Left-Centric

Photos: Nobel Peace Prize

 


Nobel Peace Prize laureate U.S. President Barack Obama poses with his diploma and medal after receiving the prize at the award ceremony in Oslo City Hall December 10, 2009




Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus hold hands, during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony


Toby Keith




U.S. actor Will Smith and his daugther Willow, left, applauds President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, at the end of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony






People watch a large TV screen in a park as U.S. President Barack Obama speaks after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo December 10, 2009. The United States must uphold moral standards when waging wars that are necessary and justified, Obama said on Thursday as he accepted the Nobel Prize for Peace. In a speech at the award ceremony in Oslo, Obama said violent conflict would not be eradicated "in our lifetimes", there would be times when nations would need to fight just wars and he would not stand idle in the face of threats to the American people.








Protester Silke Tudor (L), 38, holds a cardboard coffin in Times Square as she and others protest against U.S. President Barack Obama's acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize and the war in Afghanistan, in New York City December 10, 2009.


US President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Barack Obama, centre right, and wife Michelle, wave to the crowd from a balcony on Grand Hotel after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize during a ceremony at City Hall in Oslo










Chinese pianist Lang Lang looks at his mobile device while attending the Nobel banquet in Oslo December 10, 2009. Lang Lang played earlier today at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for U.S. President Barack Obama.

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Beck Lets Obama know the REAL order of command.... Guy is fucking crazy.

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Hannity against hacking e-mail before he was for it...

Obama Pushes Lobbyists Off Federal Advisory Boards

In a little-noticed blog post published on the White House website in September, President Obama's special counsel for ethics and government reform Norm Eisen announced that the administration no longer wanted federally-registered lobbyists appointed to agency advisory boards and commissions.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Games at Center of Obama’s Digital Learning Initiative | GamePolitics

In a bid to improve science and math comprehension for U.S. school pupils, President Obama has launched an open competition designed to encourage the creation of digital media-based learning experiences....

via www.gamepolitics.com

The Stupid Asshole Virus

Bow-gate returns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kyD_e0Y7FQ

I liked this take on it:

Quote:

Conservative bloggers keep up the assault on Obama’s willingness to show respect to foreign leaders in their own countries.

The bar for what triggers outrage on the right keeps dropping.

PHOTOS: The President in Singapore

APEC Leaders pose for a family photograph after their dinner at the APEC Summit in Singapore November 14, 2009. Pictured (L-R) are: Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, U.S. President Barack Obama, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, China's President Hu Jintao, New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key and Mexico's President Felipe Calderon.

TIDINGS OF COMFORT AND JOY...

We've had a rough week ladies and gentlemen.

I bring good news.

LOU DOBBS IS LEAVING CNN

John Stewart Does Glenn Beck!

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Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Lieberman is clearly relishing his role as douchebag in chief.

Looks like old Joe is at it again.

Quote:

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) made his position on health care reform even more clear Sunday morning, saying he would rather have "nothing" than a bill with a public option. "I want to have health care reform, I want to be able to say yes," Lieberman opined on CBS' "Face the Nation." But asked by host Bob Schieffer whether his position could mean ending up with nothing, Lieberman said that was fine. He pointed the finger at Democrats for making the public option part of their bill when there was "broad bipartisan support" for a bill without one. "But is what you're also saying is that nothing is better than a government health insurance, or a health insurance reform that includes a public option? Nothing is better than that?" Schieffer asked. "Well, the truth is that nothing is better than that, because I think we ought to follow, if I may, the doctor's oath in Congress as we deal with health care reform, do no harm," Lieberman responded, chuckling.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/1..._n_341456.html

Liz Cheney Suggests Obama Honored Fallen Soldiers For The Publicity

Quote:

