Wednesday, June 30, 2010
u.s. supreme court gives u.s. political prisoner
a second chance.
in 2006, former democratic alabama governor don siegelman was sentenced to serve seven years in a bribery case. siegelman charges that he was the victim of political persecution by former bush official karl rove, and his case has been plagued by improper conduct by the prosecution. in 2008, a “bipartisan group of 54 former state attorneys general from across the country” supported siegelman’s bid to overturn his conviction, but a year later, the 11th u.s. circuit court of appeals in atlanta upheld five of the seven charges. today, however, the supreme court gave siegelman a second chance, ordering the court to look at his case again - think progress
Labels: politicians, politics, rove, supreme court
heartbreaking
maybe he meant 'aunt'
john boehner is the gift that keeps on giving. now he says the financial crisis, whether you call it a recession or depression, is nothing more than an 'ant.' the hill:
president barack obama has attacked house gop leader john boehner for comparing the financial crisis to an ant.
obama struck out at boehner (r-ohio) during a town hall meeting in racine, wis., for saying the wall street reform bill was akin to using a nuclear weapon to kill an ant.
"that’s right. he compared the financial crisis to an ant," obama said, according to prepared remarks. "the same financial crisis that led to the loss of nearly eight million jobs. the same crisis that cost people their homes and their lives' savings."
while obama did not mention boehner by name in excerpts released by the white house, he made it clear who he was talking about by suggesting that "if the republican leader is that out of touch with the struggles facing the american people, he should come here to racine and ask people if they think the financial crisis was an ant."
steve benen elaborates:obama struck out at boehner (r-ohio) during a town hall meeting in racine, wis., for saying the wall street reform bill was akin to using a nuclear weapon to kill an ant.
"that’s right. he compared the financial crisis to an ant," obama said, according to prepared remarks. "the same financial crisis that led to the loss of nearly eight million jobs. the same crisis that cost people their homes and their lives' savings."
while obama did not mention boehner by name in excerpts released by the white house, he made it clear who he was talking about by suggesting that "if the republican leader is that out of touch with the struggles facing the american people, he should come here to racine and ask people if they think the financial crisis was an ant."
house minority leader john boehner (r-ohio) handed democrats another opportunity this week, arguing that sweeping wall street reform efforts are simply unnecessary. an unregulated financial industry nearly destroyed the global economy, but as far as boehner is concerned, democratic policymakers are "killing an ant with a nuclear weapon." even boehner's press office had trouble spinning this one away.
dems are trying to capitalize on the minority leader accidentally saying what he really believes, since it fits so nicely into democrats' larger campaign themes. cnn noted that "boehner's comments couldn't come at a better time for democrats, who are on the eve of passing the financial reform bill with little-to-none gop support and are eager to portray republicans as out of step with main street america."
to that end, the dnc has a new web video mocking boehner, and more importantly, president obama intends to emphasize the point at a town-hall event in wisconsin this afternoon. according to the prepared text:
dems are trying to capitalize on the minority leader accidentally saying what he really believes, since it fits so nicely into democrats' larger campaign themes. cnn noted that "boehner's comments couldn't come at a better time for democrats, who are on the eve of passing the financial reform bill with little-to-none gop support and are eager to portray republicans as out of step with main street america."
to that end, the dnc has a new web video mocking boehner, and more importantly, president obama intends to emphasize the point at a town-hall event in wisconsin this afternoon. according to the prepared text:
"as we speak, we're on the verge of passing the most comprehensive financial reform since the great depression -- reform that will prevent a crisis like this from happening again. it's reform that will protect our economy from the recklessness and irresponsibility of a few. reform that will protect consumers against the unfair practices of credit card companies and mortgage lenders. reform that ensures taxpayers are never again on the hook for wall street's mistakes.
"but most of our friends in the other party are planning on voting against this reform. in fact, just yesterday, i was stunned to hear the leader of the republicans in the house say that financial reform was like using a nuclear weapon to target an ant. that's right. he compared the financial crisis to an ant. the same financial crisis that led to the loss of nearly eight million jobs. the same crisis that cost people their homes and their lives savings.
"well if the republican leader is that out of touch with the struggles facing the american people, he should come here to racine and ask people if they think the financial crisis was an ant. he should ask the men and women who've been out of work for months at a time. he should ask the americans who send me letters every night that talk about how they're barely hanging on...
will this have the staying power as joe barton's (r-texas) apology to bp (another item obama is scheduled to emphasize today) or john mccain's "fundamentals of the economy are strong" line? i rather doubt it. but as democrats continue to push the theme that republicans are on the wrong side of every issue that matters, boehner's candor certainly helps."but most of our friends in the other party are planning on voting against this reform. in fact, just yesterday, i was stunned to hear the leader of the republicans in the house say that financial reform was like using a nuclear weapon to target an ant. that's right. he compared the financial crisis to an ant. the same financial crisis that led to the loss of nearly eight million jobs. the same crisis that cost people their homes and their lives savings.
"well if the republican leader is that out of touch with the struggles facing the american people, he should come here to racine and ask people if they think the financial crisis was an ant. he should ask the men and women who've been out of work for months at a time. he should ask the americans who send me letters every night that talk about how they're barely hanging on...
mad about these sorry republicans
mad kane, that is!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
end cannabis prohibition now
the california naacp agrees:
the state naacp is expressing "unconditional support" for the november ballot measure to legalize marijuana, continuing proponents' framing of it as a civil rights issue.
"we are joining a growing number of medical professionals, labor organizations, law enforcement authorities, local municipalities, and approximately 56 percent of the public, in saying that it is time to decriminalize the use of marijuana," state naacp president alice huffman said in a news release monday. "there is a strong racial component that must be considered when we investigate how the marijuana laws are applied to people of color."
the measure, control and tax cannabis initiative 2010, was designated monday as proposition 19.
Labels: vote
bless this
Labels: music
skippy looks at books: inside out - another reminder
barry eisler's inside out is available in book stores today!
remember, we thought it was a ripping good yarn!
remember, we thought it was a ripping good yarn!
Monday, June 28, 2010
rip robert byrd
nytimes:
robert c. byrd, who used his record tenure as a united states senator to fight for the primacy of the legislative branch of government and to build a modern west virginia with vast amounts of federal money, died early monday. he was 92.
his office said he about 3 a.m. at inova hospital in fairfax, va. senator byrd had been admitted to the hospital late last week with symptoms of heat exhaustion and severe dehydration as temperatures in the washington area approached 100 degrees. though he was initially expected to be released after a few days, his condition deteriorated. he had been in failing health for several years.
mr. byrd’s death comes as senate democrats are working to pass the final version of the financial overhaul bill and win other procedural battles in the week before the independence day recess. in the polarized atmosphere of washington, president obama’s agenda seemed to hinge on mr. byrd’s health. earlier this year, in the final days of the health care debate, the ailing senator was pushed onto the senate floor in his plaid wheelchair so he could cast his votes.
governor joe manchin iii, a democrat, will appoint an interim successor to mr. byrd.
christy hardin smith gives us some personal observations about the senator:his office said he about 3 a.m. at inova hospital in fairfax, va. senator byrd had been admitted to the hospital late last week with symptoms of heat exhaustion and severe dehydration as temperatures in the washington area approached 100 degrees. though he was initially expected to be released after a few days, his condition deteriorated. he had been in failing health for several years.
mr. byrd’s death comes as senate democrats are working to pass the final version of the financial overhaul bill and win other procedural battles in the week before the independence day recess. in the polarized atmosphere of washington, president obama’s agenda seemed to hinge on mr. byrd’s health. earlier this year, in the final days of the health care debate, the ailing senator was pushed onto the senate floor in his plaid wheelchair so he could cast his votes.
governor joe manchin iii, a democrat, will appoint an interim successor to mr. byrd.
my first memory of him is him playing the orange blossom special (youtube) on the stage at the wood county fair. he was brilliant, with a twinkle in his eye that said he loved every minute of the challenge.
it wasn’t until after he finished that i found out the great fiddler on the stage was also my state senator.
robert c. byrd served the state of west virginia, first in the us house of representatives from 1953 until 1958. he was elected to the united state senate in 1958, and has served there ever since. byrd ran for national office a total of 15 times, and never lost once.
like many west virginians, sen. byrd has always been one of my senators, my entire lifetime. it will be odd to have someone else in that spot in the coming months.
what i’m hearing is that there will likely be an interim appointment from our democratic governor, joe manchin, with a special election likely to follow. since we had our primary in may, it’s unknown whether that will occur this year or next — that’s being debated internally at the moment, i hear. whatever happens, it’s pretty widely known that gov. manchin has interest in the position, and also that alan mollohan has some unexpected time on his hands at the moment and has expressed some interest, as well as rep. shelly moore capito from the gop.
sen. byrd’s shoes are going to be tough ones to fill, given the energy — and pork from his perch atop the appropriations committee — he poured into representing wv.
through the years, various groups tried to shame sen. byrd by calling him the king of pork; he wore it locally as a badge of honor.
whatever his faults, and they were many, he was devoted to three things in his lifetime: his family, especially his wife erma; the great state of west virginia; and history’s lessons of how power, politics, law and the constitution intersect. his mastery of senate rules was legendary, but what isn’t as widely known is that he taught that history to incoming senators for years to introduce them, informally behind the scenes, to the intersection of rule intricacies and to senate history.
he was an outspoken champion of the balance of powers within the framework of our government. when asked how many presidents he had served under, byrd once famously replied "’none,’ was mr. byrd’s reply, mr. sarbanes said. ‘i have served with presidents, not under them.’”
rest in peace, sen. byrd.
it wasn’t until after he finished that i found out the great fiddler on the stage was also my state senator.
