The bank neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing under the settlement.Read the rest of this post...
For JPMorgan, the settlement amounts to less than 1 percent of the bank's 2010 net income of $17.4 billion -- which amounts to less than what JPMorgan earns in one week.
The bank agreed to settle the charges two weeks after Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co., complained to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that new financial regulations designed to prevent another financial crisis were too burdensome on banks.
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Tuesday, June 21, 2011
SEC settles on another Wall Street case
Besides being a ridiculously small amount of money, once again, the chumps at the SEC allowed Wall Street to get away with avoiding any wording that suggested guilt or wrongdoing. There is still a chance that there may be additional charges against individuals but the record of prosecuting Wall Street abuses under Obama is no better than it was during the Bush years. But hey, it's election season and there are boots to lick if you want to raise campaign money. Change we can believe in, right?
FDA gets graphic with cigarette warnings
It's pretty safe to assume that everyone in the US now knows that smoking is bad for your health, no? While smoking bothers me personally (headaches and the smell) it's not entirely clear how this campaign is really going to help. Over here when they started to use more graphic labels, it helped launch a new business of selling cigarette cases that you could slip the pack into so you didn't have to see the new label. (Hint, hint, for those with design skills and who want to create a new business when this law kicks in.) Reuters:
Dead bodies, diseased lungs and a man on a ventilator were among the graphic images for revamped tobacco labels unveiled Tuesday by U.S. health officials.Read the rest of this post...
Proposed in November under a law that put the multibillion-dollar tobacco industry under the control of the Food and Drug Administration, the new labels must be on cigarette packages and in advertisements starting in October 2012.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg were to announce the nine new warnings at the White House, but the labels were released early Tuesday on the FDA website.
Harrisburg mayor tries to pray city out of financial ruin
If this is the best public officials can do in the modern industrialized world, there's a serious problem. We used to be a country that valued math and science but with this collapse into prayer, there's little hope of a city or state or country to succeed if prayer is the best that can be offered. These are not the Dark Ages so extremists like this need to quit acting like it is. For any businesses still left in that city, they better move quickly because it's only going to get worse.
If all the brightest minds in Harrisburg’s government can’t solve the city’s financial problems, maybe God can.Read the rest of this post...
That seems to be the thinking in Pennsylvania’s capital city, where Mayor Linda Thompson and a host of other religious leaders are about to embark on a three-day fast and prayer campaign to cure the city’s daunting money woes.
Study: Oceans are sick and need urgent help
The difficulty is that the knuckle-draggers on the right don't even see that there is a problem. Unfortunately the Democrats are too willing to compromise, all in the name of helping business.
Life in the oceans is at imminent risk of the worst spate of extinctions in millions of years due to threats such as climate change and over-fishing, a study showed on Tuesday.Read the rest of this post...
Time was running short to counter hazards such as a collapse of coral reefs or a spread of low-oxygen "dead zones," according to the study led by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO).
"We now face losing marine species and entire marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs, within a single generation," according to the study by 27 experts to be presented to the United Nations.
Romney in growing trouble over refusal to sign anti-abortion pledge
Romney is refusing to sign an anti-abortion pledge, and it's causing him a growing headache, and increasing charges that he's a waffler (and he is).
Read the rest of this post...
This just in.... Gingrich’s top two fundraisers quit campaign
Buh bye. AP:
Newt Gingrich's top two fundraising advisers resigned on Tuesday, and officials said the Republican candidate's hobbling presidential campaign carried more than $1 million in debt.Read the rest of this post...
Obama to cut 10,000 out of 100,000 US troops from Afghanistan
Oh please, this is pathetic. End the damned war and use the money to rebuild the US. If we're going to throw money around, at least throw it around on Americans who are having hard times because of the high cost of the war and the stupid tax cuts that Obama went along with.
President Barack Obama is expected to withdraw roughly 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan this year, with one brigade of about 5,000 forces leaving this summer and a second brigade of similar size coming home by the end of the year, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday.Read the rest of this post...
Obama is also weighing a timetable for bringing home the 20,000 other troops he ordered to Afghanistan as part of his December 2009 decision to send reinforcements to reverse the Taliban's battlefield momentum. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the plans before Obama's formal announcement.