Liz Cheney called out President Obama for his early-morning trip to honor fallen soldiers arriving at Dover Air Force Base yesterday, suggesting President Bush honored America's heroes with a bit more class than his successor. Cheney, on Fox News Radio's John Gibson Show yesterday: "I think that what President Bush used to do is do it without the cameras. And I don't understand sort of showing up with the White House Press Pool with photographers and asking family members if you can take pictures. That's really hard for me to get my head around...It was a surprising way for the president to choose to do this."It's not clear exactly what Cheney is referring to when she says, "Bush used to do it without the cameras." It's true that Bush's Pentagon continued a long-standing policy of banning cameras at Dover when the nation's fallen arrived in flag-draped caskets from foreign battlefields. (Upon taking office, Obama lifted the ban.) So that covers "without the cameras." But as CBS's Mark Knoller reported yesterday, Obama was the first president to visit arriving dead at Dover during the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq -- meaning that when it came to taking trips to Dover like Obama did yesterday morning, Bush never used to "do it" at all

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2...rs.php?ref=fpa

You have to be a horrible person to question someone's integrity like this. The Cheneys are just straight up horrible people.

In 2006, Lieberman campaigned for universal healthcare, so why has he changed his mind now in '09?

LOL Lieberman caught

Republicans say Obama needs their permission to accept Nobel Peace Prize :(

wait...what?

Quote:

Brown-Waite says Obama needs permission to accept Nobel Peace Prize Florida Republican Reps. Ginny Brown-Waite (Brooksville) and Cliff Stearns (Ocala) have joined with Ron Paul of Texas in sending President Barack Obama a letter asking him to consult with Congress before accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. Brown-Waite writes in a news release: "Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution clearly states: 'no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince or foreign state. I urge President Obama to affirm his devotion to our Constitution and seek the consent of Congress before accepting the award in Oslo, Norway, on Dec. 10.” Obama has already said he would donate the prize money to charity.

Constitutional debate, go!

the nobel organization is a private organization, not a "king, prince, or foreign state"

CHUUUUUUUU CHUUUUUUUU ALL ABOARD TEABAGGER EXPRESS!!! PART 2

YESSSSS!!!!!!!! TEA PARTY EXPRESS DEUX!!!! XTRA BLACK THIS TIME

A double dip of teabagging!

Disgusting: Frank Gaffney Tells Ron Reagan: 'Your Father Would Be Ashamed Of You'

"Going Rouge"

'Going Rouge' To Come Out Same Day As Palin's Book

A collection of essays about former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, titled Going Rouge, will be released the same day as Palin's own much-awaited book, Going Rogue.

The essays, collected by The Nation senior editors Richard Kim and Betsy Reed and written by Max Blumenthal, Katha Pollitt, Matt Taibbi and several others, will examine "the nightmarish prospect of her continuing to dominate the nation's political scene."

And yes, the book is available for pre-order.

That is what you called trolling.

PHOTOS: President Obama makes surprise visit to Silver Spring school

President Obama paid a surprise lunchtime visit to Viers Mill Elementary School in Silver Spring Monday.

Montgomery County schools spokeswoman Kate Harrison said the visit lasted just 30 to 45 minutes, and that officials had been told to keep it secret. Obama "really just wanted to interact with students and he wanted to do it during lunch," Harrison said.

According to a pool report, the president visited with third- and fifth-graders. Ben Finkenbinder, a White House press aide, said Obama chose Viers Mill because in 2005 it became the first Montgomery County school with a large population of low-income students to be designated a National Blue Ribbon School for significantly closing the achievement gap. Such schools qualify for Title I federal funding.

"It's wonderful. I'm just so happy for the kids," Harrison said. "What a thrill. To be just sitting there eating your lunch, and all of a sudden the president of the United States walks in. It's so exciting."


















School children encourage their classmates to shake hands with U.S. President Barack Obama (L) as he greets third and fourth grade students at Viers Mill Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland, October 19, 2009. Obama visited the school where the students had improved their standardized test scores.

Proof That Rush Limbaugh Really Is Racist...

Taken from mediamatters.org-

Limbaugh has made numerous racially charged remarks about Obama

• "We are being told that we have to hope [Obama] succeeds, that we have to bend over, grab the ankles ... because his father was black." After Obama's inauguration, Limbaugh said during an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News that "[r]acism in this country is the exclusive province of the left. We're witnessing racism all this week that led up to the inauguration. We're being told that we have to hope he succeeds, that we have to bend over, grab the ankles. Bend over forward, backward, whichever, because his father was black, because this is the first black president. We've got to accept this. The racism that everybody thinks exists on our side of the aisle has been on full display throughout their primary campaign. So I think they've done a great job, the media has, of covering up his deficiencies."

