Federal judge restores protected status for gray wolves

Good news for the gray wolves, though the GOP wolves probably won't be happy.

A federal judge has restored endangered species protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies, derailing plans by three states to hold public wolf hunts this fall.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted a preliminary injunction late Friday restoring the protections for the wolves in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Molloy will eventually decide whether the injunction should be permanent.

The region has an estimated 2,000 gray wolves. They were removed from the endangered species list in March, following a decade-long restoration effort.

Environmentalists sued to overturn the decision, arguing wolf numbers would plummet if hunting were allowed. They sought the injunction in the hopes of stopping the hunts and allowing the wolf population to continue expanding.

Read the rest of this post...

In major reversal, James Dobson flips for McCain

Principles don't really matter to the leader of the extreme right wing James Dobson, partisan politics do. Yes, the theocrats are getting behind the Republican, which is no surprise. But, what is interesting is just how much crow Dobson has to eat.

Dobson in February 2008 as reported by World Nut Daily:

Evangelical Christian leader James Dobson has not endorsed a candidate for the Republican nomination, but his statement today declaring he would sit out the general election if Sen. John McCain becomes the GOP winner was quickly highlighted by Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign.

Dobson, who noted he was not speaking in his capacity as founder and head of Focus on the Family, said he's "deeply disappointed" the Republican Party appears to be ready to nominate the Arizona senator, who is considered the front-runner ahead of tonight's results in the 22 Super Tuesday contests nationwide.

"I am convinced Sen. McCain is not a conservative and, in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are," Dobson said in a statement read on Laura Ingraham's nationally syndicated radio show. "He has at times sounded more like a member of the other party."

Dobson in July 2008 as reported by the Associated Press:

Conservative Christian leader James Dobson has softened his stance against Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, saying he could reverse his position and endorse the Arizona senator despite serious misgivings.

"I never thought I would hear myself saying this," Dobson said in a radio broadcast to air Monday. "... While I am not endorsing Senator John McCain, the possibility is there that I might."

Read the rest of this post...

Pope again attacks commercialism during visit to Australia

While I agree that many are too obsessed with commercialism, has Pope Benedict somehow forgotten where he lives and how he lives? Even putting aside his love for Prada shoes and Gucci sunglasses, the Vatican ain't exactly chopped liver. The Pope could easily be the subject of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. The extravagant lifestyle of those living in the Vatican is widely known so who is he kidding? If he bothered to tone it down a notch, that might go a long way and win over a few new people. Read the rest of this post...

Radical Arab leader supports Barack Obama. His name is Al-Maliki.

Read the rest of this post...

One of Turkey's lead gay advocates murdered after returning from international gay gathering

I doubt this is a coincidence. Turkey needs to enter the 21st century, or it will forever be stuck in the 19th, or worst.

Ahmet Yildiz, 26, a physics student who represented his country at an international gay gathering in San Francisco last year, was shot leaving a cafe near the Bosphorus strait this week. Fatally wounded, the student tried to flee the attackers in his car, but lost control, crashed at the side of the road and died shortly afterwards in hospital. His friends believe Mr Yildiz was the victim of the country's first gay honour killing.

Read the rest of this post...

Popular conservative radio host says autism patients are faking it

Michael Savage is a conservative hero. They own this man. I have a nephew with autism. He's now a young adult now. I'd noticed something wrong when he was around 2. Since then, he's never been "normal." He's not some spoiled brat, he can barely communicate in English, and he's in his 20s. If he's faking it, he's been faking it for 25 or so years now. This man is disgusting. But more disgusting is that he's one of the top conservative radio show hosts. Savage is conservatism, with all its hatred and intolerance laid bare.

On July 16, the No. 3 syndicated radio talk show host in the country, Michael Savage, made the following statement on autism:

"Now, you want me to tell you my opinion on autism? ... A fraud, a racket."

Savage went on to say:

"Now, the illness du jour is autism. You know what autism is? I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is.

What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.'"

More from Media Matters, including how to take action. Read the rest of this post...