Thoughts on Netroots Nation 2011
This was my first Netroots Nation (the annual progressive blog conference, 2,400 people attended this year), so I was full of empty places to store first impressions. It was a fascinating conference, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is inclined to join us next year.
Panels — Excellent. As professionally handled as any trade show panels I've attended. Obviously some were better than others, but on the whole, extremely well moderated, with a nice handle on the waste-my-time potential of run-on speakers and audience members. Didn't happen nearly as much as you'd think for a convention of lively minds. Most panelists were very well prepared.
I attended, among others, some writing panels, some blogger panels, a great Afghanistan panel (Darcy Burner, Steve Clemons, two Representatives and a retired general), bunches of strategy panels, and some "countering right-wing tactics" panels. All very good.
Training — This was unexpected, the training sessions. I attended only a few (in my weaker moments, I consider myself already trained). But the ones I did attend were surprisingly informative. I'd single out Joel Silberman's session, on media presence and projecting no further than the camera or mike, for top marks.
His session really was training, not faux-lecture, and everyone came away more skilled. The in-class exercises (and there were many) produced obvious and universal results. An example: The camera, being a very close eye, magnifies stillness or fidgeting, so stillness is king. Joel had the room do a grounding exercise (literally, getting connected to the ground) while standing, and after a minute, all fidgeting in the room stopped. Wow. Welcome to professionalism, and thanks a ton, Joel.
Meet-ups & greet-ups — This is an obvious comment, but still true; you meet people you only know online, and then meet a ton more. Progressives are a warm and welcoming group. That aspect of the conference is under-appreciated until you experience it. From big-names to trench-diggers (most of whom are heroes), there's no end of inclusion. Feels great.
Obama — Many have written about the "theme" of the conference for them, for example, here or here or here (h/t Amanda Marcotte). For me, the theme was "What about Obama?" There's a poll showing that 80% of NN11 attendees still support him. (It's a smaller number, however, perhaps significantly smaller, who would work for him again, but the open support was there.)
Still, the dissatisfaction with Obama was palpable. There were plenty of party loyalists and a few headliners whose sheepskins weren't perceived as disguises (for example, Debbie Wasserman Schultz) who came to sell. And some of the loyalists got sand kicked on their trousers from time to time (watch the vid and read Jane's closing comments).
But most of the convention was in the middle — lots of good people from mainstream leftie orgs who will no doubt vote Dem, but who are hearing from the other 20% how Bush-like the Fierce Defender has turned out to be.
My take — The progressive movement is clearly moving away from Obama and the Beltway crowd. The hard-line Dem types are fighting a rear-guard action. And it's the avant-garde, not the dead-enders, who are turning away.
What the avant-garde is turning to is up for grabs. A ship doesn't turn on a dime, yet you can see and predict the motion in broad terms, and this ship is turning for sure, wherever it eventually docks. You heard it everywhere. There's a crowd effect among many of the attendees, but the early adopters of separatism, those who've mentally broken away, are not going back to the Party except for specific candidates, and their numbers are growing, not shrinking. You can count that as good or bad, but it's true.
Grayson & Feingold — I had a chance to meet both, and both are good progressives.
Grayson said frequently "we as progressives," a strong self-identification, and I believe him. His actions, in the main, have shown it. Still, he's a much stronger party loyalist than I realized before talking with him, and — in my opinion only — this is his Achilles heel. It was breaking news, for example, when he admitted in a small impromptu session that he'd now support a progressive primary challenger. For me, that's a progressive given. He's clearly off the fantasy candidate team for 2012, and may never be more than a far-left Party man.
I do hope I'm wrong, and he could prove me so. I wish he would. He's further along now than two years ago. But again (in my opinion only), he has a way to go. I love his fire; I'd like him to take better aim.
Feingold, in contrast, seems to have broken loose. Before the conference, I caught this piece from TPM, in which he accuses Dems and Repubs of "corruption" (defined correctly as letting campaign cash cast your vote). In the piece, he's quoted as calling out Steny Hoyer and Claire McCaskill (her). Not the party-loyalist thing to do. And his keynote address rang the same bell.
There's going to be a primary challenge to Governor Scott ("Reporting for duty, Mr. Koch") Walker of Wisconsin. The fight is in the states, and Feingold would make a great candidate — and a great progressive candidate — if he decides to take his career that way. He has his eyes on straight, knows what he's looking at when he sees Beltway Dems, and seems to be less confused by the party-vs-principles thing. Here's hoping.