robert c. byrd served the state of west virginia, first in the us house of representatives from 1953 until 1958. he was elected to the united state senate in 1958, and has served there ever since. byrd ran for national office a total of 15 times, and never lost once.
like many west virginians, sen. byrd has always been one of my senators, my entire lifetime. it will be odd to have someone else in that spot in the coming months.
what i’m hearing is that there will likely be an interim appointment from our democratic governor, joe manchin, with a special election likely to follow. since we had our primary in may, it’s unknown whether that will occur this year or next — that’s being debated internally at the moment, i hear. whatever happens, it’s pretty widely known that gov. manchin has interest in the position, and also that alan mollohan has some unexpected time on his hands at the moment and has expressed some interest, as well as rep. shelly moore capito from the gop.
sen. byrd’s shoes are going to be tough ones to fill, given the energy — and pork from his perch atop the appropriations committee — he poured into representing wv.
through the years, various groups tried to shame sen. byrd by calling him the king of pork; he wore it locally as a badge of honor.
his relish for the role of west virginia’s benefactor was apparent during his last campaign in 2006, when his opponent mocked byrd for calling himself "big daddy" for getting money to fund a biotechnology center at marshall university.
at the party after byrd’s resounding election victory, celebrants wore stickers that said, "who’s your daddy now?"
byrd had his faults, certainly, including membership in the kkk and a vote against the civil rights act of 1964 which included a record-setting 14-hour filibuster speech against the bill, all of which he later regretted and renounced.at the party after byrd’s resounding election victory, celebrants wore stickers that said, "who’s your daddy now?"
but while the cosmetic changes were going on, something was also happening inside the mind of robert byrd. last year he spoke to c-span about why he would vote differently on the civil rights bill today. he said, "i thought, well now suppose i were black, and my grandson and i were on the highways in the mid-hours of the morning or midnight, and i stopped at a place to get that little grandson a glass of water or to have [him] go to the restroom, and there’s a sign ‘whites only’… black people love their grandsons as much as i love mine, and that’s not right." george rutherford of the west virginia naacp told us he believed byrd’s metamorphosis was sincere, that his conversion was as true as saul’s.
thanks to a scholarship from him when i was in high school, i was able to attend smith college. he is truly a legend in west virginia, where you can’t go a mile without running into something that’s been named after him in pretty much every area of my state.whatever his faults, and they were many, he was devoted to three things in his lifetime: his family, especially his wife erma; the great state of west virginia; and history’s lessons of how power, politics, law and the constitution intersect. his mastery of senate rules was legendary, but what isn’t as widely known is that he taught that history to incoming senators for years to introduce them, informally behind the scenes, to the intersection of rule intricacies and to senate history.
he was an outspoken champion of the balance of powers within the framework of our government. when asked how many presidents he had served under, byrd once famously replied "’none,’ was mr. byrd’s reply, mr. sarbanes said. ‘i have served with presidents, not under them.’”
rest in peace, sen. byrd.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
environmental news stories sunday
for those stories that probably won't be mentioned on the talking head shows today.
a closer look: pesticides in strawberry fields. - california strawberry farmers may soon have a new pesticide to use on their fields. the state's department of pesticide regulation is recommending approving use of the soil fumigant methyl iodide. however, scientists say that methyl iodide is very toxic and can cause cancer, brain damage and miscarriages - latte times
just say 'no' to methyl iodide. - when scientists universally declare a substance a "highly toxic chemical" and a regulatory agency then proposes releasing millions of pounds of it into the soil and air, the callousness that is required to make this decision is hard to fathom- beverly hills california chronicle
california state parks plagued by decay. - look beyond the crashing waves and towering redwoods, and california's 278 state parks are a tangle of troubles - sacramento bee
michigan wants federal help for cleanup, but funding is tight. - for the first time in 14 years, budget-strapped michigan is turning to the federal superfund program for help, trying to get new hazardous-waste sites included for cleanup. the superfund program has its own funding problems, however - gannett news service
bee colony collapse focus of new congressional caucus. - lawmakers are rallying behind the beleaguered honeybee by creating a congressional caucus to focus attention on the troubling collapse of bee colonies. In some cases, beekeepers have lost 40 percent or more of their colonies, potentially endangering the pollination of many fruits, nuts and vegetables - mcclatchy
wet winter set stage for big fire threat. - fires in the southwest’s mountains and deserts have increased in occurrence and intensity over the past 50 years, according to a study published in science magazine in 2006. that study, led by scientists from the university of california at merced, blamed man-made changes to the landscape and climate change - las vegas sun
greens face a battle in california. - november 2 will see the outcome of the most crucial battle yet between the old economy and the new, between the fossil-fuel-powered industrialisation of the last two centuries that has enriched much of the world and the low-carbon prosperity that is needed in future - london daily telegraph
study: lead found in children's drinks and fruit products. - as if it were not enough to be concerned about harmful dyes in M&Ms and jelly beans, now it's lead in our kids' juice - st. petersburgh times
maker of controversial dispersant used in gulf oil spill hires top lobbyists. - as questions build about the dispersant being used on the gulf of mexico oil spill, the company that makes that chemical mixture has well-connected lobbyists helping handle inquiries from us. epa and congress - greenwire
nitrate contamination widespread among central coast farmers. - the cause of nitrate problems at marchi's central farm is no mystery to county public health officials. "a likely source of the nitrate contamination is fertilizer application adjacent to the well," the inspector wrote - san mateo county times
toxins found in whales bode ill for humans, report says. - sperm whales feeding even in the most remote reaches of earth's oceans have built up stunningly high levels of toxic and heavy metals, according to american scientists who say the findings spell danger not only for marine life but for the millions of humans who depend on seafood. - ap
gloves off in california over greenhouse gas law. - california environmentalists opened fire on wednesday on a measure approved for the state's november ballot that would roll back a landmark law regulating greenhouse gas emissions - reuters
google and spectrum bridge send your power use data over tv "white space." - google continues on its quest to firmly embed itself in the energy industry, this time by teaming up with service provider spectrum bridge to launch the country's first smart grid wireless network trial utilizing tv's white spaces spectrum. - fast company
a closer look: pesticides in strawberry fields. - california strawberry farmers may soon have a new pesticide to use on their fields. the state's department of pesticide regulation is recommending approving use of the soil fumigant methyl iodide. however, scientists say that methyl iodide is very toxic and can cause cancer, brain damage and miscarriages - latte times
just say 'no' to methyl iodide. - when scientists universally declare a substance a "highly toxic chemical" and a regulatory agency then proposes releasing millions of pounds of it into the soil and air, the callousness that is required to make this decision is hard to fathom- beverly hills california chronicle
california state parks plagued by decay. - look beyond the crashing waves and towering redwoods, and california's 278 state parks are a tangle of troubles - sacramento bee
michigan wants federal help for cleanup, but funding is tight. - for the first time in 14 years, budget-strapped michigan is turning to the federal superfund program for help, trying to get new hazardous-waste sites included for cleanup. the superfund program has its own funding problems, however - gannett news service
bee colony collapse focus of new congressional caucus. - lawmakers are rallying behind the beleaguered honeybee by creating a congressional caucus to focus attention on the troubling collapse of bee colonies. In some cases, beekeepers have lost 40 percent or more of their colonies, potentially endangering the pollination of many fruits, nuts and vegetables - mcclatchy
wet winter set stage for big fire threat. - fires in the southwest’s mountains and deserts have increased in occurrence and intensity over the past 50 years, according to a study published in science magazine in 2006. that study, led by scientists from the university of california at merced, blamed man-made changes to the landscape and climate change - las vegas sun
greens face a battle in california. - november 2 will see the outcome of the most crucial battle yet between the old economy and the new, between the fossil-fuel-powered industrialisation of the last two centuries that has enriched much of the world and the low-carbon prosperity that is needed in future - london daily telegraph
study: lead found in children's drinks and fruit products. - as if it were not enough to be concerned about harmful dyes in M&Ms and jelly beans, now it's lead in our kids' juice - st. petersburgh times
maker of controversial dispersant used in gulf oil spill hires top lobbyists. - as questions build about the dispersant being used on the gulf of mexico oil spill, the company that makes that chemical mixture has well-connected lobbyists helping handle inquiries from us. epa and congress - greenwire
nitrate contamination widespread among central coast farmers. - the cause of nitrate problems at marchi's central farm is no mystery to county public health officials. "a likely source of the nitrate contamination is fertilizer application adjacent to the well," the inspector wrote - san mateo county times
toxins found in whales bode ill for humans, report says. - sperm whales feeding even in the most remote reaches of earth's oceans have built up stunningly high levels of toxic and heavy metals, according to american scientists who say the findings spell danger not only for marine life but for the millions of humans who depend on seafood. - ap
gloves off in california over greenhouse gas law. - california environmentalists opened fire on wednesday on a measure approved for the state's november ballot that would roll back a landmark law regulating greenhouse gas emissions - reuters
google and spectrum bridge send your power use data over tv "white space." - google continues on its quest to firmly embed itself in the energy industry, this time by teaming up with service provider spectrum bridge to launch the country's first smart grid wireless network trial utilizing tv's white spaces spectrum. - fast company
Labels: bees, california, environment, epa, food safety, google, lead, michigan, pollution, toxins, whales
Saturday, June 26, 2010
jon stewart cracks me up
stewart: the bp guys, or the robot. kilmeade. robots don’t think. they’re machines. they don’t cry. they don’t fall in love. they can’t be your girlfriend. they’re f***in’ robots. it’s like talking to your toaster. “this english muffin is burnt! why toaster!? why?!?! why have you done this to my breakfast?” fox and friends, i don’t want to have to do this everyday.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Endless Bummers | ||||
| ||||
Labels: comedians, faux news, fox news, jon stewart, teevee
Friday, June 25, 2010
skippy's friday nite music club
it's fullish full moon friday night...time for a little r&b....time for a little stevie wonder.
