are operating within Homeland Security.

Who are these rogue homosexual elements? Do you think they hang out in the 2M4M chat room?

It turns out that Big Sis [Napolitano] has just issued a report that warns against the possibility of violence by so-called "right-wing extremists."
....

The report says that these dangerous right-wingers engage in "exploitation of social issues such as … same-sex marriage." What this means is that even though state after state has rejected gay marriage every time it has been put to a vote of the people, if you oppose the destruction of traditional marriage, if you oppose the gay mafia, then you are suspect. If you aren't happy with her "lifestyle choice," Big Sis will put you on her list.

Uh no. But being anti-gay isn't a get out of jail free card if you're batshit crazy.

It seems that rogue homosexual elements within Homeland Security are engaging in extra-constitutional activity. Where is the Republican Party to protect us from this rogue Obama government? Who will be next on the list? The Navy SEALs that shot the Somali pirates? Talk show hosts? Only Big Sis knows for sure.

Michael Savage sounds a bit cranky. Someone clearly didn't get teabagged today. Read the rest of this post...

CNN's Don Lemon, unplugged

Feisty. Smart. Incisive. Not putting up with any bs.

These are not adjectives I'd normally use to describe CNN host Don Lemon. He's usually quite smiley and affable - but the man was on fire recently, hosting a panel discussion on gay marriage. I called Joe and told him about it, and we were both stunned. I've always felt that CNN was into the whole pretty-boy and pretty-girl thing during their afternoon shows. FOX has its blonde bimbos, and CNN wanted a few bimbos and himbos of their own. And no offense to Lemon, but he always had smiling himbo written all over his forehead.

Then there was this little broadcast, below, from a few days ago. Watch it. He's great. Amazing, in fact. Which means that Lemon isn't just another pretty face (he just plays one on TV?). He's damn good, in fact. Then why doesn't he do this more often? Seriously, watch the video. He doesn't let the guests get away with any BS. He knows the subject matter. He's entertaining AND educational. He's basically Jack Cafferty.

This is what we're always complaining about, or the lack of this - this is an example of what we wish the media would do more of. Unplug your hosts. Let them be smart. Let them take a stand. That's the true lesson of FOX. Sure, FOX is a bit too big on the T&A;, and we can do without that. But they're also big on making every single person on that network have and exude a personality and an opinion. It's the one thing they do right (though for all the wrong reasons.) CNN's viewers can take it. And they may even like it.

Read the rest of this post...

Why are all the teabaggers white?

Just asking. Read the rest of this post...

CNN's Susan Roesgen: Teabagging is "a party for Obama bashers" and "highly promoted by the right-wing conservative network Fox"

I hope America is getting a good look at the teabaggers (but not while they're actually teabagging.) They really hate the president. It oozes out of them in a very disturbing and creepy way. The talking point for the day is that Obama is a fascist.

CNN's Susan Roesgen was in Chicago and noted, quite accurately, the teabagging was for "Obama bashers" and "highly promoted by the right-wing conservative network Fox."

Watch both. They're illuminating, disturbingly illuminating:





These people don't live in the same country I live in -- or even on the same planet. These are the people who made Rush the leader of the GOP. No wonder the party's got no future. Read the rest of this post...

Annapolis Tea Party: U.S. Government Creating Crisis ‘100 Times As Grim As 9/11′

Judd Legum did some first-hand reporting today from the Annapolis, Maryland Teabag Party. Apparently it was quite the assemblage of crazy people.

Today, I went down to the City Dock in Annapolis to check out the local “tea party,” one of many anti-Obama protests occurring around the nation today.

The message of the event was striking. The audience, which was quite large despite a heavy rain, was told that Obama was leading the country toward “dictatorship.” The government, we were told, was creating a crisis “100 times as grim as 9/11,” the people were being “brainwashed” into complacency by the media and soon “the face of big brother will be exposed and the slogans of a classless one party system are revealed to us.”

The answer to these problems, according to one speaker, is to kick Obama and the leaders of the Democratic party in Maryland out of office. In the audience, one man wore a shirt comparing Obama to Hitler.

Judd has video as well. Read the rest of this post...

Why are doctors and insurance companies against cancer treatment pills?

