Chinese pilots who lied about experience back on the job

There I fixed it. That ought to make everyone feel more comfortable with flying in China.

Chinese pilots who had lied about their flying experience have been allowed to return to work after they took remedial action to make up their hours, according to the country's aviation watchdog.

Chinese media reported this month that a probe in 2008 had found about 200 pilots had falsified elements of their resumes.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said they had found 192 pilots whose "flying experience to different degrees did not accord with reality."

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Rupert Murdoch under fire in UK over phone hacking of politicians

British politicians are now also wondering, was illegal phone hacking done elsewhere within Murdoch's News Corp? Promoting someone involved in tapping phones makes you wonder what's going through the mind of Rupert Murdoch. The Guardian:

Labour MPs used parliamentary privilege in the commons debate to criticise the chairman and CEO of News Corporation, which owns the newspaper publisher, and his senior executives, who are battling claims that the NoW endorsed the illegal hacking of mobile phones.

Tom Watson, a Labour member of the Commons culture select committee, placed Murdoch in the line of fire by accusing him of appointing Brooks as chief executive of News International knowing that she had admitted that illegal payments had been made to police.

The former minister cited evidence by Brooks to the culture committee in 2003 in which she admitted that the News of the World had paid police officers in the past for stories. This was condemned by the committee and by the Met as illegal.

"When Murdoch appointed Brooks he did so in that knowledge," Watson said of the ruling from the Commons committee. Les Hinton, then chair of News International, later told the committee that Brooks subsequently told him she had "not authorised payments to policemen"; he said her evidence was meant to suggest "there had been payments in the past".

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Belgian priest child rape story looking even worse than expected

How do the church leaders feel about suicide in addition to rape? They appear completely insensitive to the end result of their behavior and more concerned about their own power. When they look back in years to come it will be obvious that it was their own actions which caused the most destruction to the institution. Surely even uglier details will be emerging soon.

A Belgian commission looking into sexual abuse by Catholic clergy says it has received testimony from hundreds of victims and that witnesses say widespread abuse over decades led to at least 13 suicides.

The report was incomplete because its files were seized in a June 24 judicial raid that forced it break-up. But, commission chairman Peter Adriaenssens said Friday that 488 witnesses came forward, most of them after the April resignation of a bishop for sexual abuse set off a deep crisis within the Belgian church.

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Americans support tax increases for those making over $250,000

No matter how many times Boehner and Fox News hammer away at the issue it won't change the fact that Americans are fine with Obama's tax plan. Getting wobbly like Peter Orszag is not what we need from Democrats when the numbers there. Folding so easily has something to do with the perception of this administration being weak so it's good to see the team (outside of Orszag) holding firm.

A majority of Americans favor letting the tax cuts enacted during the Bush administration expire for the wealthy. While 37% support keeping the tax cuts for all Americans, 44% want them extended only for those making less than $250,000 and 15% think they should expire for all taxpayers.

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64% of US wealth went to top 10% since Reaganomics

Oh sure, if you want to nitpick the economic model that the Republicans (and too many Democrats) have promoted for the past thirty years has helped solidify the American aristocracy but isn't it kinda fun having royalty? As long as we can use them as tourist attractions how could this be a bad thing? We should all be thankful that they have chosen to grace us with their presence and minimum wage jobs.

It's probably not such a big deal that 24% of the US wealth is concentrated in the hands of only 1% of the population. Look, if Democrats in power don't see it as a problem, they're probably right. After all, they always have their finger on the pulse of the country and know what's best and what's fair for hard working Americans. If they didn't how would they maintain voter support, after all? Read the rest of this post...

Socarides: End all DADT discharges now and 'No Appeal'

Just posted this at AMERICAblog Gay. I got a statement on Don't Ask, Don't Tell from Richard Socarides, the political strategist and attorney, who served as White House Special Assistant and Senior Advisor to President Bill Clinton. He also worked on Capitol Hill -- and he really knows how the political and legal game is played. He's often on tv and is widely quoted on LGBT issues. Richard's statement addresses what a number of people have been asking:

There are two things we should all be insisting on from President Obama and Attorney General Holder right now. We all need to be united about this as a community.