The RightOnline conference — As you've read by now, there's a shadow right-wing conference every year. This year it was in the main conference hotel (our conference itself was at the Convention Center, a short walk away). There are many reports of encounters.
I'll just add two observations. Angry lefties who freelance their rage and cleverness for Breitbartean cameras — shouldn't. Leave that to the pros, like Seder or Silberman. The untutored encounters look obnoxious, and the bad guys use the tape to play the false equivalency card. Here's a tip: When you see clowns, smile.
And second, the right-wing film crews and celebs were covered in cops, the faux secret-service, curly eartail types. Linebackers looking to take you down, a serious authoritarian stink around them. And most likely true-believers themselves, Movement media hiring Movement muscle. In contrast, our "security" looked like mall cops, checking ticket stubs and reminding you when you dropped your popcorn. Quite the eye-opener.
(By the way, the way the logo worked, RightOnline could be read as Right-Online or RightOn-line. Right on, bro; very nice, in that manipulative adman sense.)
So that's my trip report. Please post in the comments if you attended and want to tell your stories. I'd love to read them.
GP Read the rest of this post...
Panels — Excellent. As professionally handled as any trade show panels I've attended. Obviously some were better than others, but on the whole, extremely well moderated, with a nice handle on the waste-my-time potential of run-on speakers and audience members. Didn't happen nearly as much as you'd think for a convention of lively minds. Most panelists were very well prepared.
I attended, among others, some writing panels, some blogger panels, a great Afghanistan panel (Darcy Burner, Steve Clemons, two Representatives and a retired general), bunches of strategy panels, and some "countering right-wing tactics" panels. All very good.
Training — This was unexpected, the training sessions. I attended only a few (in my weaker moments, I consider myself already trained). But the ones I did attend were surprisingly informative. I'd single out Joel Silberman's session, on media presence and projecting no further than the camera or mike, for top marks.
His session really was training, not faux-lecture, and everyone came away more skilled. The in-class exercises (and there were many) produced obvious and universal results. An example: The camera, being a very close eye, magnifies stillness or fidgeting, so stillness is king. Joel had the room do a grounding exercise (literally, getting connected to the ground) while standing, and after a minute, all fidgeting in the room stopped. Wow. Welcome to professionalism, and thanks a ton, Joel.
Meet-ups & greet-ups — This is an obvious comment, but still true; you meet people you only know online, and then meet a ton more. Progressives are a warm and welcoming group. That aspect of the conference is under-appreciated until you experience it. From big-names to trench-diggers (most of whom are heroes), there's no end of inclusion. Feels great.
Obama — Many have written about the "theme" of the conference for them, for example, here or here or here (h/t Amanda Marcotte). For me, the theme was "What about Obama?" There's a poll showing that 80% of NN11 attendees still support him. (It's a smaller number, however, perhaps significantly smaller, who would work for him again, but the open support was there.)
Still, the dissatisfaction with Obama was palpable. There were plenty of party loyalists and a few headliners whose sheepskins weren't perceived as disguises (for example, Debbie Wasserman Schultz) who came to sell. And some of the loyalists got sand kicked on their trousers from time to time (watch the vid and read Jane's closing comments).
But most of the convention was in the middle — lots of good people from mainstream leftie orgs who will no doubt vote Dem, but who are hearing from the other 20% how Bush-like the Fierce Defender has turned out to be.
My take — The progressive movement is clearly moving away from Obama and the Beltway crowd. The hard-line Dem types are fighting a rear-guard action. And it's the avant-garde, not the dead-enders, who are turning away.
What the avant-garde is turning to is up for grabs. A ship doesn't turn on a dime, yet you can see and predict the motion in broad terms, and this ship is turning for sure, wherever it eventually docks. You heard it everywhere. There's a crowd effect among many of the attendees, but the early adopters of separatism, those who've mentally broken away, are not going back to the Party except for specific candidates, and their numbers are growing, not shrinking. You can count that as good or bad, but it's true.
Grayson & Feingold — I had a chance to meet both, and both are good progressives.