• "I do believe" Obama is an "angry black guy." Responding to accusations that he had called Obama "an angry black man," Limbaugh said on July 27 "they're finally hearing me -- he's an angry black guy. I do believe that about the president. I do believe he's angry; I think his wife is angry. All liberals are enraged all the time anyways. They're always mad." Previously, Limbaugh had said that Obama is "one angry guy."

• "[I]n Obama's America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering." On September 15, Limbaugh said: "It's Obama's America, is it not? Obama's America, white kids getting beat up on school buses now. I mean, you put your kids on a school bus, you expect -- you expect safety. But in Obama's America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering, 'Yay, right on, right on, right on, right on.' And of course everybody says, 'Oh, the white kid deserved it. He was born a racist, he's white.' Newsweek magazine told us this. We know that white students are destroying civility on buses. White students destroying civility in classrooms all over America. White congressmen destroying civility in the House of Representatives. We can redistribute students while we redistribute their parents' wealth. I mean, we can just redistribute everything. Just return the white students to their rightful place, their own bus, with bars on the windows and armed guards. They're racist. They get what they deserve. Newsweek magazine told us this -- post-racial America. I mean, I wonder if Obama's going to come to the defense of the assailants the way he did his friend Skip Gates up there at Harvard."

• "Obama's entire economic program is reparations." On June 22, Limbaugh said, "What they don't know is that Obama's entire economic program is reparations. If I were [Al] Sharpton, if I'd been guest-hosting Sharpton's show, and I got a call like that, somebody complaining, I'd say, 'No, hey, hey, hey. Shh, shh. Let me tell you the truth here. Everything in the stimulus plan, every plan he's got is reparations. He gonna take from the rich, he's gonna take from the -- he's gonna give it to you. It just can't happen overnight. Be patient.' That's what's -- redistribution of wealth, reparations, returning the nation's wealth to its rightful owners, whatever you want to call it, it's reparations."

• Obama is "more African in his roots than he is American" and is "behaving like an African colonial despot." After reading extensively from an American Thinker column smearing Obama, Limbaugh said on June 26 that Obama is "more African in his roots than he is American" and is "behaving like an African colonial despot."

• Obama is "Halfrican-American." On January 24, 2007, Limbaugh referred to Obama and actress Halle Berry as "Halfrican-American[s]," stating that "Barack Obama has picked up another endorsement: Halfrican-American actress Halle Berry." Limbaugh then said: " 'As a Halfrican-American, I am honored to have Ms. Berry's support, as well as the support of other Halfrican Americans,' Obama said." Limbaugh then conceded that Obama "didn't say it."

• "Obama has disowned his white half ... he's decided he's got to go all in on the black side." On March 21, 2008, Limbaugh said of Obama's handling of the controversy surrounding remarks by Rev. Jeremiah Wright: "It is clear that Senator Obama has disowned his white half, that he's decided he's got to go all in on the black side." Limbaugh had earlier said: "[Y]ou know, opening these race wounds like this, taking us back 30, 40 years, making it look like no progress has been made -- what Barack Obama has done -- I'm going to say something here that might offend -- or not offend -- but might make some uncomfortable. But it is clear to me that there has been a major transformation in Senator Obama."

• Sotomayor "a reverse racist" appointed by Obama, "the greatest living example of a reverse racist." On May 26, Limbaugh said then-Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a "reverse racist" and that liberals are wrong to assert that "minorities cannot be racists" because Obama is the "greatest living example of a reverse racist and now he's appointed one." On his May 29 show, Limbaugh compared Sotomayor's nomination to nominating David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan member, and said the way to "get promoted in the Barack Obama administration" is "by hating white people."