One, there is no excuse, and there can be none, for the continued enforcement of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, even in a scaled down version. The president says he's against it, the American people are against it, it hurts our national security, and now a federal court has ruled it violates our sacred constitution. This insanity must end now. There must be a complete and immediate end to all DADT discharges.

Second, there is no valid legal (or political) reason to pursue an appeal. There is no legal obligation to continue to defend a law declared unconstitutional by a sitting federal judge. We must insist on an unequivocal statement from the president that he will allow the ruling to stand, because it is in accordance with his long held view, but more importantly, because doing so is consistent with our constitution. We must expect and demand no less from him. No appeal. Let this ruling become the law of the land.

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Is Earl Blumenauer the stalking horse for progressive surrender on Social Security?

Earl Blumenauer is a House Democrat from Portland, Oregon, and a kind of west coast version of Bernie Sanders. That's him on the left. As a branding device, the bow tie creates a nice professorial image, and his reputation is every bit as liberal as Bernie's is.

His district used to include all of Portland, including the money, but in 2002 the money side went to the 1st district and David Wu. Blumenauer now represents the decidedly working-class neighborhoods of the 3rd district.

So why's he hanging with Matt Bai, the inaugural member of our Stealth Conservative Activists list? And by "hanging" I mean helping to make Matt Bai's anti-Social Security point (my emphasis throughout):

But Mr. Blumenauer sides with the White House on the notion that Democrats need to do something now about the federal debt, starting with cuts in wasteful federal spending (like some farm subsidies and military outlays) and with changes to cherished entitlement programs.

Mr. Blumenauer doesn’t argue that government does too much, or that programs like Social Security and Medicare aren’t vital. Rather, in two recent conversations about the nation’s finances, Mr. Blumenauer argued that if Democrats really want to protect a vast array of federal programs from repeated Republican onslaughts, then they need to bring the costs of the programs in line with reality.

Your basic Blue Doggery, right? It's all about the cost. But Blumenauer has serious leftie cred — as Bai points out, a 100% rating from the League of Conservation Voters. And he came out strong for the public option, back in the day. You might even call Blumenauer a "progressive."

Turns out Mr. Blumenauer is a sham when it actually counts. He clearly talks the talk; but he wobbles when he walks. From Jane Hamsher:

July 2007: Earl Blumenauer signs a letter saying he won’t vote for any more war funding that doesn’t have troop withdrawal provisions.

June 2009: Earl Blumenauer votes for war supplemental without troop withdrawal provisions — when his votes actually counts. 39 Democrats could have stopped it; only 32 voted “nay.”

Wow. But you'd have to be searching those voting lists to find this. The "firm stand" makes the news; the actual vote makes the bottom of the birdcage.

But what about that public option? Surely he meant that. Well, as Jane points out, our Earl:

• Signed a pledge to vote against any HCR bill without a public option.
  
• Took $3200 in progressive online funds raised by supporters of that pledge.
  
• Trashed Alan Grayson after Grayson's "Die quickly" speech.
  
• Refused to confirm, when asked by nervous supporters, that he'd keep his word and honor his pledge.
  
• Refused to return the money to people who asked for it, given his weaselly responses.

In the end, he skated on having to come through. Nancy Pelosi caved to what some called bogus "political reality" in the Senate. Thus, the Senate took the heat for Pelosi, and Pelosi took the heat for those "strong public option" types in the House, like Blumenauer.

Jane Hamsher calls Earl Blumenauer "Lanny Davis in a bow tie ... an unprincipled hack." Strong words. And now it looks like he may have found himself a lead role to play — painting the slow death of Social Security with "progressive" cred. He's on the Budget committee; just the seat to do it from, if that's his inclination.

Blumenauer has since responded to Bai's article with a "clarification" at HuffPost. Click to read it, and decide for yourself what it clarifies. For me there's a Part A and a Part B, mutually cancelling:

I do not believe, nor have I ever said, that the Social Security trust fund is either like a "lottery" or "make believe money."