Grayson said frequently "we as progressives," a strong self-identification, and I believe him. His actions, in the main, have shown it. Still, he's a much stronger party loyalist than I realized before talking with him, and — in my opinion only — this is his Achilles heel. It was breaking news, for example, when he admitted in a small impromptu session that he'd now support a progressive primary challenger. For me, that's a progressive given. He's clearly off the fantasy candidate team for 2012, and may never be more than a far-left Party man.
I do hope I'm wrong, and he could prove me so. I wish he would. He's further along now than two years ago. But again (in my opinion only), he has a way to go. I love his fire; I'd like him to take better aim.
Feingold, in contrast, seems to have broken loose. Before the conference, I caught this piece from TPM, in which he accuses Dems and Repubs of "corruption" (defined correctly as letting campaign cash cast your vote). In the piece, he's quoted as calling out Steny Hoyer and Claire McCaskill (her). Not the party-loyalist thing to do. And his keynote address rang the same bell.
There's going to be a primary challenge to Governor Scott ("Reporting for duty, Mr. Koch") Walker of Wisconsin. The fight is in the states, and Feingold would make a great candidate — and a great progressive candidate — if he decides to take his career that way. He has his eyes on straight, knows what he's looking at when he sees Beltway Dems, and seems to be less confused by the party-vs-principles thing. Here's hoping.
The RightOnline conference — As you've read by now, there's a shadow right-wing conference every year. This year it was in the main conference hotel (our conference itself was at the Convention Center, a short walk away). There are many reports of encounters.
I'll just add two observations. Angry lefties who freelance their rage and cleverness for Breitbartean cameras — shouldn't. Leave that to the pros, like Seder or Silberman. The untutored encounters look obnoxious, and the bad guys use the tape to play the false equivalency card. Here's a tip: When you see clowns, smile.
And second, the right-wing film crews and celebs were covered in cops, the faux secret-service, curly eartail types. Linebackers looking to take you down, a serious authoritarian stink around them. And most likely true-believers themselves, Movement media hiring Movement muscle. In contrast, our "security" looked like mall cops, checking ticket stubs and reminding you when you dropped your popcorn. Quite the eye-opener.
(By the way, the way the logo worked, RightOnline could be read as Right-Online or RightOn-line. Right on, bro; very nice, in that manipulative adman sense.)
So that's my trip report. Please post in the comments if you attended and want to tell your stories. I'd love to read them.
GP Read the rest of this post...
Fox edits out Jon Stewart’s criticism of Fox exec
Surprise. From Media Matters:
Yesterday, Jon Stewart appeared on Fox News Sunday to discuss his sharp criticism of Fox News. But one uncomfortable reference to marching-order emails from a Fox News executive was cut from the program.Read the rest of this post...
Speaking with host Chris Wallace, Stewart referenced emails from Fox News vice president and DC managing editor Bill Sammon to bolster his case that Fox News resembles "ideological regimes" who receive "marching orders." Stewart told Wallace that Fox News "reminds me of, you know -- you know, ideological regimes. They can't understand that there is free media other places. Because they receive marching orders." Stewart then said "and if you want me to go through Bill Sammon's emails" but was cut off by Wallace.
Stewart was referencing a series of leaked emails that Media Matters released showing Sammon slanting his bureau's reporting. In one email, Sammon ordered his news staff to cast doubt on established climate science. In another, Sammon directed staff not to use the phrase "public option," but instead the GOP-friendly "government option" and similar phrases. Sammon also sent emails highlighting "Obama's references to socialism, liberalism, Marxism and Marxists" in his 1995 autobiography and slanting Fox's coverage of President Obama's 2009 Cairo speech.
But viewers watching Fox News Sunday on-air wouldn't have heard Stewart's reference to Sammon because it didn't appear on air. Stewart's reference instead appears in the "unedited" interview that Fox News posted online.
Sexually frustrated killer dolphins
Baird Maritime:
The dolphins chased the porpoises at high speed, rammed and then drowned them. In one particularly violent attack, three dolphins corralled their victim before seven others joined them to ram the porpoise to death. Cotter found most shocking the fact that two dolphins remained behind to play with the carcass before pushing it towards his boat.
He believes that the attacks are “object oriented play” during the breeding season by young males who cannot get access to females because of competition from older males.I hear Rick Perry and Aaron Schock have used that excuse too. The competition is just too fierce. Read the rest of this post...