Someone finally figured out Insurance company rules

Almost everyone I know has had some kind of horrible experience with their health insurance company. That's because we didn't know the rules. Now, we do:

Read the rest of this post...

Barney Frank on Phil Gramm: "He's the scariest part of John McCain"

Just because McCain has finally let Gramm go, it hardly means McCain has abandoned the radical economic ideas of Phil Gramm. The McCain economic plan may shy away from calling people "whiners" but it still is heavily favoring the same people who have brought down the economy. It remains focused on helping the privileged and to hell with everyone else. Think of it as the new compassionate conservatism that has as much compassion as the last attempt.

Earlier this week, I asked Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chair of the House Financial Services Committee, what his take was on Gramm's comments.

"That's who he is," Frank said. "And John McCain supported him for president. Obama never supported Jeremiah Wright for president. John McCain supported Phil Gramm for president, he's a major influence on McCain. This is a mean guy, who thinks if you're poor it's your own fault, and has also been a contributor to the regulatory problem. He's the scariest part of John McCain and I think that it's very helpful that people know about it."

Read the rest of this post...

DSCC spending $5 million against Collins in Maine?

$5 million buys a lot of media in Maine:

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has also made more than $15 million in buys in North Carolina, New Mexico, Minnesota and Maine, with the buys in Maine and North Carolina exceeding $5 million each. A committee official declined to comment.

Susan Collins, who is known to have a very thin skin, must be freaking out. There's no way the National Republican Senatorial Committee can spend anything like that to defend her. Read the rest of this post...

Sunday Talk Shows Open Thread

Mixed bag on the shows today. Following up on his stellar performance at Netroots Nation, Gore gets sole billing on "Meet." Following her stellar performance at Netroots Nation, Nancy Pelosi has to share billing with the butthead Blunt. Not sure that putting Bush's Treasury Secretary instills any confidence in the Bush economy. Nor does having Bush's Secretary of State instill any confidence in the Bush foreign policy.

And, Lieberman is on Fox.

Here's the lineup:

ABC's "This Week" — Pre-empted by coverage of the British Open golf tournament.

___

CBS' "Face the Nation" — Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.

___

NBC's "Meet the Press" — Former Vice President Al Gore.

___

CNN's "Late Edition" — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Paulson.

"Fox News Sunday" _ Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Evan Bayh, D-Ind.; Earl Morse, founder of Honor Flight, a program of free flights for World War II veterans.

Read the rest of this post...

Tory Boy

Classic Harry Enfield clip of "Tory Boy" from a few years ago. Even today, British conservatives can be annoying and pompous but hardly as extreme as the current lot of right wingers we have in the US. When did the GOP cross the line from old fashioned conservatives to the mean spirited bunch of extremist moralizers that dominate the party today? The old Rockefeller Republicans are few and far between out there. They may have been bad, but they look charming compared to the current group. Read the rest of this post...

Gordon Brown backs Iraq withdrawal plan

The British PM joins Barack Obama and the Iraqi government in supporting a plan to leave Iraq. When the UK leaves, they will be taking 4,100 troops which means even more pressure on the US who need troops for the floundering war in Afghanistan. Brown has so far failed to keep his election process of drawing down British troops more rapidly.

Gordon Brown prepared the ground for a historic realignment in the "war on terror" yesterday by setting out a four-point plan for withdrawal of British troops from Iraq by the end of next year.

Although he is refusing to set a detailed timetable for withdrawal, it is clear Mr Brown is in agreement with the US presidential candidate Barack Obama on the need for military action in Afghanistan to take priority. Both appear to be working to a 16-month timetable.

While Mr Brown addressed troops in Basra and met Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, the Democratic hopeful arrived in Afghanistan to declare the US mission there to be more important than that in Iraq. Mr Obama is expected imminently in Iraq, and he will continue on to Europe. He will meet Mr Brown in Downing Street on Saturday.

Read the rest of this post...

Open Thread

Worth a watch:

Read the rest of this post...