Labels: music, skippy's music club, youtube
it's funny/scary because it's true
Thursday, June 24, 2010
even some republicans are now unemployed
and they are getting it that the republican party is abandoning them. they are taking to the internet(s) and writing on the wsj website.
o steve wrote:i’ve paid over 40% tax on over 100k of salary per year for 15 years without so much as wincing, thats over 600k in taxes in my lifetime so far and i’ve never asked for anything from the government . now that i can’t find a job for the life of me, the republicans think that i am living high on the hog with such lavish unemployment benefits and would like to see it end before the economy has even recovered.
thats fine, i’m not homeless yet, as i’m sure others will find themselves, but why? $33b to extend the ui benefits till the end of the year is a rounding error compared to the defense budget, a fraction of the subsidies and tax breaks doled out to corporations.
republicans can try and portray themselves as fiscal hawks all they want, but there is a special place in hell for people like them. - lanae's diary of at the great orange one.
ouchie. people are hurting...but republicans don't give a flying rat's patootie. and people are finally getting it.
Labels: internets, jobs, republicans, unemployment, wsj
palin's got the midas touch, if by 'midas,' you mean she 'automatically destroys'
we also aren't sure why the mmm (multi-millionaire media) keep touting the former half-term governor's endorsement success rate (as if winning a primary is the same as winning an election), but it's good to know the rest of america sees thru ms. palin's fol-der-rol. greg sargent:
but the more interesting point to be made about palin is how toxic she's become among the broader electorate. in fact, buried in the internals of the new nbc/wall street journal poll is an amusing number: a majority see a palin endorsement as a clear negative.
the poll asked people how they'd respond if a congressional candidate had various hypothetical attributes. asked how they'd feel if a candidate were "endorsed by sarah palin," the response was....
so a majority, 52%, reacted negatively. and an astonishing 37 percent would be "very uncomfortable" about a palin endorsement, more than four times the eight percent who would be "enthusiastic" about it.
even better, there were only two attributes a candidate might have that were seen as worse than a palin endorsement: supporting bush's economic policies; and supporting the elimination of various federal agencies and/or social security.
but what about elimination of sarah palin?
the poll asked people how they'd respond if a congressional candidate had various hypothetical attributes. asked how they'd feel if a candidate were "endorsed by sarah palin," the response was....
enthusiastic about this attribute 8
comfortable with this attribute 17
have some reservations about this attribute 15
very uncomfortable with this attribute 37
comfortable with this attribute 17
have some reservations about this attribute 15
very uncomfortable with this attribute 37
so a majority, 52%, reacted negatively. and an astonishing 37 percent would be "very uncomfortable" about a palin endorsement, more than four times the eight percent who would be "enthusiastic" about it.
even better, there were only two attributes a candidate might have that were seen as worse than a palin endorsement: supporting bush's economic policies; and supporting the elimination of various federal agencies and/or social security.
mcchrystal should have been fired years ago...not promoted
just ask pat tillman's family.
....he allegation of a cover-up was made after a concerted campaign by cpl tillman's family. his father, pat tillman snr, earlier this year said of gen mcchrystal, "i do believe that guy participated in a falsified homicide investigation."
gen mcchrystal was one of eight officers recommended for discipline by a subsequent pentagon investigation but the army declined to take action against him.- the telegraph
it reminds us that general stanley mcchrystal was a willing political animal when he wanted to be. it was mcchrystal who moved to alert the bush white house that "unknowing statements by our country's leaders ... might cause public embarrassment if the circumstances of corporal tillman's death become public." - get reel (baltimore sun's film blog)
it ain't no joke
Labels: music
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
mcchrystal blew persuasion
that's right, the general couldn't talk his way out of this one: obama accepted mcchrystal's resignation, replacing him w/gen. patraeus.
think progress:
think progress:
speaking from the white house rose garden this afternoon, president obama announced that he has accepted gen. stanley mcchrystal resignation as head of u.s. forces in afghanistan, following the four-star general’s unprofessional remarks in a rolling stone interview. obama said mcchrystal’s remarks did not “meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general” and eroded trust among his national security team. mcchrystal had reportedly acknowledged, “i’ve compromised the mission.”
obama emphasized that mcchrystal had served “faithfully,” that he was “grateful” for his service, and that the replacement is not a “personal insult.” in mcchrystal’s place, obama has nominated centcom commander david petraeus, the general who oversaw the iraq surge, to take charge of the upcoming afghanistan surge. “i welcome debate among my team, but i won’t tolerate division,” obama said. “it is a change in personnel, but it is not a change in policy,” he added, noting that petraeus helped “design the policy that we have in place.”
don't worry about petraeus' fainting during the senate armed services meeting on capitol hill last week. apparently he was just having a flash forward where he saw that 6 months from now we were still in afghanistan, but he was in charge.
obama emphasized that mcchrystal had served “faithfully,” that he was “grateful” for his service, and that the replacement is not a “personal insult.” in mcchrystal’s place, obama has nominated centcom commander david petraeus, the general who oversaw the iraq surge, to take charge of the upcoming afghanistan surge. “i welcome debate among my team, but i won’t tolerate division,” obama said. “it is a change in personnel, but it is not a change in policy,” he added, noting that petraeus helped “design the policy that we have in place.”
safety polls first
fdl:
the public welfare foundation released a poll this week on americans’ attitudes on paid sick days and other workplace regulations. in the poll was something interesting as we consider the need to protect cleanup workers hired by bp to clean up the oil disaster in the gulf. (we just launched a petition for bp to pay for respirators and training for any worker who wants one.)
the poll showed that when asked which government workplace regulations were “very important,” a full 85% said that “workplace safety” was very important. the right to join a union came in last, at 43%, shockingly not too far behind maximum hour limits at 46%...
it’s great to see that so many people think it’s important to protect people at work. unfortunately, the budget doesn’t reflect this priority: osha’s budget for fy 2010 is only $563 million, with 35 staff. for protecting the workplaces across america, that isn’t too much.
go to fdl for the full survey results.
the poll showed that when asked which government workplace regulations were “very important,” a full 85% said that “workplace safety” was very important. the right to join a union came in last, at 43%, shockingly not too far behind maximum hour limits at 46%...
it’s great to see that so many people think it’s important to protect people at work. unfortunately, the budget doesn’t reflect this priority: osha’s budget for fy 2010 is only $563 million, with 35 staff. for protecting the workplaces across america, that isn’t too much.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
skippy's tuesday nite music club
another night of "surf" theme...only this time the artist is wearing surf attire while singing a blues infused song....chris isaak...i just love you too much.
Labels: music, skippy's music club, youtube
humdi luli lali lulo
Labels: music
sleestak tied w/toomey!
sleestak and supporters
from tpmdc:
the new survey of the pennsylvania senate race by public policy polling (d) shows a tied race between democratic rep. joe sleestak, who defeated incumbent sen. arlen specter in the dem primary after specter's switch from the republican party, and republican former rep. pat toomey.
the poll has sleestak and toomey at 41% each. the survey of registered voters has a ±4% margin of error. in the previous ppp survey, from all the way back in early april, toomey led sleestak by 42%-36%. the tpm poll average gives sleestak a narrow edge of 41.4%-40.9%.
the pollster's analysis suggests that the controversy involving the white house's past efforts to get sleestak to drop out of the democratic primary are not hurting the dems here -- but instead, the bigger problem for democrats is a more republican-friendly electorate than in 2008. both candidates are fairly unknown, with a 29%-28% favorable rating for sleestak and a 30%-28% favorable rating for toomey. but this polling group reports voting for john mccain by a 48%-47% margin in 2008, compared to the actual result of 55%-44% for obama
ppp's tom jensen writes: "these results seem to make it clear that the controversy about sleestak and the white house is not hurting him and that the race is now a pure tossup. democratic prospects are much brighter than they were when it still looked like arlen specter would be the nominee and this contest is likely to be one of the closest in the country right on through the fall."
the poll has sleestak and toomey at 41% each. the survey of registered voters has a ±4% margin of error. in the previous ppp survey, from all the way back in early april, toomey led sleestak by 42%-36%. the tpm poll average gives sleestak a narrow edge of 41.4%-40.9%.
the pollster's analysis suggests that the controversy involving the white house's past efforts to get sleestak to drop out of the democratic primary are not hurting the dems here -- but instead, the bigger problem for democrats is a more republican-friendly electorate than in 2008. both candidates are fairly unknown, with a 29%-28% favorable rating for sleestak and a 30%-28% favorable rating for toomey. but this polling group reports voting for john mccain by a 48%-47% margin in 2008, compared to the actual result of 55%-44% for obama
ppp's tom jensen writes: "these results seem to make it clear that the controversy about sleestak and the white house is not hurting him and that the race is now a pure tossup. democratic prospects are much brighter than they were when it still looked like arlen specter would be the nominee and this contest is likely to be one of the closest in the country right on through the fall."
Monday, June 21, 2010
skippy's monday nite music club
following the water theme....surf's up, dude. put that surfer music on and get moving.
Labels: music, skippy's music club, youtube
j.d.hayworth hates big government spending
but encourages people to "grab their free share" of government money.
in 2007, shortly after hayworth lost his re-election battle in 2006, hayworth appeared in a half-hour informercial for the national grants conferences, a program set up by a company called proven methods seminars, which advertises itself as running seminars in which people can find out how to get grant money from the federal government -- which the infomercial's on-screen text pitched as being "free money" in quotes.