• Obama "wants us to have the same health care and plan that he had in Kenya" and "wants to be the black FDR." On August 24, Limbaugh said he "finally figured out why it is Obama's pushing so hard on this health care bill." He asserted: "He just wants us to have the same health care and plan that he had in Kenya. And look, you know, economic anxiety is necessary if you want to become the next black FDR, which is -- well, the black FDR. That's what he wants. He wants to be the black FDR, the next FDR, and FDR fed off of economic anxiety."

• Latching onto LA Times op-ed, Limbaugh sings "Barack, The Magic Negro." On March 19, 2007, Limbaugh highlighted a Los Angeles Times op-ed that described Obama as "running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination -- the 'Magic Negro' " -- a term used by critics of pop culture to describe certain benevolent African-American characters. Limbaugh stated: "The term 'Magic Negro' has been thrown into the political presidential race in the mix for 2008. And the term 'Magic Negro,' as applied to Barack Obama has been done by an LA Times columnist, David Ehrenstein." Limbaugh later asserted: "I'm going to keep referring to him as that, because I want to make a bet that by the end of this week I will own that term," adding, "If I refer to Obama the rest of the day as the 'Magic Negro,' there will be a number of people in the drive-by media and on left-wing blogs who will credit me for coming up with it and ignore the LA Times did it, simply because they can't be critical of the LA Times, but they can, obviously, be critical of talk radio." Limbaugh continued to refer to Obama as the "Magic Negro" throughout the broadcast -- 27 times, to be exact -- and at one point sang "Barack, the Magic Negro" to the tune of "Puff, the Magic Dragon." Limbaugh defended his use of the song, stating, "Well, that's what we always do here. We do parodies and satires on the idiocy and phoniness of the left."

• "God does not have a birth certificate. Neither does Obama"; Obama "has yet to prove he's a citizen." Limbaugh has also advanced the theory that Obama was not born in the United States, saying that "God does not have a birth certificate. Neither does Obama" and that Obama "has yet to have to prove he's a citizen. All he'd have to do is show a birth certificate."

• Limbaugh on Gates controversy: "Here you have a black president trying to destroy a white policeman." On July 24, Limbaugh said Obama "all of a sudden, this guy that [moderates] elected, who they thought was all of these wonderful, perfect things, is now behaving as a community organizer and is fanning the flames of race, and is calling the police stupid. And I guarantee you those people -- we've all been waiting to ask the question, when are the Obama voters going to wake up? Well, this incident might be -- I don't know yet, a little early to say -- this incident might be the wake-up call for some of these moderates. ... You know that there were a lot of people that voted for Obama out of pure guilt. Hoping that that -- the election, his election would just wipe the slate clean, at least make them feel better about it. And this just destroys that. Here you have a black president trying to destroy a white policeman when he doesn't know the facts of the case." Limbaugh also said on July 23 that white policemen are "under assault" "from the East Room of the White House."

• Limbaugh suggests Obama would not have acted on Somali pirates if he'd known they were "actually young, black Muslim teenagers." On April 14, Limbaugh suggested the "correct" way to look at a situation in which Obama sent the military to retrieve American hostages from Somali pirates was that "if only President Obama had known that the three Somali community organizers were actually young, black Muslim teenagers, I'm sure he wouldn't have given the order to shoot."

• Limbaugh suggests Democrats, media believe "you can't criticize the little black man-child." Referring to GOP ads comparing Obama to Britney Spears during the presidential campaign, on August 20, 2008, Limbaugh said: "It's -- you know, it's just -- it's just we can't hit the girl. I don't care how far feminism's saying, you can't hit the girl, and you can't -- you can't criticize the little black man-child. You just can't do it, 'cause it's just not right, It's not fair. He's such a victim." The previous day, Limbaugh had said that "it is striking how unqualified Obama is and, and how this whole thing came about with, within the Democrat Party. I think it really goes back to the fact that nobody had the guts to stand up and say no to a black guy." Limbaugh went on to say, "I think this is a classic illustration here where affirmative action has reared its ugly head against them."

Limbaugh has an extensive history of making racially charged comments

• "The government's been taking care of [young blacks] their whole lives." On February 1, 2007, Limbaugh responded to a Reuters report about a University of Chicago study that found that "a majority of young blacks feel alienated from today's government" by asserting, "Why would that be? The government's been taking care of them their whole lives."

