ThinkFast: August 15, 2008
ThinkFast: August 15, 2008
Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran who lost both legs when her Black Hawk helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, “will lead a tribute to service members and veterans on the third night of the Democratic National Convention.”
During his tenure in the White House, President Bush has “raked in close to a billion dollars” as “the political fundraiser in chief.” “In all, Bush has personally raised more than $968 million for the Republican Party, GOP candidates and his own re-election campaign and inauguration during his two terms in office.” So far this year, he has raised roughly $70 million.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi will wed this weekend in California, following the California Supreme Court’s monumental ruling that same sex couple’s have the “right to marry.” “It’s something that we’ve wanted to do and we want it to be legal and we are very, very excited,” DeGeneres said.
The Bush administration is “backing down from a threat to penalize states enrolling middle-class children” in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. States were directed to make the changes by Monday in order to avoid potentially facing financial penalties, but “with the deadline fast approaching, the administration made clear that the states were under no immediate threat of losing federal funding.”
On the trail today: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will attend a fundraising strategy session in Aspen, CO with more than 100 top fundraisers and supporters. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) continues his vacation in Hawaii.
The United States and Poland reached a deal on Thursday “to place an American missile defense base on Polish territory, in the strongest reaction so far to Russia’s military operation in Georgia. Russia reacted angrily, saying that the move would worsen relations with the United States.”
A new study in Science finds that dead zones — “areas of bottom waters too oxygen depleted to support most ocean life” — are spreading. There “are now 405 identified dead zones worldwide, up from 49 in the 1960s — and the world’s largest dead zone remains the Baltic Sea, whose bottom waters now lack oxygen year-round.”
A federal court has ruled that Saudi Arabia “could not be held liable” for the 9/11 attacks even though some donations to charity groups operated by the Saudi government “ended up in the hands of Al-Qaeda.”
Lawyers for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) “filed a flurry of pretrial motions” yesterday challenging the government’s public-corruption case against him. Prosecutors “responded with their own filings” and made public additional allegations against Stevens, “including claims that he allegedly asked for other gifts and favors and that he approached an unidentified witness about pending grand jury testimony.”
And finally: Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) was the featured speaker at a summit on Wednesday about the “emerging issue of producing electricity from wind.” At the meeting was a “wind potential map that showed most of Kansas in pink — reflecting wind speed of 16.8 to 17.9 mph at a height of 70 meters.” Brownback, however, took exception with the map, stating, “I didn’t think anything about western Kansas was “in a sweet spot for wind.”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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McCain: Red, White and Outsourced
Sen. John McCain paints himself as an all-American hero. So why has he opposed “Buy American,” the law for government and military contracts? In fact, not only has he opposed the law, he also says he “firmly objects” to it and has called it “ludicrous.” This week, he ducked a campaign visit to a Harley-Davidson plant in York, Pa., because—ooops—those Buy American provisions would have required the government to purchase American-made motorcycles.
As recently as 2003 and 2004, McCain voted to waive Buy American laws for defense systems and to exempt six European countries from Buy American requirements—effectively allowing products from those countries to be considered U.S. made in government and military contract bids. When it comes to military contracts in the aviation and maritime industries, McCain not only embraces foreign corporations over U.S. workers. In 2000, McCain voted to ease laws banning foreign control of U.S. airlines. Then he went even further: He voted to allow foreign control of U.S. airlines and to allow foreign airlines to operate on U.S. routes. U.S. aviation workers already are struggling to maintain jobs, wages and health benefits. McCain’s support of foreign airlines threatens U.S. jobs.
McCain’s job-killing votes go way back. In 1989, he voted to send defense technology and aviation manufacturing jobs to Japan as part of the development of a new aircraft weapons system. And then he went even further: He voted against an amendment requiring that U.S. firms share at least 40 percent of the work.
The cornerstone of U.S. maritime commercial law is the Jones Act that requires U.S. ships with U.S. crews on domestic port-to-port shipping routes. The act helps maintain U.S. jobs and a trained seafaring workforce and prevents unfair foreign competition. McCain has said he wants “to get rid of the Jones Act” and has actively worked to kill the Jones Act. He even introduced a bill to waive the requirement that U.S.-flagged ships be built in U.S. shipyards with U.S. workers.