..it should be noted that the company's conferences and business practices have received an f rating from the better business bureau, and in 2007 it was the target of a letter to the federal trade commission, signed by 32 state attorneys general. - tpm
Labels: arizona, congress, crooks, election, liars, mccain, scandals, senate, youtube
thru the dust and ashes, while the building crashes
Labels: music
hr 5353: war is making you poor
alan grayson (d-fl) has introduced hr 5353, with 18 co-sponsors: the war is making you poor act. here is representative grayson explaining the bill:
and here are the details of the legislation. write your congress critter and tell them you support it.
and here are the details of the legislation. write your congress critter and tell them you support it.
these are not the tweets you are looking for
alas, we cannot remember the comedian who came up with this idea, but during the last season of last comic standing, somebody mentioned that if star trek was in the future, how come they didn't have the internet?
"spock! lock photon torpedoes onto that ship!"
"i'm googling their coordinates now, captain."
"uhuru, open hailing frequency! we have you in our sights, lol!"
along those same lines, here's the best idea for total waste of time ever:
tweets from the death star
topless robot asked their readers to come up with the funniest tweets from the death star during the rebel attack. tho there's an overage of similar "oops forgot to cover exhaust oh well what's the worst that could happen lol," we particularly liked this one:
"spock! lock photon torpedoes onto that ship!"
"i'm googling their coordinates now, captain."
"uhuru, open hailing frequency! we have you in our sights, lol!"
along those same lines, here's the best idea for total waste of time ever:
tweets from the death star
topless robot asked their readers to come up with the funniest tweets from the death star during the rebel attack. tho there's an overage of similar "oops forgot to cover exhaust oh well what's the worst that could happen lol," we particularly liked this one:
@deathstarhr: found: brown hoodie robe. good condition. min scarring. old man smell
andremember tuesday is bring your child to work day! dv inviting his son too...
read the whole thing. and maybe add one of your own.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
skippy's sunday nite music club
continuing the sea theme...elvis from the movie "girls girls girls"
Labels: elvis, food, gulf coast, music, skippy's music club, youtube
skippy looks at books: inside out - a reminder
just a quick reminder that barry eisler's political thriller inside out (which we reviewed here) is now available @ bookstores!
barry gives several bloggers a nod, while crafting a tense spy-dunnit with great pacing. thumbs up from skippy, and we highly recommend that you pick up a copy! (available @ amazon!)
barry gives several bloggers a nod, while crafting a tense spy-dunnit with great pacing. thumbs up from skippy, and we highly recommend that you pick up a copy! (available @ amazon!)
environmental news story sunday
it's all about the oil these days. but let's hear from some of not "the usual corporate media suspects."
under the u.s. supreme court: squeezing bp for damages. - now that the obama administration has wrested a $20 billion recovery fund from bp to compensate economic victims of the gulf oil spill and clean up the huge mess, congress must lift the federal liability cap - upi
birds could bring gulf misery here. - gulf oil spill threatens great lakes migratory birds. "minnesota's state bird — the common loon — and the endangered piping plover are among many great lakes species that ride out the winter months along the southern coast. - traverse city record eagle
new efforts aim to keep cleanup workers safer. - a new safety program for fishermen and others cleaning up the deepwater horizon oil spill was put in place last week after officials learned that not all workers received proper training on the risks of heat stroke and other problems. - houma today
gulf oil leases get waivers. - despite president obama's promises of better safeguards for offshore drilling, federal regulators continue to approve plans for oil companies to drill in the gulf of mexico with minimal or no environmental analysis. - mcclatchy
senators want to stiffen ’90 spill law. - sens. bob menendez and frank lautenberg, both d-n.j., are leading the fight to change part of a 1990 law that they say opens the door for taxpayer bailouts of businesses and families hurt by the massive gulf of mexico oil spill. - everett herald
anxious monitoring near florida coral reefs for oil spill. - a team of scientists and divers for 20 days has been monitoring the world's third largest coral reefs at florida's dry tortugas islands for signs of the gulf of mexico oil spill. verdict: so far, so good. - afp
don't let disaster strike here. - oil refineries could dramatically increase around the great lakes as more oil is piped to and through wisconsin from the tar sands of alberta. it's time to redouble our efforts to protect the great lakes - the world's largest freshwater system - so threats are diminished before disaster can strike. - madison wisconsin state journal
drillers should earn liability protection. - the damage done to the gulf of mexico when bp's deepwater horizon blew out will rise into the billions of dollars and will be felt for many years to come. yet, under the liability caps enacted by congress in 1990, deep-water ports, have the potential to limit their owners' liability for the fallout to $75 million. - memphis commercial appeal
as our gulf painfully weeps, so do we. - one hundred years ago, communities would weep for joy upon hearing news of nearby gushers of oil. today in florida we weep with heartbreak at the news of the gusher erupting near our pristine coastline. the gulf is weeping, too. - tampa tribune
hand of god or man's mistakes? - as we find out more about this "accident," which could devastate the gulf coast's environment and economy for decades, it seems to be the inevitable result of a very human trait: greed. - lexington herald leader
new documents show bp made little progress on alaska safety issues from 2001 to 2007. - six years after a scathing 2001 internal review of jbp's alaska operations found that the company wasn't maintaining safety equipment and faced "a fundamental lack of trust" among workers, a follow-up study concluded bp had made little headway in addressing those concerns - propublica
as oil gushes in gulf, eyes are on sands to north in alberta. - even as millions of gallons of oil billow into the gulf of mexico from the bp spill, trillions lie in wait beneath the surface in northeastern alberta and western saskatchewan. canadian oil and government officials fervently deny they're trying to capitalize on the gulf crisis. - missoula missourian
seafood safety concerns take toll in restaurants nationwide. - restaurateurs, chefs and seafood suppliers across the country continue to struggle with the perception that louisiana seafood in particular and gulf seafood in general is tainted by the oil spill. - new orleans times picayune
drilling insurance costs set to skyrocket. - insurance costs for deepwater drilling are poised to rise by as much as 50 percent after the deepwater horizon disaster, and the increases are sharp enough that it could make some exploration and production projects too expensive no matter what happens with new regulations in washington - new orleans times picayune
lots of sharks, lots of oil seen off bon secour. - a two-inch layer of submerged oil hugged portions of the gulf seafloor off the bon secour national wildlife refuge on friday, a week after a smothering layer of floating crude washed ashore there - mobile press register
life aboard the drilling rig that's the gulf's last hope. - on saturday, a handful of journalists were flown from a helipad in houma, la., to the development driller 2 rig, about 40 miles offshore. it was the first media tour of one of the drilling rigs, the last hope for finally plugging the gushing underwater well. - mcclatchy
under the u.s. supreme court: squeezing bp for damages. - now that the obama administration has wrested a $20 billion recovery fund from bp to compensate economic victims of the gulf oil spill and clean up the huge mess, congress must lift the federal liability cap - upi
birds could bring gulf misery here. - gulf oil spill threatens great lakes migratory birds. "minnesota's state bird — the common loon — and the endangered piping plover are among many great lakes species that ride out the winter months along the southern coast. - traverse city record eagle
new efforts aim to keep cleanup workers safer. - a new safety program for fishermen and others cleaning up the deepwater horizon oil spill was put in place last week after officials learned that not all workers received proper training on the risks of heat stroke and other problems. - houma today
gulf oil leases get waivers. - despite president obama's promises of better safeguards for offshore drilling, federal regulators continue to approve plans for oil companies to drill in the gulf of mexico with minimal or no environmental analysis. - mcclatchy
senators want to stiffen ’90 spill law. - sens. bob menendez and frank lautenberg, both d-n.j., are leading the fight to change part of a 1990 law that they say opens the door for taxpayer bailouts of businesses and families hurt by the massive gulf of mexico oil spill. - everett herald
anxious monitoring near florida coral reefs for oil spill. - a team of scientists and divers for 20 days has been monitoring the world's third largest coral reefs at florida's dry tortugas islands for signs of the gulf of mexico oil spill. verdict: so far, so good. - afp
don't let disaster strike here. - oil refineries could dramatically increase around the great lakes as more oil is piped to and through wisconsin from the tar sands of alberta. it's time to redouble our efforts to protect the great lakes - the world's largest freshwater system - so threats are diminished before disaster can strike. - madison wisconsin state journal
drillers should earn liability protection. - the damage done to the gulf of mexico when bp's deepwater horizon blew out will rise into the billions of dollars and will be felt for many years to come. yet, under the liability caps enacted by congress in 1990, deep-water ports, have the potential to limit their owners' liability for the fallout to $75 million. - memphis commercial appeal
as our gulf painfully weeps, so do we. - one hundred years ago, communities would weep for joy upon hearing news of nearby gushers of oil. today in florida we weep with heartbreak at the news of the gusher erupting near our pristine coastline. the gulf is weeping, too. - tampa tribune
hand of god or man's mistakes? - as we find out more about this "accident," which could devastate the gulf coast's environment and economy for decades, it seems to be the inevitable result of a very human trait: greed. - lexington herald leader
new documents show bp made little progress on alaska safety issues from 2001 to 2007. - six years after a scathing 2001 internal review of jbp's alaska operations found that the company wasn't maintaining safety equipment and faced "a fundamental lack of trust" among workers, a follow-up study concluded bp had made little headway in addressing those concerns - propublica
as oil gushes in gulf, eyes are on sands to north in alberta. - even as millions of gallons of oil billow into the gulf of mexico from the bp spill, trillions lie in wait beneath the surface in northeastern alberta and western saskatchewan. canadian oil and government officials fervently deny they're trying to capitalize on the gulf crisis. - missoula missourian
seafood safety concerns take toll in restaurants nationwide. - restaurateurs, chefs and seafood suppliers across the country continue to struggle with the perception that louisiana seafood in particular and gulf seafood in general is tainted by the oil spill. - new orleans times picayune
drilling insurance costs set to skyrocket. - insurance costs for deepwater drilling are poised to rise by as much as 50 percent after the deepwater horizon disaster, and the increases are sharp enough that it could make some exploration and production projects too expensive no matter what happens with new regulations in washington - new orleans times picayune
lots of sharks, lots of oil seen off bon secour. - a two-inch layer of submerged oil hugged portions of the gulf seafloor off the bon secour national wildlife refuge on friday, a week after a smothering layer of floating crude washed ashore there - mobile press register
life aboard the drilling rig that's the gulf's last hope. - on saturday, a handful of journalists were flown from a helipad in houma, la., to the development driller 2 rig, about 40 miles offshore. it was the first media tour of one of the drilling rigs, the last hope for finally plugging the gushing underwater well. - mcclatchy
Labels: bp, canada, congress, ecology, environment, great lakes, louisiana, mississippi, ocean, offshore drilling, oil
Saturday, June 19, 2010
skippy's saturday nite music club
spaghetti saucified ocean waves
tweets of the day
someone has obsconded with the tea party nom de tweet over at twitter.