Having a close up view of cancer treatment in the US when my father was diagnosed with lymphoma eight years ago, reading stories such as this sicken me. Whether it's the insurance companies who find new ways to avoid covering patients who have insurance or oncologists who don't like new treatments because they might not pull in a few hundred thousand more per year thanks to making commission from chemo sales, it's infuriating. The system completely sucks which is why the US system is comfortably nestled between Costa Rica and Slovenia by the WHO. (Let me beat the wingnuts to the punch which is that the WHO is a known commie/pinko-lovin' organization that hates America. Anyone who fails to see the glory in the dysfunctional US system of doctors/insurance/big business probably hates America and should be watched.)

In this NY Times article today, here's another crazy example of how far behind the US insurance business is with medical treatment. Cancer patients who can be more efficiently treated with pills instead of chemo are refused payment because it's new. Sure it's cheaper and easier for patients but some doctors don't like it because they can't make commission on pushing chemo. How else are they going to afford their lifestyle if they can't have a conflict of interest pushing drugs? Patients? Who cares?

But his insurance covered hardly any of the cost of the cancer pills the doctor prescribed for him to take at home. Mr. Stauffer, a 62-year-old Oregon farmer, had to pay $5,500 for the first 42-day supply of the drug, Temodar, and $1,700 a month after that.

“Because it was a pill,” he said, “I had to pay — not the insurance.”

Pills and capsules are the new wave in cancer treatment, expected to account for 25 percent of all cancer medicines in a few years, up from less than 10 percent now.

Every time a negative story emerges about the the British health care system or Canada, the right wing launches a new barrage of attacks and uses it as an example of why the US system should never change. No, to them the US system only needs minor changes such as not allowing lawsuits or as we saw in the campaign last year, tax credits and competition. It's as if they believe it's an easy system to navigate and a $5,000 tax credit would help. What else would you expect from the tea bag toting nitwits? No system is perfect and that includes the WHO #1 ranked country France which offers a public/private system. Sure there are problems in the best of systems but compared to the frustrations that I have personally experienced during my many years of growing up and living in the US plus following my father's cancer treatment as well as others, it is so obvious that the US system is in desperate need of an overhaul.

It's not flexible, as many like to believe about everything in the US. It's not efficient. It struggles to deliver its core function of providing health care. If money is not an issue, it's not an issue but we don't all work in the corner office for Goldman Sachs or Citibank. Read the rest of this post...

Reports from the bizarro world of Teabaggers

Probably not what the teabaggers wanted us to see, but here are a couple of reports from the teabagging events.

From Jed at DailyKos comes this gem of a FOX reporter who asks when you're all going "to wake up and start fighting the facism that seems to be permeating this country. Facism, the definition of it is big business and government getting in bed together":

Wait. FOX News is the prime example of big business (the Rupert Murdoch empire) and government (at least the Republican party) getting in bed together. According to this correspondent's definition, FOX News is facist. (Via Crooks and Liars, the wingnut reporter's name is Cody Willard, an anchor at FOX Business News.)

Also, one of our brave readers, Kim, ventured to the teabagging festivities here in DC and sent this report:

I had the day off, so I figured what better way to spend a rainy Wednesday afternoon than by attending the Washington DC Teabag rally in front of the White House. And, after about 20 minutes there, I figured out what they want.

They want, in no particular order:

To "teabag the D-bags"

An end to the IRS, the Fed and the SEC

No public officials who are members of secret societies.

An end to satanific (or satanirific and satanomic-I can't remember) Masons.

An end to Shylockean usury (I was going to point out that Bush was a member of a secret society at Yale until this one came up. I'm Jewish, so I figure it was best to keep my head down)

An answer as to why Obama flew to Denver to sign a piece of legislation if he cares about the environment so much (I surmise > this is because it required fuel to get there)

To see Obama's birth certificate.

An end to the council on foreign affairs. (relations?)

To know if you can feel the revolution, cause this must be what it felt like in 1776.

To throw the "bumbs" (thats a direct quote from a poster I saw there) out of Congress, including Clinton...