GOP blogger arrested at Netroots Nation for allegedly harassing two female bloggers for wearing Muslim head scarves, women fight back.
This is a really outrageous story. But it has a happy ending. Not only did the jerk get arrested, but a group of women fought back in quite a unique manner. And there's video. And the arrest record is online - I'm printing it here since a number of conservatives, including PJTV, seem to be suggesting the guy never did this, nor was arrested. Here you go.
Last week, during the Netroots Nation conference in Minneapolis, local GOP blogger John Hugh Gilmore, who blogs at Minnesota Conservatives, according to multiple witnesses (dozens of people were on the street watching and helping the women), walked by two Muslim women who were attending the Netroots Nation conference, and were walking down the sidewalk after dinner. According to the witnesses, including one of the women he approached, Gilmore saw the women were wearing hijabs, or headscarves, traditional to more conservative Muslim women. He stopped and asked them what they thought of a well-known woman who opposes the headscarf. The women said they didn't agree with her, Gilmore then approached the women and continued to push the conversation, even after the women asked him to leave them alone.
The witnesses say he then started taking pictures of the women, they asked him to stop, he continued taking the photos, and first one, then both women began to cry. At some point, he reportedly told them to go back to their country - both women were American - and he either tried to call, or pretended to call, conservative activists Andrew Breitbart (this part was caught on tape). A crowd started to grow around Gilmore as several dozen Netroots Nations attendees realized the women were in trouble.
Unfortunately, not all the bystanders were American. Included in those who came out to defend the women were two female Middle Eastern bloggers invited to visit our country as guests of the US State Department. State has a media outreach program that, ironically, brings foreigners to the US to show them that, among other things, we're not really as anti-Muslim as people think. The women were Muslim, from Pakistan and Oman, and they got to watch what witnesses describe as an American man berating two women for practicing their Muslim faith. Fortunately they also got to witness dozens of other Americans defending, and protecting, the two women from the man.
The police were eventually called, and the man was arrested for disorderly conduct, among other things. From Minnesota Public Radio:
That's when things got interesting.
A guard wouldn't let the women in to the conference. They asked me what to do - I was there covering their flash mob - and I told them that we had security at our conference as well, so they should abide by the security's wishes. A few reporters were present, and asking questions, so one of the women began to explain why they were there.
Suddenly, a man from "PJ TV" stuck a microphone in front of the lead woman and started to question her. He got increasingly upset, and basically charged her, and me, with lying about the incident with the GOP blogger the other night, simply beacuse the woman couldn't recall the name of the GOP blogger who had been arrested. You can watch the beginning of the woman's statement, and the GOP "reporter" getting more and more upset with the woman, and with me.
I then turned off my video so I could explain, on behalf of the women, what happened the other night to the two Muslim women. Understandably, the women running the flash mob were unaccustomed to conservatives aggressively shouting at them. I however, am.
JoeMyGod got the rest of the video of me answering the jerk's questions. Watch the video. Not the nicest people. And of course, as the MN public radio story, and the police report I linked to above proves, we were right - he was a conservative blogger, as I had already explained, and he was arrested for harassing the women. So much for PJ TV's brand of "if you yell it enough times, it must be true" journalism.
Here's JoeMyGod's video of the PJ TV guy questioning the lead woman, and then me:
UPDATE: The PJTV guy, who really was a jerk, appeared on a broadcast about the anti-bigotry flashmob, with a clip showing how much of a jerk he was, and they end with a "related" story about how people are using social media to recruit homegrown terrorists. Get it? Muslim-American women are using the blogs to protest a conservative blogger's bigoted attack on Muslim women, so a "related" story is how "social media is being used to recruit homegrown Islamic terrorists." Tells you all you need to know. (As an aside, what IS she wearing?)
And here's the testimony of one of the witnesses who was present when the man harassed the women.
It's funny, I'm not a big fan of hijabs. I worry that, at least in some countries, they're part of the cultural oppression of women (especially when I see women covered in black, head to toe, in 110 degree heat, and guys wearing blue jeans and fun t-shirts. But I'm also not a big fan of men harassing women on public streets simply because they're wearing a scarf on their head, or thinking they couldn't be American simply because they're Muslim.
It's an odd way to fight the oppression of women by bullying them.