@teapartyhq
hey @coffeepartyusa, we wanna pick a fight w/ you! your girly lattes are nothing next to our manly lemongrass...
enough with the oil spill already? #bp only ruined the coast. we're trying to ruin the whole country! we want our air time! #teaparty #tcot
um, sorry about last tweet. guess we can't spell. damn private school education...
rep sharon angle at reno tea party tonite handing out anti-flouridation tablets for ur earl grey! #teaparty
@teapartyhq
hey @coffeepartyusa, we wanna pick a fight w/ you! your girly lattes are nothing next to our manly lemongrass...
enough with the oil spill already? #bp only ruined the coast. we're trying to ruin the whole country! we want our air time! #teaparty #tcot
um, sorry about last tweet. guess we can't spell. damn private school education...
rep sharon angle at reno tea party tonite handing out anti-flouridation tablets for ur earl grey! #teaparty
Labels: comedians, humour, tea baggers, tweet of the day, twitter
queen meg comes to santa barbara
and our very own das williams is there to stand up to her.
Labels: california, das williams, politics, queen meg, santa barbara, youtube
Friday, June 18, 2010
skippy's friday nite music club
yes...paul...we will still need you when you turn...68 today.
Labels: birthday, music, skippy's music club, youtube
yes we can live long and prosper
greg sargent tells us:
missed this yesterday, but the obama-as-spock meme bites the dust (again) as 60% in cnn poll say obama "cares about people like you."
(yes, we know we are showing off our geek cred by using a pic not of spock, but rather of tuvok, the only black vulcan we know of, from star trek: voyager.)
happy birthday sir paul
Thursday, June 17, 2010
tweet of the day
regarding the lakers' riotious "fans"...
@franklinavenue no no no. burn down the city if you must, but don't eff our taco trucks. rt @seanbonner rt @xenijardin: they're attacking *taco trucks* now.
@franklinavenue no no no. burn down the city if you must, but don't eff our taco trucks. rt @seanbonner rt @xenijardin: they're attacking *taco trucks* now.
Labels: basketball, food, los angeles, sports, tweet of the day, twitter
gop = greedy ol' petroleum
oh, poor bp! the president is beating up on those poor, poor, oil executives. but never fear, the repubbblicans are on the case! think progress:
last night, the republican study committee (rsc), the largest caucus of republican house members, fired off a statement declaring that the $20 billion dollar negotiated by bp and the obama administration for victims of the oil catastrophe in the gulf is a “chicago-style political shakedown.” echoing this sentiment, rep. joe barton (r-tx) told bp executives that he is “sorry” for obama’s “shakedown” of their company.
this morning, thinkprogress traveled to capitol hill to interview lawmakers about the escrow fund. several members of congress, like rep. john fleming (r-la) and rep. jim jordan (r-oh), agreed with the rsc’s criticism of the fund. even though fleming’s home state of louisiana has been devastated by bp’s spill, fleming attacked the administration for not trusting bp and for daring to “take control of all the money from bp.” asked about barton’s apology to bp, rep. devin nunes (r-ca) said any lawmaker has a right to “do what they want”:
and, as steve benen points out, rep. joe barton actually apologized to bp, w/the blessing of other repubbbs:this morning, thinkprogress traveled to capitol hill to interview lawmakers about the escrow fund. several members of congress, like rep. john fleming (r-la) and rep. jim jordan (r-oh), agreed with the rsc’s criticism of the fund. even though fleming’s home state of louisiana has been devastated by bp’s spill, fleming attacked the administration for not trusting bp and for daring to “take control of all the money from bp.” asked about barton’s apology to bp, rep. devin nunes (r-ca) said any lawmaker has a right to “do what they want”:
tp: he announced the $20 billion dollar escrow fund, funded by bp, to compensate some of the victims of this catastrophe. the republican study committee put out a press release last night saying it’s a chicago style power grab, do you agree with that sentiment?
fleming: i do because what we have seen from this administration is whenever something like this happens — look at automotive industry, financial industry — what they do is take control of dollars then they begin to disperse them along political agendas. and we’ve seen this happen before, and it looks like its the development here. bp has said, time and time again, that they will process all legitimate claims, we have no reason to believe they won’t. why does the administration feel like it’s got to take control of all the money from bp?
fleming: i do because what we have seen from this administration is whenever something like this happens — look at automotive industry, financial industry — what they do is take control of dollars then they begin to disperse them along political agendas. and we’ve seen this happen before, and it looks like its the development here. bp has said, time and time again, that they will process all legitimate claims, we have no reason to believe they won’t. why does the administration feel like it’s got to take control of all the money from bp?
rep. joe barton's (r-texas) public apology to bp ceo tony hayward this morning only looks more stunning upon further reflection. democrats throughout washington can hardly seem to believe their good fortune, and republicans don't seem to know what to do.
at this point, some in the party are actually defending him. sen. john cornyn (r-texas), chairman of the national republican senatorial committee, conceded that he "shares" barton's "concerns."
that's the gop for you...always fighting for the right of giant corporations to privatize profits, and socialize loses!
at this point, some in the party are actually defending him. sen. john cornyn (r-texas), chairman of the national republican senatorial committee, conceded that he "shares" barton's "concerns."
"i think it's good that there's going to be some money there, i don't know whether it's going to be enough money to pay all the claims. they should pay the legitimate claims. but the part that representative barton is expressing some concern about, that i share the concern, is this has really become a political issue for the president and he's trying to deal with it by showing how tough he's being against bp. the problem is bp's the only one who really is in control of shutting down this well, and he's trying to mitigate, i think, his own political problems."
would it be terribly rude to note that cornyn's response makes no sense? obama secured $20 billion for the victims of bp's disaster, and for cornyn, the relevant question is whether this mitigates the president's "political problems"?Wednesday, June 16, 2010
tweet of the day
from @ebertchicago
(yes...that ebert)
(yes...that ebert)
some "socialists" now propose nationalizing bp's us operation. explain to me again why we pay them to sell us our own oil.
Labels: bp, movies, oil, tweet of the day, twitter
heartbreaking
big greedy corporation vs. big leviathan of the deep. one of them is dying from the oil gusher in the gulf (can we stop calling it a "leak"...it's no freakin' leak.)
experts have spent decades studying the dangers oil development may pose to whales; now the day of reckoning has arrive. - national wildlife
Labels: bp, disasters, offshore drilling, oil
Check out this great MSN Video: Fake President Maddow's Oval-Office-in-her-own-head address
gee, where does james cameron get all his ideas?
grasi vaxin göng
Labels: music
engulfed
distributorcap ny thinks obama's speech last nite was short enough to be transcribed by rosemary woods.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
skippy's tuesday nite music club
yep. you guessed it. still have those dang blues. perhaps a little john lee hooker can make them travel the rails outta my soul.
Labels: music, skippy's music club, youtube
president josiah bartlet's dad
gets a teevee gig at msnbc.
about time!
lawrence o’donnell, whose career has taken him from the halls of the u.s. senate to the writing room of a top entertainment show, is now getting his own prime-time show on msnbc.the cable news network announced tuesday that o’donnell, a longtime political analyst for msnbc who has been a regular substitute for keith olbermann, will helm a show that will air weeknights at 7 p.m. pt/10 p.m. et, replacing the repeat of olbermann’s nightly program. - latte times
about time!
from little acorns do big nuts grow
we've stayed out of the etheridge brouhaha so far, but we agree w/a plethora of balloon juice commentors: it looks like a set up to us!
to file assault charges, you need the alleged victim to swear out the complaint.
and with the kid’s face weirdly blurred out on the video and his identity still kept secret, it seems they’re unwilling to do that. coupled with the breitbart connection, that makes me more than a little suspicious about the broader context here.
yes, what the rep. did was wrong and yes, he should have apologized. but unless this guy has a history of john mccain rage, i’d have to think there’s more to the story than our fair and balanced reporters would have us believe.
and with the kid’s face weirdly blurred out on the video and his identity still kept secret, it seems they’re unwilling to do that. coupled with the breitbart connection, that makes me more than a little suspicious about the broader context here.
yes, what the rep. did was wrong and yes, he should have apologized. but unless this guy has a history of john mccain rage, i’d have to think there’s more to the story than our fair and balanced reporters would have us believe.
well, if i was a conservative nutcase trying to create an election issue by attempting to inflame the guy i wouldn’t want to be pressing charges either . btw, if joe wilson or michele bachman had done this they wouldn’t have even apologized and furthermore, would be collecting money over this. i think etheridge should at least be collecting money.