Plus, some lady was there holding a sign proclaiming her affinity for capitalism. Something, from the looks of her, that she loves only slightly less than her plastic surgeon. Some kid who was maybe 12 years old wants to know if you remember Jimmy Carter. And, a 4 year old just wanted to get out of the rain, or she was crying so loudly because her parents tax burden is just sooooo unbearable.

Read the rest of this post...

DNC going up with radio ad urging N. Coleman to give up challenge

The new DNC. Me-likey. From Politico:

The DNC-funded commercial, to air on news stations in the Twin Cities, represents the most aggressive intervention yet by the national parties in the protracted battle between Coleman and Al Franken....

“Enough is enough,” says the announcer, noting that Franken won the original election, the recount and a legal challenge. “America is in an economic crisis - and Minnesota faces unique challenges of its own. Minnesota deserves two Senators and voters deserve to have their verdict stand without delay.”

If we were Republicans, we'd have shut down this recount battle months ago. This "slow to anger" thing the Democrats have is getting old. Read the rest of this post...

Robin Carnahan raised over $1 million for Missouri Senate race in under 60 days

News from one of the hottest 2010 Senate races. Robin Carnahan, who started campaigning for Senate on February 2nd, had raised over $1 million dollars when the FEC reporting ended on March 31st. Via FiredUp Missouri:

Just released:

In less than 60 days, we raised over one million dollars!

Actually, we raised $1,048,000 (to be exact) from more than 1,400 contributions.

In these tough economic times, when so many families are reeling from the failed policies of the Bush years, I couldn't be more grateful for this outpouring of early support from so many friends.

No word yet from the Roy Blunt campaign on their numbers. It will be interesting to see if he matches the $1 million mark, and how the $336,408 transferred from his Congressional account will be spun to demonstrate "early support."

No doubt, these are tough economic times (even if Roy Blunt's fellow Republican leaders don't think so.) So, this is a very good start for Robin.

If you want to help out Robin, we've set up an AMERICABlog supports Robin Carnahan ActBlue page. In these tough economic times and in this tough Senate race, early contributions (in any amount) are greatly appreciated and really matter. This is the video Robin used to announce her campaign back on February 2nd:

UPDATE: I'll add Roy Blunt's numbers to this post when he releases them.Wow. Robin trounced Blunt in fundraising by an almost 2 to 1 margin. The former Republican House Majority Leader only pulled in $542,000. Not a great showing, although he still have over $300,000 from his House campaign account. And, like a typical Republican, he used the announcement of his money to attack Robin. What a putz. Read the rest of this post...

48% think they're paying the right amount in taxes

That surprises me. I'd have been among the 46% who feel that our taxes are too high. Though, that doesn't mean I think they should be cut. You can think your taxes are too high, but be resigned to the fact that taxes are a necessary evil - even if they sting.

The new survey purports that a plurality of Americans (48%) think they're paying just about the right amount in taxes. Traditionally in American society, just the right amount in taxes is zero.

But now taxpayers are like Goldilocks on her third bowl of borrowed bear porridge. It's just right.

A slightly smaller group that apparently drinks bottled water (46%) thinks taxes are too high.

What do you think? Take our poll in the top of the next column to the right. Read the rest of this post...

Republicans dissing Palin: "She's just not ready for prime time"

Now they're figuring it out? Palin was never ready for prime time, but the Republicans loved her last fall. They thought she could be president back then. Not anymore according to "Washington Whispers":

Worse than Dan Quayle before her, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's bright star has fast faded in the eyes of Washington Republican officials and analysts, calling into question her efforts to become a national party figure ready to run for the White House. "She's just not ready for prime time," said a party strategist who has worked for former President Bush. "I mean, she's starting to look like she's having trouble being governor of Alaska." At issue is her weak debut, hampered by the mishandling of her by Sen. John McCain's campaign, and subsequent family issues such as the most recent tiff with Levi Johnston, the father of her first grandchild and ex-fiancé of her daughter Bristol.

If that party strategist really means it, why won't that party strategist use his or her name? Because there's still a very good chance that the GOP will nominate her. That's how bad things are for the Republicans. Despite her many flaws, Palin may still be their best hope. Read the rest of this post...