These Senate votes by McCain to bleed the nation of family-supporting jobs are literally unknown. But they demonstrate his push for European-based EADS to get the Defense Department’s $35 billion air fleet tanker contract and the recent revelation that he is behind the potential loss of 8,000 jobs in Ohio aren’t isolated incidents. McCain has packed his campaign with job killers. Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager, lobbied for the deal to kill Ohio’s jobs. Randy Altschuler, who advises companies on how to ship jobs overseas, is giving McCain economic advice.
As McCain said when asked about America’s lost jobs: “I can’t tell you these jobs are ever coming back. The old jobs aren’t coming back.”
http://firedoglake.com/2008/08/14/mccain-red-white-and-outsourced/
I think it sums it up when John McCain says “It’s ludicrous” and that he “firmly objects” to “Buy American”. Also, that he is one of the biggest US job killers. Only a Neocon would see this as a benefit, whose soul is bought and paid for by a lobbyists.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:01 amObama Campaign Punches Back Hard Against Corsi Smears
As promised, Barack Obama’s campaign is hitting back hard against smear author Jerome Corsi’s New York Times best-selling book The Obama Nation.
In an exhaustive 41-page PDF document entitled Unfit for Publication — a riff on Corsi’s 2004 Unfit for Command, which targeted John Kerry — the campaign documents every false claim they have been able to find in Corsi’s current tome. No matter how small the error, including the year the Obamas married, the campaign has taken time to correct the record.
Clearly, the cumulative effect is meant as a kind of rhetorical “shock and awe” campaign against Corsi, who is described in the prelude of Unfit for Publication as “a discredited, fringe bigot” who “believes that President Bush is trying to merge the United states with Mexico and Canada,” in addition to holding other conspiracy theories.
“Corsi has penned a litany of bigoted, hateful comments– crossing the line so thoroughly that even the right-wing operatives behind Swift Boat Veterans for Truth disavowed him.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/14/obama-campaign-punches-ba_n_119031.html
This is how you fight back against a racist like this you come out swinging. *As a footnote the book “The Obama Nation” was published by Simon and Schuster owned by CBS…**
August 15th, 2008 at 9:04 amMcDipshit does not buy a working American a dinner when he screws them.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:05 amHomeland Security, Hawaiian Style
Government officials head for the beach. You pay the bill.
Al Qaeda is regrouping in northwest Pakistan. The FBI is worried about terror attacks during the fall election season. So how are senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security reacting to these potential threats? By going to Hawaii, of course.
In early October, around a dozen Homeland top officials, including the undersecretary of science, retired Admiral Jay M. Cohen, will be doing their part to protect the country by attending what they say is a critical trade show and convention—on Waikiki Beach.
But that doesn’t mean that Hawaii is picking up the tab for the federal officials. US taxpayer dollars will be used to buy the plane tickets, pay the hotel bills and cover the expenses for Cohen and his entourage. Initially the Department said that as many as 20 officials would be attending the conference. But this week, after fielding inquires from Newsweek about the matter, Kudwa said the figure has now been reduced to somewhere between 10 to 15.
http://windowsxp-privacy.net/?id=198760091
Homeland Security must not have received the FBI memo that said they were worried by Terror Attacks in the Fall. No surprise here business as usual under the Bush Administration.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:12 amTammy Duckworth is an excellent choice to lead a tribute to our servicemen and women, and I look forward to hearing what she has to say.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:12 amIs Poland crazy? Didn’t they just see what happens to former Soviet satellite countries that suck up to bush in the hopes of having a strong ally when the russians come knocking?
Georgia and Poland are the international equivalent of the conservative factory worker in Ohio who votes for republicans because he’s “pro life”.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:15 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
Tammy Duckworth is an excellent choice to lead a tribute to our servicemen and women, and I look forward to hearing what she has to say.
There are rumors that if Obama gets elected pres, our gov will appoint her to fill his empty senate seat.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:16 amWhile watching the Olympics, I had the unfortunate opportunity to watch the new McCain ad.
It starts by proclaiming that “For the last 4 years, Washington DC is broken”
Well no $hit, Sherlock. You get Republican rule for 6 of the last 8 years, this is what happens.
It then ends by stating McCain is an Original Maverick.
Now, just for kicks, let’s define those two words.
Original: New, fresh, inventive.
Well, McCain is neither new, nor fresh, and he certainly isn’t inventive, what with his 95% voting record that parallels Bush.
Maverick: A lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yeah, right. Just remember that awful picture of McCain hugging Bush, and then throw away any perception of his standing apart. And his toeing the “bomb, bomb Iran” line of the right? yeah, that’s a lone dissenter. NOT!