Here's some final video of John Hugh Gilmore after he allegedly harassed the women, and right before he was arrested. Video by Jeremy Ryan of DefendingWisconsin.org, published with his permission.
As a final point, I will say that, to their credit, a few of the conservative bloggers who were watching the flashmob, and with whom I was speaking, were very concerned when they heard what had happened earlier to the two women on the street. They asked me to send more information, to confirm that he was a conservative blogger, but they were legitimately not happy that someone would harass women like this.
PS As an aside, here's a still shot of the PJ TV "reporter" who was all tough-guy with the women conducting the flashmob. Note the very manly unlit cigar in his hand, and the even manlier manscaped eyebrows. The true definition of tough guy.... in the Castro.... circa 1970.
Read the rest of this post...
 |
| Police report showing arrest of conservative blogger |
Last week, during the Netroots Nation conference in Minneapolis, local GOP blogger John Hugh Gilmore, who blogs at Minnesota Conservatives, according to multiple witnesses (dozens of people were on the street watching and helping the women), walked by two Muslim women who were attending the Netroots Nation conference, and were walking down the sidewalk after dinner. According to the witnesses, including one of the women he approached, Gilmore saw the women were wearing hijabs, or headscarves, traditional to more conservative Muslim women. He stopped and asked them what they thought of a well-known woman who opposes the headscarf. The women said they didn't agree with her, Gilmore then approached the women and continued to push the conversation, even after the women asked him to leave them alone.
The witnesses say he then started taking pictures of the women, they asked him to stop, he continued taking the photos, and first one, then both women began to cry. At some point, he reportedly told them to go back to their country - both women were American - and he either tried to call, or pretended to call, conservative activists Andrew Breitbart (this part was caught on tape). A crowd started to grow around Gilmore as several dozen Netroots Nations attendees realized the women were in trouble.
Unfortunately, not all the bystanders were American. Included in those who came out to defend the women were two female Middle Eastern bloggers invited to visit our country as guests of the US State Department. State has a media outreach program that, ironically, brings foreigners to the US to show them that, among other things, we're not really as anti-Muslim as people think. The women were Muslim, from Pakistan and Oman, and they got to watch what witnesses describe as an American man berating two women for practicing their Muslim faith. Fortunately they also got to witness dozens of other Americans defending, and protecting, the two women from the man.
The police were eventually called, and the man was arrested for disorderly conduct, among other things. From Minnesota Public Radio:
A St. Paul blogger faces misdemeanor charges after he allegedly harassed two Muslim women last week in downtown Minneapolis.In response to the provocation by the conservative blogger, a group of women attending the Netroots Nation conference, both Muslim and non-Muslim, decided to hold a "hijab flash mob" at the GOP blog conference being held at the Minneapolis Hilton (the conservative bloggers routinely hold their conference every year in our hotel). With less than an hour's notice, the women descended on the hotel, donned hijab scarves, and marched their way up to the conservative blog conference.
Minneapolis police say John Hugh Gilmore, 52, who writes a blog called Minnesota Conservatives, caused a scene Thursday night on Nicollet Mall. Sgt. Bill Palmer, a police spokesman, said Gilmore appeared to be drunk when he confronted the two women wearing the Muslim headscarf known as the hijab.
"Mr. Gilmore made some comments that he didn't believe the women should be in the United States, and that he thought that they were ruining America," Palmer said.
That's when things got interesting.
A guard wouldn't let the women in to the conference. They asked me what to do - I was there covering their flash mob - and I told them that we had security at our conference as well, so they should abide by the security's wishes. A few reporters were present, and asking questions, so one of the women began to explain why they were there.
Suddenly, a man from "PJ TV" stuck a microphone in front of the lead woman and started to question her. He got increasingly upset, and basically charged her, and me, with lying about the incident with the GOP blogger the other night, simply beacuse the woman couldn't recall the name of the GOP blogger who had been arrested. You can watch the beginning of the woman's statement, and the GOP "reporter" getting more and more upset with the woman, and with me.
I then turned off my video so I could explain, on behalf of the women, what happened the other night to the two Muslim women. Understandably, the women running the flash mob were unaccustomed to conservatives aggressively shouting at them. I however, am.