because the edited video doesn’t tell us whether etheridege was initially blocking the guy from sticking a camera in his face…which in some cases could itself be considered assault.
interesting that there doesn’t seem to be a video showing the entire incident from the other camera’s pov. from the first part it’s clear that the guy’s camera was just a few inches from etheridege’s face.
and i don’t think the fact that etheridge apologized for his reaction equals an admission of criminal assault.
interesting that there doesn’t seem to be a video showing the entire incident from the other camera’s pov. from the first part it’s clear that the guy’s camera was just a few inches from etheridege’s face.
and i don’t think the fact that etheridge apologized for his reaction equals an admission of criminal assault.
if the local da decides that he or she has other, more important uses for his or her scarce prosecutorial resources, i won’t second-guess that decision. i suspect the alleged victims would be ok with that, too – they would probably perjure themselves at trial, not so much because they are bad people, but rather due to an inability to distinguish between the truth and their fantasies.
i’m not surprised the kid in the video doesn’t want to be identified. he probably doesn’t want to be forever known as the kid who physically dominated by a 70-year old man. even without seeing his face, you can tell by his body language that he’s very close to pissing himself. this little wanna-be bully clearly thought he would be the one doing intimidating when he ambushed his subject with a camera and instead nearly got his little ass kicked. just like when a celebrity loses his temper and beats up a paparazzi, i have a hard time sympathizing with the supposed victim here.
what tr said. you can’t have an assault without a victim. the fact that the alleged victims are hiding rather than trumpeting their victimhood all around the blogosphere is one of several indications that there’s something fishy going on here.
i doubt very much that there should be charges here, probably because of mitigating circumstances. it’s ok to expect that our representatives use their heads and keep a cool head, and this guy didn’t; but it should also be ok expect that a cop might say, “ok, you got in his face he got in your face, no blood, no foul, get the hell out of here and leave each other alone, got me?”, isn’t it?
i’d bet money that a cop has already seen this, and said to the kid, why were you sticking that camera right in his face?
again, i’d expect better from one of our representatives, but this kid had no business getting in his face like that, either.
i’d bet money that a cop has already seen this, and said to the kid, why were you sticking that camera right in his face?
again, i’d expect better from one of our representatives, but this kid had no business getting in his face like that, either.
u do not interfere with a member of congress going about their business.
in the old days, and i am probably entirely wrong on this, i know, the washington d.c. police and the capitol police would probably have beaten those two young men into a light coma by sundown and would have had them transported to prince george’s county where they could be detained on charges of molesting a garden gnome.
this was an ambush gone bad. all of the clever and witty things they were going to say were forgotten so that they could blurt out something about supporting “the obama agenda.” well, of course a democrat congressman supports the obama agenda. how is that supposed to be an intelligent or thoughtful thing to say?
the best way to stop this sort of thing is for someone to be arrested and tried for breaking the law—just don’t do it in louisiana.
in the old days, and i am probably entirely wrong on this, i know, the washington d.c. police and the capitol police would probably have beaten those two young men into a light coma by sundown and would have had them transported to prince george’s county where they could be detained on charges of molesting a garden gnome.
this was an ambush gone bad. all of the clever and witty things they were going to say were forgotten so that they could blurt out something about supporting “the obama agenda.” well, of course a democrat congressman supports the obama agenda. how is that supposed to be an intelligent or thoughtful thing to say?
the best way to stop this sort of thing is for someone to be arrested and tried for breaking the law—just don’t do it in louisiana.
regardless of what the video looks like, it does not constitute all of the relevant evidence that a conscientious prosecutor would consider before making a decision whether to file charges. which means that greenwald’s “file review” is no more entitled to be taken seriously than bill frist’s “diagnosis” of terri schiavo.
i smell a breitbart/rove ratfuck here. and glenn is a good enough lawyer to know that in cases of simple assault, usually an individual has to swear a complaint and we are certainly seein an edited video designed to make etheridge look as bad as possible. and as sam spade said after slapping around peter lorre, “you can swear your complaint and i will swear my complaint, and the police can all take us to jail.”
allen sherman
clever man with a lyric, the great allen sherman...
Monday, June 14, 2010
skippy's monday nite music
well...still have them blues. guess i'll listen to some more. hopefully howlin' wolf can howl them away.
Labels: music, skippy's music club, youtube
bill maher
criminally liable liar
man on a mission
ever since george w. bush, cursed be his name, left office (i still get a chill thinking about it), i've been a bit at loose ends when it comes to blogging. "what", i asked myself, "is my reason to blog?" hence you have seen my blog posts for the past year and a half or so have been disjointed and lacking in theme. but today a childhood memory returned to me, a fleeting thought that transformed into a memory, a memory that restored a sense of the joy and possibility of life.
such is the way of music remembered. and now i have a mission, that mission being to restore to the public's consciousness and adoration their appreciation for the late, the great...
Watch, listen, and have a laugh.
such is the way of music remembered. and now i have a mission, that mission being to restore to the public's consciousness and adoration their appreciation for the late, the great...
ALLEN SHERMAN!
Watch, listen, and have a laugh.
hair
hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
flow it, show it
long as god can grow it
my hair
let it fly in the breeze
and get caught in the trees
give a home to the fleas in my hair
a home for fleas
a hive for bees
a nest for birds
there ain't no words
for the beauty, the splendor, the wonder
of my...
hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
flow it, show it
long as god can grow it
my hair
(from the musical "Hair")
pam (i admire that pam spaulding) has a posting over at pandagon about the travails of black women and the way they are judged over their hair. now this isn't a "white guys get the same sort of crap" posting, because white guys don't and i know it. but i can relate to it in a small way because of an experience i had when i was working at at&t in 1984 (this was the first year after the break up of the bell operating companies on 1/1/84, for you corporate history buffs).
i was working as a consultant on a series of six month contracts with at&t in parsippany, nj in a department run by a dope named larry...okay, so maybe i won't go ahead and name names, but his first name was larry and he was part of what some of us had dubbed the "southwest bell mafia", a group of privileged frat-boy dumbasses who came in from southwest bell, most of them from oklahoma, and did what privileged frat-boy dumbasses do.
some time during the spring i got a little skin problem and decided to grow a beard while it cleared up. i'd had beards before and thought it was no big deal. when my contract came up for renewal, i was told that larry had told my direct boss that i either shaved the beard or i wouldn't get another contract. i couldn't believe it.
i didn't shave the beard. i didn't get the new contract, which was fine because i was on a direct contract (i.e., not through a consulting firm), which meant i sometimes had to wait as long as six weeks between paychecks because of at&t's accounting system. i was hired about three weeks later for more money elsewhere. i also shaved the beard a few weeks later when the skin problem cleared up.
there is nothing to protect you from having a boss edit your appearance, under threat of etrmination, even when your appearance has nothing to do with job performance, yet people think employers don't have enough power.
tea and no sympathy
steve benen reminds us that afro all the hoopla, the tea baggers are not all that popular w/the voters in general:
addendum: leave it to chris matthews to be behind the curve:
ooooh, that's scary, keeds!
but as far as political movements go, the tea party crowd -- with no clear agenda, no leadership, no internal structure, and no meaningful connection to reality -- is running into some trouble.
kevin drum summarized the problem nicely: "who could have predicted that a cranky, leaderless movement with no real goals and driven mostly by an inchoate sense of persecution, aggrievement, and sarah palin hero worship would eventually turn in on itself and splinter into a thousand embittered little pieces?"
for my money, i still think the tea partiers' biggest problem is not having an agenda. i'm not exactly an expert in the intricacies of political movements, but as i understand it, successful movements tend to have clearly-defined goals. the tea partiers have offered hysterical tirades for well over a year now, and no one can say with any certainty exactly what these folks actually want.
except chaos.the national tea party movement has never had a central organization or single leader; in fact, it has boasted the opposite. but tuesday's primary results provided fresh evidence of the amorphous network's struggle to convert activist anger and energy into winning results. frustrated and lacking agreement on what to do next, self-identified tea party leaders say the movement may be in danger of breaking apart before it ever really comes together.
it certainly doesn't help that the american mainstream is growing less impressed with the nascent right-wing initiative. the national washington post/abc news poll has asked americans if they have "a favorable or unfavorable impression of the political movement known as the tea party." just three months ago, 41% had a favorable impression, while 39% had a negative one. last week, the same poll found 36% with a favorable impression, and 50% with a negative one.kevin drum summarized the problem nicely: "who could have predicted that a cranky, leaderless movement with no real goals and driven mostly by an inchoate sense of persecution, aggrievement, and sarah palin hero worship would eventually turn in on itself and splinter into a thousand embittered little pieces?"
for my money, i still think the tea partiers' biggest problem is not having an agenda. i'm not exactly an expert in the intricacies of political movements, but as i understand it, successful movements tend to have clearly-defined goals. the tea partiers have offered hysterical tirades for well over a year now, and no one can say with any certainty exactly what these folks actually want.
addendum: leave it to chris matthews to be behind the curve:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
ooooh, that's scary, keeds!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
skippy's sunday nite music club
watching the news....gives me the blues. and, the only way to get rid of them...is to listen to some dang fine blues such as the classic "wang dang doodle" with koko taylor and the blues harpist legend, little walter.