I will continue to strongly oppose any effort to privatize or weaken the Social Security system.

Compare the first quote to the statement about costs in the Bai article. For me, this clarifies only the obfuscation. The second quote only makes it more ... wobbly.

Mr. Blumenauer, I'm still on alert, and you're still on the radar. I stand by my title. Are you the stalking horse for progressive surrender? We're going to watch the walk.

Action opportunity — If you live in Oregon, you can contact Blumenauer's office (503-231-2300 or 202-225-4811) and ask his representatives if he supports using part of the safety net to buy Jaime Dimon's next Lamborghini. By that I mean, ask him if he supports No Benefit Cuts, in any form, including raising the retirement age. You can say that raising the FICA ceiling makes a fine next choice, if you're so inclined.

If you don't live in Oregon, contact Oregon media and tell them about Earl Blumenauer’s support for Social Security benefit cuts, per the Matt Bai article. Ask politely if his working-class constituents might want to know this as well.

So far, Blumenauer sails past both primaries and general elections with ease. But a crack in his bow-tie cred might make him think twice about sinking his constituents' safety net in a fit of New Dem fever.

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Afghan anti-Quran-burning protests turn violent

Not that it's much of a surprise. Nice job by the Republicans to help stop the craziness.

Thousands of Afghans are protesting a small American church's plan to burn the Muslim holy book. At least 11 people have been injured.

Police in the northern province of Badakhshan say several hundred demonstrators ran toward a NATO compound where four attackers and five police were injured in clashes. Protesters also burned an American flag at a mosque after Friday prayers.

In western Farah province, police said two people were injured in another protest.

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Obama Press Conference Open Thread

Obama's presser started at 11:00 AM Eastern. Will he make any real news?

I'll monitor and post any major developments. Hoping the President either calls on The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld or that some member of the press corps will ask an LGBT question. There's plenty of fodder. I'd ask the President, who did teach Constitutional Law Professor, whether he thinks DADT and DOMA are unconstitutional. He has said those laws are discriminatory. I'd also ask whether his administration will be appealing the recent decisions that found those laws are unconstitutional.

UPDATE @ 11:38 AM: Seven questions so far. We know Obama relies heavily on his "Christian Faith." And, I concur with Oliver Willis:

@chucktodd asked obama "how have you changed washington" - nominee for most horrific press conference question of all time

UPDATE @12:19 PM: Well, that's it. Mostly what one would expect from the White House press corps. Chip Reid's obsession with getting Obama to say the word "stimulus" was fairly typical. And, CNN's Ed Henry really tried to sound tough asking the Bin Laden question. That took some real thought, huh. Would that any of the White House press corps challenged Bush on that for all those years.

Par for the course were the last question from the FOX reporter about the mosque and Jake Tapper's question about the pastor who wants to burn the Quran. They love those questions in the press corps.

Nothing on DADT. Read the rest of this post...

In NH Dem. primary debate, Blue Dog Swett attacked Annie Kuster for being a progressive Democrat

Yes, you read that right.

In a debate between the candidates in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire's Second Congressional District, Blue Dog Katrina Swett launched an attack on her primary opponent, Annie Kuster, for being a progressive Democrats -- and for palling around with progressive groups:

"Annie, you have cast yourself as the very, very progressive candidate and have been warmly supported by the far-left progressive movement," Swett, a human rights activist from Bow, said in a televised debate between the two Democrats running for Congress in the 2nd District. "In a year when everyone understands that the country is moving back toward the center and away from the more left, progressive point of view, if you were to become the nominee, would you try to distance yourself from your own positions?"

Sounds like something a GOPer would say. Swett was the Co-Chair of Joe Lieberman's failed presidential campaign back in 2004. Need we say more? Kuster smacked back. And, one of the best lines came from her press secretary:

"Does she think she is running in the Republican primary?" Kuster spokesman Neil Sroka wrote in an e-mail to reporters.

We've written about Swett before. She's from a state that allows same-sex marriage, but she's opposed to same-sex marriage.

Kuster has raised over $134,000 on ActBlue. (Swett raised $700 on ActBlue, kinda says it all.)