Pathetic. Just flippin’ pathetic!
August 15th, 2008 at 9:17 amGeorge Bush today: “Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century”
Iran was not available for comment.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:18 amWhy must it be repeatedly pointed out that Barack Obama is on vacation in Hawaii????
August 15th, 2008 at 9:22 amMore from Bush: “The Cold War is over. The days of satellite states and spheres of influence are behind us.”
By that logic then, no need to have Georgia or Ukraine join NATO.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:26 amDuring his tenure in the White House, President Bush has “raked in close to a billion dollars” as “the political fundraiser in chief.”
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This is hardly shocking — the occupant of the Oval Office is generally considered the head of his party, and in that role he will be involved in a lot of fundraisers. This happens no matter who the president is or what party he’s with.
The question we should be asking is what is being given away to get all that money. Clinton gave away overnights in the Lincoln Bedroom. Republicans have given away the right to write legislation. Obviously, some of the things given away affect the average American more than others, so we have a right to know.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:26 amA federal court has ruled that Saudi Arabia “could not be held liable” for the 9/11 attacks even though some donations to charity groups operated by the Saudi government “ended up in the hands of Al-Qaeda.”
The Saudi’s are such great friends with President Bush and they have so much oil that he wants, this was a no-brainer conclusion.
Shining examples of this are KBR, Halliburton, & Blackwater are all friends of Bush and the White House, which means they never have to say they are sorry or will be held accountable for anything.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:26 amI’m happy for Ellen and Portia. I hope they have a lovely wedding and a long and happy life together. But where’s Daryll to inform us that they are both going to hell?
August 15th, 2008 at 9:27 amWhy must it be repeatedly pointed out that Barack Obama is on vacation in Hawaii????
It’s an attempt to defuse the fact that Bush has taken more vacations than any President in recent history and has a habit of making sure that his vacations aren’t interrupted by anything as trivial as Presidential decisions.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:29 amStates were directed to make the changes by Monday in order to avoid potentially facing financial penalties, but “with the deadline fast approaching, the administration made clear that the states were under no immediate threat of losing federal funding.”
In six months, when Obama is President, SCHIP will be passed and it will all be moot anyway. Perhaps Bush is backing down on breaking all he can break before he leaves office.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:30 amA new study in Science finds that dead zones — “areas of bottom waters too oxygen depleted to support most ocean life” — are spreading.
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This won’t be a concern to the neocons. They figure they don’t live at the bottom of the ocean, so why worry?
It’s completely lost on them that life in the sea is an integral part of the food chain for the entire planet. Either that, or they figure that The Rapture is coming and Jesus will take care of us all.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:30 amOn the trail today: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will attend a fundraising strategy session in Aspen, CO with more than 100 top fundraisers and supporters. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) continues his vacation in Hawaii.
I think that is three days in a row that McCain has been in Aspen. Having a little “mini” vacation is he?
August 15th, 2008 at 9:31 amraynman: Why must it be repeatedly pointed out that Barack Obama is on vacation in Hawaii????
It’s the Fairness Doctrine at work: We;ve spent the last few weeks pointing out that McCain is on a reality-vacation. so to be fair it must be mentioned that Obama is on a real vacation.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:33 amn 2000, McCain voted to ease laws banning foreign control of U.S. airlines. Then he went even further: He voted to allow foreign control of U.S. airlines and to allow foreign airlines to operate on U.S. routes. U.S. aviation workers already are struggling to maintain jobs, wages and health benefits. McCain’s support of foreign airlines threatens U.S. jobs.
This needs to be put into an ad campaign by Obama. He needs to make a commercial showing how bad for American workers McCain really is. I like Obama’s “targeted” ad campaigns, but some I think need to be shown nationally and that includes any commercial about how John McCain is bad for American workers.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:36 amScaryBrownHusseinChick (ThinkOutsideTheBush) Says
August 15th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Why must it be repeatedly pointed out that Barack Obama is on vacation in Hawaii????
raynman Says
August 15th, 2008 at 9:29 am
It’s an attempt to defuse the fact that Bush has taken more vacations than any President in recent history and has a habit of making sure that his vacations aren’t interrupted by anything as trivial as Presidential decisions.