Labels: blues, music, skippy's music club, youtube
tweet of the day
those crazy folks at @bpglobalpr are tweeting hysterically yet again....
on behalf of england, i declare war on the united states. now, does anyone need fuel for their tanks and jets? ^tony
on behalf of england, i declare war on the united states. now, does anyone need fuel for their tanks and jets? ^tony
Labels: bp, tweet of the day, twitter
environmental news stories sunday
post primary edition.
yes. the candidate i was working for, das williams, won the democratic nod in the primary contest for california's 35 assembly district. (and, boy, did it get ugly on the other side)...but, staying positive...onward to the november general election. so...back to the job at hand today. those pesky stories about the environment that you might not have see on the front page of the newspaper. (and, yes, virginia...there are more stories than just the disaster on the gulf.)
timor sea blowout foreshadowed disaster in gulf. - ever since the deepwater horizon rig exploded and sank, many have said that it was an unforeseeable event that could not be anticipated. yet last august, an oil well blew out off the coast of australia, dumping oil into the timor sea for 10 weeks and becoming australia's largest oil spill. - new orleans picayune
beaches turn black in baldwin county as oily waves roll in. - thousands of people lined gulf shores' beaches, but almost no one dared even put a toe in the water. large pools of black crude gathered on the shore. farther east, from orange beach to perdido pass, clumps of oil washed up on the black-speckled coast - mobile press register
surfers against sewage: the muck stops here. - when surfers against sewage first took to the waves – and airwaves – in 1990, they were dismissed as meddling hippies, and a threat to cornwall's tourism. twenty years on, even the queen has celebrated their success in cleaning up hundreds of miles of coastline - london observer
cape lobster industry faces crisis. - in what could be the first major economic blow to local fisheries pinned on global warming, regulators are contemplating shutting down the lobster industry from buzzards bay to long island sound for five years due to a drastic population drop brought on by temperature changes of just a few degrees in inshore waters - cape cod times
oil spill in red butte creek threatens waters, wildlife.- even as the bp gulf coast oil tragedy and its stumbling cleanup efforts continue to dominate the news, salt lake city awakened saturday morning to its own ecological disaster. containment of a crude oil spill into red butte creek is expected to continue through sunday - salt lake deseret morning news
connell organic farmer touts 'beetle banks' to protect crops. - organic farmer brad bailie is a believer in bugs. strips of blooming plants in a maze of colors dot his 600-acre farm. they border fields of potatoes, onions, and other crops. In each strip, insects, from wasps to flies and lady bugs, search for plant-damaging insects or larvae to eat - tacoma news tribune
lugar's climate bill taps into his hoosier roots. - could a prius-driving republican who sequesters carbon on his indiana tree farm break partisan gridlock over climate-change legislation? - jefferson evening news and tribune
warming permafrost threatens arctic ice cellars. - researchers were conducting a climate change focus study in point hope, alaska, when "right off the bat, people starting talking about this growing problem of not being able to keep their whale meat and muktuk frozen all year. - anchorage arctic sounder
lessons from the bay area's lowest point. - cities and public agencies are looking to the army corps to help them cope with the long-term threat of rising sea levels - san mateo county times
fledgling biodiesel industry fights to survive. - it's an industrial-strength irony — used restaurant fryer oil is valuable enough for environmentalist early-adopters to steal it from outdoor tanks to power their cars, but the companies that collect it and process it can't charge enough to make a profit - hartford courant
a kinder kind of paper. - for 15 years people have sniffed the tree-free paper products made by ecopaper inc. to see if they smell like the bananas they’re made from - ventura county star
5 of the world's 7 sea turtles are threatened by the bp gulf oil spill. - from the most abundant sea turtle in the world, to the world's only vegetarian sea turtle, five threatened and endangered turtles are in peril, thanks to the bp gulf oil spill - daily green
s.c. shrimpers fear oil spill impact. - if bp’s oil slick hits the gulf stream, moves up the east coast, and spreads inland, it could mean the closure of popular fishing grounds off charleston, beaufort, hilton head island, mcclellanville and georgetown, shrimpers say - columbia star
peruvian poison town. - la oroya is a mining town in the peruvian andes. it is also one of the world’s 10 most polluted places, according to the blacksmith institute - globalpost
jakarta water crisis. - the jakarta groundwater condition is very severe. according to some studies, the number of city dwellers who have access to clean water is only 6-15 percent. water as a public good, should be provided by the government, including subsidies for people living in poverty - jakarta post
the next drilling disaster? - hydrofracking has been embraced as a promising "bridge fuel" that could help smooth the transition to renewable energy sources. but a string of recent disasters – including the tva coal ash spill, the massey coal mine explosion and the deepwater horizon oil spill – have demonstrated all too vividly that failure to regulate and oversee resource extraction can lead to catastrophe - nation
yes. the candidate i was working for, das williams, won the democratic nod in the primary contest for california's 35 assembly district. (and, boy, did it get ugly on the other side)...but, staying positive...onward to the november general election. so...back to the job at hand today. those pesky stories about the environment that you might not have see on the front page of the newspaper. (and, yes, virginia...there are more stories than just the disaster on the gulf.)
timor sea blowout foreshadowed disaster in gulf. - ever since the deepwater horizon rig exploded and sank, many have said that it was an unforeseeable event that could not be anticipated. yet last august, an oil well blew out off the coast of australia, dumping oil into the timor sea for 10 weeks and becoming australia's largest oil spill. - new orleans picayune
beaches turn black in baldwin county as oily waves roll in. - thousands of people lined gulf shores' beaches, but almost no one dared even put a toe in the water. large pools of black crude gathered on the shore. farther east, from orange beach to perdido pass, clumps of oil washed up on the black-speckled coast - mobile press register
surfers against sewage: the muck stops here. - when surfers against sewage first took to the waves – and airwaves – in 1990, they were dismissed as meddling hippies, and a threat to cornwall's tourism. twenty years on, even the queen has celebrated their success in cleaning up hundreds of miles of coastline - london observer
cape lobster industry faces crisis. - in what could be the first major economic blow to local fisheries pinned on global warming, regulators are contemplating shutting down the lobster industry from buzzards bay to long island sound for five years due to a drastic population drop brought on by temperature changes of just a few degrees in inshore waters - cape cod times
oil spill in red butte creek threatens waters, wildlife.- even as the bp gulf coast oil tragedy and its stumbling cleanup efforts continue to dominate the news, salt lake city awakened saturday morning to its own ecological disaster. containment of a crude oil spill into red butte creek is expected to continue through sunday - salt lake deseret morning news
connell organic farmer touts 'beetle banks' to protect crops. - organic farmer brad bailie is a believer in bugs. strips of blooming plants in a maze of colors dot his 600-acre farm. they border fields of potatoes, onions, and other crops. In each strip, insects, from wasps to flies and lady bugs, search for plant-damaging insects or larvae to eat - tacoma news tribune
lugar's climate bill taps into his hoosier roots. - could a prius-driving republican who sequesters carbon on his indiana tree farm break partisan gridlock over climate-change legislation? - jefferson evening news and tribune
warming permafrost threatens arctic ice cellars. - researchers were conducting a climate change focus study in point hope, alaska, when "right off the bat, people starting talking about this growing problem of not being able to keep their whale meat and muktuk frozen all year. - anchorage arctic sounder
lessons from the bay area's lowest point. - cities and public agencies are looking to the army corps to help them cope with the long-term threat of rising sea levels - san mateo county times
fledgling biodiesel industry fights to survive. - it's an industrial-strength irony — used restaurant fryer oil is valuable enough for environmentalist early-adopters to steal it from outdoor tanks to power their cars, but the companies that collect it and process it can't charge enough to make a profit - hartford courant
a kinder kind of paper. - for 15 years people have sniffed the tree-free paper products made by ecopaper inc. to see if they smell like the bananas they’re made from - ventura county star
5 of the world's 7 sea turtles are threatened by the bp gulf oil spill. - from the most abundant sea turtle in the world, to the world's only vegetarian sea turtle, five threatened and endangered turtles are in peril, thanks to the bp gulf oil spill - daily green
s.c. shrimpers fear oil spill impact. - if bp’s oil slick hits the gulf stream, moves up the east coast, and spreads inland, it could mean the closure of popular fishing grounds off charleston, beaufort, hilton head island, mcclellanville and georgetown, shrimpers say - columbia star
peruvian poison town. - la oroya is a mining town in the peruvian andes. it is also one of the world’s 10 most polluted places, according to the blacksmith institute - globalpost
jakarta water crisis. - the jakarta groundwater condition is very severe. according to some studies, the number of city dwellers who have access to clean water is only 6-15 percent. water as a public good, should be provided by the government, including subsidies for people living in poverty - jakarta post
the next drilling disaster? - hydrofracking has been embraced as a promising "bridge fuel" that could help smooth the transition to renewable energy sources. but a string of recent disasters – including the tva coal ash spill, the massey coal mine explosion and the deepwater horizon oil spill – have demonstrated all too vividly that failure to regulate and oversee resource extraction can lead to catastrophe - nation
Labels: animals, california, climate change, das williams, election, energy, environment, farmers, food, ocean, oil
Saturday, June 12, 2010
now this is enlightened football!
tweet of the date
@bpglobalpr
prank the nerds at the nrdc! send a note to your senator saying bp rules, gulf of mexico drools! http://ow.ly/1XDjM
prank the nerds at the nrdc! send a note to your senator saying bp rules, gulf of mexico drools! http://ow.ly/1XDjM
Labels: bp, oil, tweet of the day, twitter
mad about nevada's wingnut angle
mad kane, that is!
Friday, June 11, 2010
mad about kick ass limericks
mad kane, that is!
fresh aire interviews that aren't, well, so fresh
terry gross talks dirt with some environmentally friendly folks about some things "unfresh". and it's terrifying
josh fox who made the documentary "gasland" which is being shown on hbo on june 21
and abraham lustgarden of propublica about his wapo article re: bp's internal documents that show they repeatedly disregarded environmental and safety laws.
josh fox who made the documentary "gasland" which is being shown on hbo on june 21
and abraham lustgarden of propublica about his wapo article re: bp's internal documents that show they repeatedly disregarded environmental and safety laws.