The primary is next Tuesday, September 14th. This is an open seat because the incumbent, Paul Hodes, is running for Senate. Kuster is a solid progressive. She's one of the really good candidates this cycle. Katrina Swett would be another Lieberman/Blue Dog -- and, we've already got too many. Swett's already attacked the Democratic base. If she did win the primary, does she think any of them will help her?

Help Annie win the primary. And, then, we'll need to help her win in November. Read the rest of this post...

Obama promotes economic advisor to chairman

He's to the left of Larry Summers but is that really saying much? Just in time for the election, it's more of the mushy middle. Who knew "change" could be more of the same?

President Obama on Friday will promote a longtime economic adviser, Austan D. Goolsbee, to chairman of his Council of Economic Advisers, signaling continuity even as a high unemployment rate has left much of the public dissatisfied with administration policies.

Mr. Obama’s decision to elevate Mr. Goolsbee, a left-of-center economist, to succeed Christina D. Romer, who returned this month to the University of California, Berkeley, is part of a broader flux within the White House economic team, as architects of the government’s response to the worst recession in 80 years begin moving up and out and their roles shift.

Mr. Goolsbee has been serving as a member of the three-person advisory panel since the beginning of the Obama administration.

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Friday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Obama is holding a press conference this morning. It begins at 11:00 AM Eastern from the East Room. This is a full blown presser, which he hasn't done for awhile. What he says should set the stage for the return of Congress next week and for the elections.

Last night, a federal judge in California issued a ruling that found Don't Ask, Don't Tell is unconstitutional. That is a huge development. The case was brought by the Log Cabin Republicans and two of its members: Alex Nicholson and "John Doe" (who could not be named publicly.) Alex currently serves as Executive Director of Servicemembers United. We owe a big thanks to LCR and Alex for their work on this suit. I've posted their reactions here. The DOJ fought them hard. But, DOJ lost. Now, the question becomes what will DOJ do moving forward? The Judge hasn't issued her final order yet. She's asked LCR to submit a proposed order on the permanent injunction, which will prevent enforcement of DADT. How hard Obama's DOJ fight this decision is a question a lot of people want to know. Be good if someone asked Obama today at his presser -- and ask about DOMA, too.

For now, Ted Olson (with David Boies, of course) and the Log Cabin Republicans are really leading the charge for LGBT equality. How about that? Read the rest of this post...

Bundesbank board member quits following racist remarks

It's about time. His desk should have been cleared the day after he made his remarks. BBC:

Mr Sarrazin, in his book entitled Germany Abolishes Itself, says that Muslim immigrants are a drain on German society.

"Most of the cultural and economic problems are concentrated in a group of the five to six million immigrants from Muslim countries," he stated in the book.

The issue has proved divisive in Germany, with right-wing groups claiming his views vindicate their own stances.

But advocates of improving integration say he has made it harder to hold an objective debate by polarising opinion and obscuring the facts.

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Face of Muslim stonemason added to famous French cathedral

What a great idea which is of course, under attack by right wing extremists. Why should it be a problem for a Muslim to be immortalized after working a lifetime restoring a World Heritage cathedral? Anyone who has visited Spain is no doubt familiar with the beautiful Mudéjar architecture that is everywhere in the south. Should that all be destroyed because Muslims built some of the most stunning buildings of the 15th and 16th century? Extremists really need to get a life.

Why damage control? This was a nice thing to do so if people don't like it, tough. This was an exceptionally nice gesture and all religions could learn something from it.

A Muslim stonemason who spent nearly four decades helping to restore a Roman Catholic cathedral in France has been immortalized as a winged gargoyle peering out from its facade - with the inscription "God is great" written in French and Arabic.

It was conceived as a symbol of inter-religious friendship that reflects the city of Lyon's links to its large Muslim population. But a widely publicized outcry from a small extreme-right group has forced the Archdiocese of Lyon into damage control.

"This has nothing to do with religion. It's a sculptor who wants to pay homage to a construction site chief," said the Rev. Michel Cacaud, rector of the cathedral. "That's all."

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