Top Republican again suggests that economy is doing fine

The media is missing a huge story. What once seemed like unrelated stories, are now evidence of a large pattern of statements and actions by the Republicans, explained by the fact that they do not believe that the economy is in trouble.

1. Phil Gramm says we're a nation of whiners.
2. John McCain says on the campaign trail last fall that the fundamentals of the economy are sound.
3. House Republicans torpedo the bailout as everyone else sits in fear that the market is in a talspin.
4. Nearly every single Republican votes against the stimulus package.
5. Numerous Republican governors reject their own state's stimulus money, threatening their own local recovery and the national recovery.
6. Cantor says Democrats are "overreacting" to the economic situation.
7. Steele says he still sees lots of people shopping at the malls.
8. Conservatives, led by Gingrich and Armey, hold nationwide Teabagging protests today in opposition to the stimulus package that was necessary to stop us from going into a depression

Then today, the #2 Republican in the House, Eric Cantor, again suggested that the Democrats are overreacting and that the economy was not in trouble.

Democrats in Congress are taking advantage of citizen fears about the nation’s economy for political gain, U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor told area Republicans here Tuesday.

“There seems to be a disconnect between what is really happening in our economy and how the federal government is reacting,” said Cantor, R-Va., the GOP minority whip – his party’s No. 2 member in Congress.

“The more I am outside the Beltway, the more I understand why everybody seems to be scratching their heads wondering, ‘What in the world are they doing up in Washington?’ ” he said.

Every example I cited above can easily be explained if the Republicans simply do not believe that the economy is in trouble. This isn't just out of touch, it's delusional. I seriously have no explanation for how an entire political party can look around this country right now and not see an economy in trouble.

Finally, as for "using fear" to scare the public, that's classic. Remember, they always accuse of us doing what we're not, and what they already have. Read the rest of this post...

TIME: "Essentially leaderless, lacking a cohesive message and fighting amongst themselves, Republicans appear to be in disarray..."

There's always teabagging. More from TIME:

As if losing 21 House seats, eight Senate seats and the White House in November weren't bad enough, the GOP hasn't exactly thrived in its first few months as the party of opposition.

Its government-is-the-problem response to President Obama's first joint address to Congress by one of the party's rising stars, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, was a "disaster for the Republican Party," as conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks put it. The installation of a new party chairman, Michael Steele, could have gone a lot smoother — say, minus the cat fight with Rush Limbaugh or Steele's insulting both the party's moderate wing (he threatened to back primary opponents for supporters of Obama's stimulus) and its social conservatives (he told GQ magazine that abortion is an "individual choice"). The party's 2008 vice-presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, has been drawing headlines more suited to Britney Spears than the party's heir apparent as she feuds with the father of her daughter's baby. And two unpopular figures from the last Administration, former Vice President Dick Cheney and Bush adviser Karl Rove, have rarely missed an opportunity to attack the new President. Most recently, House Republican leaders botched the rollout of the party's budget alternative, and then, naturally, blamed one another for it.

Read the rest of this post...

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

It's finally teabagging day for the right wing nuts a.k.a. the Republican Party. FOX News will be in a frenzy all day. Now, if any of those whack jobs are reading this blog today, we have a helpful hint. It's courtesy of Samantha Jones: Just breathe through your noses today.

Keith Olbermann provided the summation:



The rest of us are stuck with the ick factor all day. Major ick.

What are the sane people doing today? Read the rest of this post...

Commercial real estate showing signs of trouble

Not that it should come as a surprise, but this market is now following the home real estate market as well as the general economy. As if the banks don't have enough problems on their hands with the real estate boom and credit card deb problems. CNBC:

Commercial real estate could soon make big trouble for the market. It’s been linked to a string of negative developments and now REITs are tumbling.

Shares of Boston Properties closed significantly lower on Tuesday as did Simon Property Group as well as the iShares Dow Jones US Real Estate ETF which tracks the sector.

The moves come after Goldman Sachs blamed commercial real estate as a major factor for their most recent losses. And those losses could be mounting.

The values of commercial real estate are not insignificant and loan terms tend to be very different than for housing because commercial terms are shorter. The banks - including Goldman - are not out of the woods, yet. Read the rest of this post...