• "The days of [minorities] not having any power are over, and they are angry." On June 4, Limbaugh said, "This has been the argument the Reverend Jackson has proffered throughout my life -- that it's impossible for minorities to be racist because they don't have any power. Well, president of the United States. We're talking now about a Supreme Court justice. The days of them not having any power are over, and they are angry. And they want to use their power as a means of retribution. That's what Obama's about, gang. He's angry; he's going to cut this country down to size. He's going to make it pay for all the multicultural mistakes that it has made -- its mistreatment of minorities. I know exactly what's going on here."

• "[M]inorities never do anything for which they have to apologize." On April 12, 2007, Limbaugh criticized Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson for refusing to apologize to three former members of the Duke University men's lacrosse team who were accused of rape in March 2006 -- all charges were dropped on April 11, 2007 -- and asserted that "minorities never do anything for which they have to apologize." Presumably referring to the decision by CBS Radio and MSNBC to stop airing Imus in the Morning following controversial comments by host Don Imus, Limbaugh stated: "Everybody's demanding that everybody apologize in this country for simply breathing. It's getting to the point some people are not allowed to breathe or exhale, or make syllables." Limbaugh went on to complain about the protests Sharpton and Jackson led condemning Imus' remarks, saying: "They're members of the minority. Don't ever forget that this is the case. Minorities, victims, members of groups, are allowed to do anything to address their grievances and to get noticed, because ... they're so oppressed."

• Limbaugh: "The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well." In 2003, Limbaugh resigned from his job as an ESPN commentator after saying that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb hasn't "been that good from the get-go" and "got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve," because "[t]he media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well." After the Eagles reached Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, Limbaugh returned to making racial comments about McNabb, saying, "There's no question McNabb has improved and I'm happy to see it," but that "when the defense ... was propping the Eagles up," the media "were still giving McNabb credit -- because there's this social hope."

• Limbaugh says "NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips." On January 19, 2007, Limbaugh stated: "Look it, let me put it to you this way. The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There I said it."

• Limbaugh declares basketball "the favorite sport of gangs." Discussing the government's attempts to curb violence, Limbaugh told a caller on October 7: "It's not reasonable that you should understand the insanity that local and state and federal bureaucracies are doing. It's perfectly normal and understandable that none of what they do would make sense to you. My question -- OK, a 1 cent sales tax to fight gang violence. What do you spend the money on to fight gang violence? Afterschool program -- don't we already have afterschool programs? Don't we already have -- what do you call it, extracurricular events? Midnight basketball -- I mean, we've done it all. We've taken the favorite sport of gangs, and we put it at midnight to get them on the basketball court. We had 100,000 new cops with Clinton -- we've done it all. And the problem still is out of control. Liberalism doesn't work."

• Limbaugh invented "racial component" to Hackett's decision to withdraw from Ohio primary race. During the 2006 Democratic primaries, Limbaugh invented a racial element to explain Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett's departure from the Ohio Democratic Senate primary race against then-Rep. Sherrod Brown, asserting, "And don't forget, Sherrod Brown is black. There's a racial component here, too." In fact, Brown is white -- a point on which Limbaugh was corrected later in the program.

• Limbaugh on Survivor series: "African-American tribe" worst swimmers, Hispanics "will do things other people won't do." On August 23, 2006, Limbaugh suggested that the competition in a season of CBS' Survivor, in which contestants were reportedly divided into competing "tribes" by ethnicity, "is not going to be fair if there's a lot of water events." In support of this assertion, he cited a March 2, 2006, HealthDay article reporting that "young blacks -- especially males -- are much more likely to drown in pools than whites." He later added that Hispanics have "probably shown the most survival tactics," that they "have shown a remarkable ability to cross borders," and that they can "do it without water for a long time, they don't get apprehended, and they will do things other people won't do." On his September 29, 2006, show, Limbaugh claimed "[t]here can only be one reason" Survivor scrapped "segregated" competition after two episodes -- "the white tribe had to be winning."