JoeMyGod got the rest of the video of me answering the jerk's questions. Watch the video. Not the nicest people. And of course, as the MN public radio story, and the police report I linked to above proves, we were right - he was a conservative blogger, as I had already explained, and he was arrested for harassing the women. So much for PJ TV's brand of "if you yell it enough times, it must be true" journalism.
Here's JoeMyGod's video of the PJ TV guy questioning the lead woman, and then me:
UPDATE: The PJTV guy, who really was a jerk, appeared on a broadcast about the anti-bigotry flashmob, with a clip showing how much of a jerk he was, and they end with a "related" story about how people are using social media to recruit homegrown terrorists. Get it? Muslim-American women are using the blogs to protest a conservative blogger's bigoted attack on Muslim women, so a "related" story is how "social media is being used to recruit homegrown Islamic terrorists." Tells you all you need to know. (As an aside, what IS she wearing?)
And here's the testimony of one of the witnesses who was present when the man harassed the women.
It's funny, I'm not a big fan of hijabs. I worry that, at least in some countries, they're part of the cultural oppression of women (especially when I see women covered in black, head to toe, in 110 degree heat, and guys wearing blue jeans and fun t-shirts. But I'm also not a big fan of men harassing women on public streets simply because they're wearing a scarf on their head, or thinking they couldn't be American simply because they're Muslim.
It's an odd way to fight the oppression of women by bullying them.
Here's some final video of John Hugh Gilmore after he allegedly harassed the women, and right before he was arrested. Video by Jeremy Ryan of DefendingWisconsin.org, published with his permission.
As a final point, I will say that, to their credit, a few of the conservative bloggers who were watching the flashmob, and with whom I was speaking, were very concerned when they heard what had happened earlier to the two women on the street. They asked me to send more information, to confirm that he was a conservative blogger, but they were legitimately not happy that someone would harass women like this.
PS As an aside, here's a still shot of the PJ TV "reporter" who was all tough-guy with the women conducting the flashmob. Note the very manly unlit cigar in his hand, and the even manlier manscaped eyebrows. The true definition of tough guy.... in the Castro.... circa 1970.
Will Italy be the next eurozone country to drop?
Nobody really thought Italy was part of the stronger economies in Europe but not many have predicted Italy would fail before Spain. The Financial Times is now saying just that. This would make the Greek/Ireland/Portugal problems look small. Financial Times:
Some analysts feel that Spain is the last bastion for the euro’s survival. We do not. We believe that the final battle will be fought on the picturesque shores of Italy, resulting in Rome’s emergence as either hero or villain with respect to the survival of the euro.Read the rest of this post...
Most European politicians dearly want the “run” on several of its “club” members to end and its rescues to restore confidence.
This is, unfortunately, a dream that is likely to be shattered as the next domino – Spain – suffers the scrutiny of intense solvency analysis.
Syrians unimpressed with Assad's speech, protests continue
The Syrian population has a lot of toughness. Even after multiple massacres in town after town, they won't back down. They listened again to Assad but of course, he had nothing to say nor any changes to discuss. After the speech they hit the streets chanting "no to dialogue with murderers." Al Jazeera:
Protesters have taken to the streets across Syria to denounce a speech by President Bashar al-Assad, saying his address did not meet popular demands for sweeping political reform.Read the rest of this post...
In a 70-minute televised speech, Assad acknowledged demands for reform were legitimate, but said "saboteurs" were exploiting the situation.
Although he called for "national dialogue," he said, "There is no political solution with those who carry arms and kill."
Rallies against Assad were held in major cities including Homs, Hama, Latakia and in Damascus suburbs.
Former Tunisian president sentenced to 35 years for corruption
It may be a tough fight to get the $60 million in fines from Ben Ali but at least he's gone. The Guardian:
The former Tunisian president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and his wife have been sentenced to 35 years in jail after being found guilty of theft in absentia by a Tunisian court.Read the rest of this post...
Ben Ali and his wife, Leila Trabelsi, were accused of theft and unlawful possession of large sums of foreign currency, jewellery, archaeological artefacts, drugs and weapons.
The case was brought in absentia after Ben Ali fled Tunisia on 14 January following mass protests across the country. Ben Ali, who has since said he was deceived into leaving Tunisia, has accumulated vast wealth from his involvement in some of the country's biggest businesses during his 23-year reign.
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