Labels: bp, environment, government, movies, oil
Thursday, June 10, 2010
mad about haley's barbaric attitude
mad kane, that is!
mean girl alert: carly doesn't heart hannity, meg, or barb's hair
whoops! rule number one as a politico, carly, don't gossip when your mic is live:
carly fiorina disses meg whitman's decision to go on sean hannity's show (as well as hannity himself, and barbara boxer's haircut as "so yesterday.")
thx to think progress for the heads up on this story!
carly fiorina disses meg whitman's decision to go on sean hannity's show (as well as hannity himself, and barbara boxer's haircut as "so yesterday.")
thx to think progress for the heads up on this story!
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
halter topped
unfortunately for progressives, blanche lincoln pulled it out of the fire and beat bill halter for dem nominee for senator in arkansas.
but the bigger story here is how the white house spit on the unions' involvement, thus alienating any future labor vote:
and we'd say that the goodwill that was lost was that of labor, which the white house may learn to regret. ezra klein offers his thoughts, with which we agree:
but the bigger story here is how the white house spit on the unions' involvement, thus alienating any future labor vote:
a senior white house official just called me with a very pointed message for the administration's sometime allies in organized labor, who invested heavily in beating blanche lincoln, obama's candidate, in arkansas.
"organized labor just flushed $10 million of their members' money down the toilet on a pointless exercise," the official said. "if even half that total had been well-targeted and applied in key house races across this country, that could have made a real difference in november."
lincoln relied heavily both on obama's endorsement, which she advertised relentlessly on radio and in the mail, and on the backing of former president bill clinton, who backed her to the hilt.
lincoln foe bill halter had the unstinting support of the afl-cio, seiu, afscme and other major unions. and labor officials tuesday evening were already working to spin the narrow loss of their candidate, bill halter, as a moral victory, but the cost in money and in the goodwill of the white house may be a steep price to pay for a near miss.
we disagree w/ben smith. halter lost by only about 10,000 votes out of a quarter million cast, according to cbs news. for a progressive to lose by so slim a margin in a red state like arkansas is not a devastating loss, it's encouraging. "organized labor just flushed $10 million of their members' money down the toilet on a pointless exercise," the official said. "if even half that total had been well-targeted and applied in key house races across this country, that could have made a real difference in november."
lincoln relied heavily both on obama's endorsement, which she advertised relentlessly on radio and in the mail, and on the backing of former president bill clinton, who backed her to the hilt.
lincoln foe bill halter had the unstinting support of the afl-cio, seiu, afscme and other major unions. and labor officials tuesday evening were already working to spin the narrow loss of their candidate, bill halter, as a moral victory, but the cost in money and in the goodwill of the white house may be a steep price to pay for a near miss.
and we'd say that the goodwill that was lost was that of labor, which the white house may learn to regret. ezra klein offers his thoughts, with which we agree:
in a move that's likely to ratchet up already-white-hot post-arkansas tensions between organized labor and the white house, officials with the labor powerhouse seiu are confirming that they are all but certain not to back blanche lincoln in the general election.
seiu sends over a statement from national political director jon youngdahl that constitutes the first on-the-record threat since the election not to support the democrat:
"we have a responsibility to our members," this official says. "we have issues our members want us to fight for. she doesn't fight for those issues. it's not realistic that she should expect our support."
seiu sends over a statement from national political director jon youngdahl that constitutes the first on-the-record threat since the election not to support the democrat:
for all the talk about what this race meant, the pundits are missing the point: all around this country their are families who've lost their jobs or watched their paychecks shrink. they are fighting to keep homes they've owned for 20 years. they are wondering how they are going to send their kids to school. these voters are demanding candidates who are speaking for them, not for the special interests who have destroyed our economy. and we will be at their side making sure that our members, their families and their communities have a voice in the process.
we'll see if blanche lincoln is made a better senator for having to answer to working arkansans over these past few weeks. and if you are larry kissell (nc-08) or zach space (oh-18) or mike mcmahon (ny-13) or michael arcuri (ny-24) or another candidate who stopped advocating for the needs of working families once elected, the labor movement is going to be at the side of those voters who demand change.
the lumping of lincoln with other dems who "stopped advocating for the needs of working families," all dems the union is not supporting, is unmistakable. and a second senior seiu official confirms to me that youngdahl's statement is meant to be read as a clear sign that the union won't back her.we'll see if blanche lincoln is made a better senator for having to answer to working arkansans over these past few weeks. and if you are larry kissell (nc-08) or zach space (oh-18) or mike mcmahon (ny-13) or michael arcuri (ny-24) or another candidate who stopped advocating for the needs of working families once elected, the labor movement is going to be at the side of those voters who demand change.
"we have a responsibility to our members," this official says. "we have issues our members want us to fight for. she doesn't fight for those issues. it's not realistic that she should expect our support."
california girls
pretending to be progressive, the california repubbblicans nominated two women as top of the tier candidates for next november. nytimes:
on the other hand, the california dem's are still living in the 70's.
addendum: unfortunately for those who enjoy watching the crazy, orly taitz lost her bid for repubbb nominee for attorney general. too bad!
carly fiorina and meg whitman, who ascended to the top of the business world before turning to politics, prevailed on tuesday in their respective battles for the republican nominations for the united states senate and governor in california, setting the stage for costly general election fights this fall.
ms. fiorina, a former chief executive of hewlett-packard, beat tom campbell, a former congressman, and chuck devore, whose candidacy drew the backing of many tea party activists. she will face the incumbent senator, barbara boxer, a democrat, in the fall.
ms. whitman, the former chief executive of ebay and a billionaire, had invested a small share of her personal fortune to prevail in the governor’s race over steve poizner, the state insurance commissioner, who put $24 million of his own money into his primary campaign. she will challenge jerry brown, the state’s democratic attorney general, who was first elected governor of california three decades ago.
readers will remember what we think of ms. fiorina's tenure @ hewlett-packard. and apparently, ms. whitman has some goldman-sacks stink sticking to her. ms. fiorina, a former chief executive of hewlett-packard, beat tom campbell, a former congressman, and chuck devore, whose candidacy drew the backing of many tea party activists. she will face the incumbent senator, barbara boxer, a democrat, in the fall.
ms. whitman, the former chief executive of ebay and a billionaire, had invested a small share of her personal fortune to prevail in the governor’s race over steve poizner, the state insurance commissioner, who put $24 million of his own money into his primary campaign. she will challenge jerry brown, the state’s democratic attorney general, who was first elected governor of california three decades ago.
on the other hand, the california dem's are still living in the 70's.
addendum: unfortunately for those who enjoy watching the crazy, orly taitz lost her bid for repubbb nominee for attorney general. too bad!
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
mad about kirk's "factual" quirks
mad kane, that is!
Monday, June 07, 2010
splice of life
once again, the repubbbs think movies are real. from reason magazine:
which means, we suppose, we should expect a bill banning the digging up and re-animating of corpse parts sewn together, or at least the criminilization of turning into animals during the full moon.
(via)
addendum: sam wilkinson, commenting over @ steve benen's place, reminds us that this means no more human centipedes.
following the lead of arizona, the buckeye state's senatorial solons have passed a bill banning the creation of "human-animal hybrids." a press release from the ohio christian alliance hails the proposed ban:
so apparently the ohio legislators think the movie splice is real.ohio christian alliance president chris long made the following statement, "for the past seven years, oca has been working tirelessly with members of the ohio legislature to ban embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, and in recent years, animal-human hybrid. science has advanced to the point where dna from animals and humans can be intermixed in scientific laboratory experimentation. this is simply outrageous! animal-human hybrid research is currently being conducted in england, which many in the international medical community now consider to be a rogue medical state. it is unknown how many u.s. laboratories are currently conducting similar research.
among other activities, the ohio bill would ban:(a) a human embryo into which a nonhuman cell or a component of a nonhuman cell is introduced so that it is uncertain whether the human embryo is a member of the species homo sapiens;
(b) a hybrid human-animal embryo produced by fertilizing a human egg with a nonhuman sperm;(c) a hybrid human-animal embryo produced by fertilizing a nonhuman egg with a human sperm;
(d) an embryo produced by introducing a nonhuman nucleus into a human egg;
(e) an embryo produced by introducing a human nucleus into a nonhuman egg;
(f) an embryo containing at least haploid sets of chromosomes from both a human and a nonhuman life form;
(g) a nonhuman life form engineered with the intention of generating functional human gametes within the body of a nonhuman life form;
(h) a nonhuman life form engineered such that it contains a human brain or a brain derived wholly from human neural tissues.
the ohio bill would punish such "rogue" research by throwing perpetrators into jail for one year or imposing a fine of $250,000 or both.(b) a hybrid human-animal embryo produced by fertilizing a human egg with a nonhuman sperm;(c) a hybrid human-animal embryo produced by fertilizing a nonhuman egg with a human sperm;
(d) an embryo produced by introducing a nonhuman nucleus into a human egg;
(e) an embryo produced by introducing a human nucleus into a nonhuman egg;
(f) an embryo containing at least haploid sets of chromosomes from both a human and a nonhuman life form;
(g) a nonhuman life form engineered with the intention of generating functional human gametes within the body of a nonhuman life form;
(h) a nonhuman life form engineered such that it contains a human brain or a brain derived wholly from human neural tissues.
which means, we suppose, we should expect a bill banning the digging up and re-animating of corpse parts sewn together, or at least the criminilization of turning into animals during the full moon.
(via)
addendum: sam wilkinson, commenting over @ steve benen's place, reminds us that this means no more human centipedes.
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