• Limbaugh suggested Colin Powell only supported Obama because of race. After Limbaugh asserted that Colin Powell should leave the Republican Party because of his support for Obama, Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) said on MSNBC's Morning Joe that "[i]t's not up to Rush Limbaugh to decide who ought to be in the Republican Party." Limbaugh responded on his May 18 show that all Democrats "had to do was nominate an African-American and [they've] got Colin Powell."

• Limbaugh: Gates is an "angry racist." On July 27, Limbaugh said Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates is an "angry racist."

• Limbaugh called illegal immigrants an "invasive species." Referring to an April 1, 2005, federal court ruling that prohibited shipping boats from dumping of ballast water containing "invasive species," including some types of mollusks, into U.S. waters, Limbaugh described illegal immigrants as an "invasive species" that U.S. courts willingly permit to enter the country.

• Limbaugh repeatedly calls Native Americans "Injuns." Media Matters for America documented at least four separate instances of Limbaugh using this slur on his program.

• Limbaugh says Democrats' interest in Darfur is securing black "voting bloc." On August 21, 2007, Limbaugh claimed that Democrats "want to get us out of Iraq, but they can't wait to get us into Darfur." He continued: "There are two reasons. What color is the skin of the people in Darfur? It's black. And who do the Democrats really need to keep voting for them? If they lose a significant percentage of this voting bloc, they're in trouble." A caller responded, "The black population," to which Limbaugh said, "Right."

• Limbaugh says that if "feminazis" had remembered to oppose "affirmative action for black guys ... they wouldn't face the situation they face today." On May 21, 2008, Limbaugh said that "one of the objectives of the feminazis over the last 20, 25 years has been to dominate the public education system so as to remove the competitive nature of boys. You know, there's a crisis of young man-boy education in the schools. And they did this on purpose, to eliminate male competition in the work force. This is part of feminazi grand plan." Limbaugh then said, "They forgot affirmative action for black guys. And because of that, every bit of their plan has gone up in smoke now, because they -- if -- they had to come out in favor of affirmative action for black guys, and that's -- see, this is one of the things that really irritates the women. And there are women all over this country fit to be tied -- trust me on this. ... [L]iberals eventually are going to be devoured by their own policies. And it has happened here. Because Barack Obama is an affirmative action candidate." He concluded, "So, it's just -- they just forgot that one thing: affirmative action for black guys. And if they had remembered to oppose that, then they wouldn't face the situation they face today."

John Stewart Fact-Checks CNN.

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Republicans Are Upset With Baucus Bill Vote

Republican "press conference" after the Baucus bill vote

love the woman with the sign in the background

Pelosi: I'm In My Place. I'm Speaker of the House.

Good for Pelosi. Being Speaker she should be given some respect and a comment like that would not have been made about any other congressMAN. Just Saying. Start the video at :23 to get the gist.

Republicans: Pro Rape?

Quote:

In 2005, Jamie Leigh Jones was gang-raped by her co-workers while she was working for Halliburton/KBR in Baghdad. She was detained in a shipping container for at least 24 hours without food, water, or a bed, and “warned her that if she left Iraq for medical treatment, she’d be out of a job.” (Jones was not an isolated case.) Jones was prevented from bringing charges in court against KBR because her employment contract stipulated that sexual assault allegations would only be heard in private arbitration. Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) proposed an amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill that would withhold defense contracts from companies like KBR “if they restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court.” Speaking on the Senate floor yesterday, Franken said: The constitution gives everybody the right to due process of law ... And today, defense contractors are using fine print in their contracts do deny women like Jamie Leigh Jones their day in court. ... The victims of rape and discrimination deserve their day in court [and] Congress plainly has the constitutional power to make that happen. Easy call, right? Well, not if you're a Republican, eager to protect a right of corporations to rape its employees. Of the 40 Republicans in the Senate, only 10 voted for the Franken amendment, including all four women in the Senate GOP. Of the six Republican males who voted for the amendment, all of them represented states outside the deep South -- Bennett (UT), Hatch (UT), Grassley (IA), LeMieux (FL), Lugar (IN), and Voinovich (OH). The other 30 men, including luminaries like David Vitter, John Ensign, and John McCain, didn't think the amendment warranted passage. This is interesting. According to Republicans, a fake pimp and ho, reported to the police, was apparently so beyond the pale that they've worked to strip ACORN of all federal funding. But denying employees actual redress from gang rapes is no big deal? Will the GOP soon introduce a new Constitution Amendment that reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting the ability of corporations to gang rape their employees"? Is support for corporate gang rape already in the GOP platform, or does it need to be added at their next meeting? Is there a huge corporate gang rape lobby that is funneling millions into GOP pockets, or did they vote this way out of personal conviction? As predictably regressive as the modern GOP has become, it's shocking to see that they still have the ability to shock.