What a silly change

License plates in France always indicate the department of France where the car is registered. Sure I've been flipped off and cursed at while driving in the south, but maybe that's because they know me and not due to the "75" on the plates. Either way it never bothered me and was always a funny topic of discussion. ("Hey, how many times did you get the finger or randomly screamed at while on vacation?") Now the government is about to officially change to the new system which identifies the driver's department and make it neutral though provide the option of inserting an identifying something or other if they wish. How boring is that?

Living in Paris, it's always been a helpful indicator so you know how bad the driver is going to be. Parisian drivers get a bad and undeserved reputation but the real problem drivers are those from the suburbs. The drivers with 77,78, 91, 94 are the problems. They're not used to driving in town so they race the engine, race down the streets, blare the music and try and act tough when inside Paris. Beyond the suburban numbers you can be sure the driver will be even more confused and probably drive as though they are ready for cows or possibly sheep to jump out into the street at any given moment.

While crossing the street it is 99% certain (OK, let's say 90% and leave it at that) that a Parisian driver will follow the signs and let you cross without harassment. When I say "without harassment" I mean they leave you enough room to pass without feeling the air of the car go by. Meanwhile, the suburban drivers are in their usual panicked state so they will be worried about something and not paying attention. They don't even know there's a cross walk because they are trying so hard to get back out of town to the 'burbs. Consistently they are the drivers that are the problem. They are the drivers that visitors see and think are Parisian drivers because they drive like idiots. Well, they are idiots...they live in the god-awful suburbs of Paris after all. (And yes, of course they are all envious and wish they lived *in* Paris.) Next time in Paris and you see a bad driver, check those plates but do it fast because it's all going away. Read the rest of this post...

London Metropolitan police have lost control of themselves

The good thing about everyone having a video is that it's no longer only the police who are recording when something goes wrong. Control over who has done what has been democratized which is great for everyone. The London police assaulted a man (Ian Thomlinson) walking home from work during the G-20 summit and he died minutes later. Despite initially ignoring the event, an American banker happened to be in town and present and filmed the assault.

The following day a group met in London to hold a vigil for Thomlinson and again, the Metropolitan police were unable to control themselves. The video is very disturbing because you see one officer knocking down someone who was talking with the police followed by a woman calling out the police for doing so. Despite having a camera in one hand and an orange juice in the other, she was then backhanded. The officer then pulled out a baton and struck her in the legs.

I normally associate such aggressiveness and loss of control with the Philadelphia police where I grew up. The Brits are going to need to make some major changes in the force to clean this up. It's disgraceful though it's not a surprise in the city that is monitoring every last move. Change has to happen, soon. Suspending officers is a start but it goes much deeper than that. Read the rest of this post...

Goldman Sachs can't figure out how the American system works

Then again, they're throwing a team of expensive lawyers at one person because they don't like what he says, so perhaps they do. Freedom of speech should not be such a difficult concept for Americans, but since when did Goldman Sachs care about the US? Why people in Washington think these people are so exclusive and deserving remains a mystery though if they're looking for a bunch of bullies, this is the team. What pathetic bullies, but is anyone in Washington bothering to pay attention? Do they give a damn?

The bank has instructed Wall Street law firm Chadbourne & Parke to pursue blogger Mike Morgan, warning him in a recent cease-and-desist letter that he may face legal action if he does not close down his website.

Florida-based Mr Morgan began a blog entitled "Facts about Goldman Sachs" – the web address for which is goldmansachs666.com – just a few weeks ago.

In that time Mr Morgan, a registered investment adviser, has added a number of posts to the site, including one entitled "Does Goldman Sachs run the world?". However, many of the posts relate to other Wall Street firms and issues.

Check out the website here and see for yourself if Goldman's claims make sense. Unless Goldman is in fact the devil - or they made a note of the S&P;'s recent bottom as the blog owner Mike Morgan says - it seems harmless in that the writer is asking tough questions about Goldman that deserve answers. This would hardly be the only site out there that is furious with the behavior and gentle treatment of Goldman so it's odd that he's been singled out. Mike Morgan is also looking for volunteers to help with the cause so check out his site for more details. Read the rest of this post...