What the fucking fuck...

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/10/07/...ken-amendment/

Dylan Ratigan's Best Interview to Date!

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Fox News' Shep. Smith Dares Speak the Truth on Fox News...

Political Cartoon: US and Cuba Over The Years

Joe Scarborough: Thank You Mr. President

An excellent piece by Joe Scarborough from MSNBC's "Morning Joe" , where he cuts through the partisan b.s. and stands up for the President.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-scarborough/thank-you-mr-president_b_308022.html

PHOTOS: Michelle Obama meets the Queen of Denmark

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama waves as she arrives at the Royal Palace in Copenhagen for a meeting with Denmark's Queen Margrethe Thursday Oct. 1.



U.S. first lady Michelle Obama shakes hands with Denmark's Prince Henrik, the husband of Denmark's Queen Margrethe, center, outside the Royal Palace in Copenhagen, Thursday Oct. 1, 2009.


U.S. first lady Michelle Obama (L) poses for a photo with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge at a hotel in Copenhagen October 1.


U.S. first lady Michelle Obama (C), accompained by senior White House advise Valerie Jarrett (L), meets International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge at a hotel in Copenhagen October 1.


.S. first lady Michelle Obama (L) poses for a photo with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge at a hotel in Copenhagen October 1.

Michelle Obama arrives in Copenhagen for IOC vote

Quote:

COPENHAGEN – Michelle Obama's welcoming party was more like a stopover. She chatted with the ambassador, kissed Chicago Mayor Richard Daley on the cheek and gave her old friends quick hugs hello before climbing into the waiting SUV. With only two days until the 2016 games are awarded, there's no time to waste. --snip-- Funny, gracious and incredibly accomplished, she's one of the few people who can rival her husband's popularity. She also knows the neighborhoods where the games would be, having grown up on the South Side of Chicago. The Obamas' Chicago home is a short walk from the planned Olympic stadium. "These are my neighborhoods," Mrs. Obama said. --snip-- Mrs. Obama planned to meet with IOC members later Wednesday and Thursday, and also has a meeting scheduled with Rogge. She'll attend Chicago's welcome bash — along with Oprah Winfrey — and has lunch plans Thursday with the Danish queen. On Friday, she and her husband will both be part of Chicago's final presentation to IOC members. "We're not going to sing together or anything," Mrs. Obama said recently, drawing laughs. "I don't know if I can elaborate any more without giving away too much of it. ... All I have are my stories, my experiences as a Chicagoan, as an American, as someone who believes deeply that health and fitness have got to play a greater role in the lives of our kids and our communities, and as someone who believes that the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the best way to bring that message home."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090930/...6_bids_chicago

Reid Cancels Columbus Day Recess to Focus on Health Care

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2....php?ref=fpblg

Be still my heart. Reid follows through on a threat.

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has made good on a threat to cancel a week-long October recess to continue work on health care. "I talked to the Republican leader about this last week," Reid said on the Senate floor this morning. "But the Columbus day is fast approaching. It's the week after next. And with all the things going on here, it just would not be right for us to take that week off. So what we're going to do, as I explained to the Republican leader last week, we'll be off that Monday, which is the holiday, Columbus day, and the following Friday." Once the Finance Committee finishes work on its health care legislation, Reid will merge it with a different bill, and then bring it to the Senate floor. The week of October 12 seems a bit early for the floor debate to have kicked off, but this could at least prevent any further delays

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