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It’s also being used to paint Obama as “exotic” and “elitist” — despite the fact that A) Hawaii is his birthplace and his grandmother lives there, B) Hawaii is actually part of the United States, and therefore is about as “exotic” as — oh, say — Arizona, and C) Obama is as entitled to a vacation as much as anyone else, and choosing the week when campaigning would be taking a back seat to the Olympics in the media was a wise choice.
It’s actually kind of funny that Obama’s opponents are reduced to criticizing his vacation. It really highlights their desperation.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:38 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
Tammy Duckworth is an excellent choice to lead a tribute to our servicemen and women, and I look forward to hearing what she has to say.
Me too. BTW, does anyone know why she didn’t run for office again this time? She came pretty close to winning the last time.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:39 amBobwurst Says:
misshusseinmolly Says:
Tammy Duckworth is an excellent choice to lead a tribute to our servicemen and women, and I look forward to hearing what she has to say.
There are rumors that if Obama gets elected pres, our gov will appoint her to fill his empty senate seat.
Well, that may have just answered my question. Excellent!
August 15th, 2008 at 9:41 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
The question we should be asking is what is being given away to get all that money.
Bush gave away the Constitution.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:41 amA federal court has ruled that Saudi Arabia “could not be held liable” for the 9/11 attacks even though some donations to charity groups operated by the Saudi government “ended up in the hands of Al-Qaeda.”
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Well, OF COURSE Saudi Arabia isn’t liable for ANYTHING having to do with 9/11. Didn’t we establish that it was all Saddam Hussein’s fault? Isn’t that why the GWOT had to be fought in Iraq?
/snark off
August 15th, 2008 at 9:42 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
B) Hawaii is actually part of the United States, and therefore is about as “exotic” as — oh, say — Arizona, and
August 15th, 2008 at 9:38 am
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And yet less exotic than, say, Panama. Just sayin.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:43 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
The question we should be asking is what is being given away to get all that money. Clinton gave away overnights in the Lincoln Bedroom. Republicans have given away the right to write legislation. Obviously, some of the things given away affect the average American more than others, so we have a right to know.
He has also given away our US government. I believe that Obama is going to be shocked to find out how much of our government Bush has privatized. I wonder how hard it’s going to be to un-privatize it.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:43 amCall Simon and Schuster and let them know what you think of the Corsi smear job.
PHONE: 212-698-7033
August 15th, 2008 at 9:44 amFAX: 212-698-7297
corporate.communications@simonandschuster.com
The United States and Poland reached a deal on Thursday “to place an American missile defense base on Polish territory, in the strongest reaction so far to Russia’s military operation in Georgia. Russia reacted angrily, saying that the move would worsen relations with the United States.”
If Impeachment is still off the table becuase we only have five months and 5 days left, can’t we atleast exile him to his Ranch or something that will prevent him from starting another pointless war that we cannot win?
August 15th, 2008 at 9:48 amraynman Says:
It’s an attempt to defuse the fact that Bush has taken more vacations than any President in recent history and has a habit of making sure that his vacations aren’t interrupted by anything as trivial as Presidential decisions.
I am firmly convinced that the issue with Georgia was McCain’s “October surprise”. I believe that he, along with his lobbyist friend, orchestrated it with Georgia. They planned it for a time when Bush would be on vacation, knowing that he would not disrupt his vacation to take action. That left McCain free to puff up his chest and look “presidential” while threatening Russia. All it really did is make him look like “man yelling at clouds”, but that’s another story.
Like most things McCain has orchestrated, it didn’t work out too well for him. He was not able to ratchet up the volume to the extent where Gates agreed to send in troops and that’s what I bet he told Georgia’s president he would do. So, now he looks silly in front of the people of the US and Saakashvili is mad at him for not coming through with his promises.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:48 am“I didn’t think anything about western Kansas was “in a sweet spot for wind.”—is a weird distortion of what Brownback said.
“I didn’t think anything about western Kansas was pink,” he said. “Maybe red.”
Despite the color, Brownback said there is a real potential for wind power coming from western Kansas.
“We are in a sweet spot for wind,” he said.
I think the big thing we can help on is research,” Brownback said, noting difficulties in solar power issues. “Here, the wind, we know we’ve got a sweet spot here.” Brownback said he even is looking at the idea of a small wind generation unit at his home in Topeka.
I’m just saying…
BUT on the subject of wind (or solar) power…
The discussions always seem to revolve around “farms” which of course centralize power. Energy economics might well require such farms I never hear any mention of technolgy deisgned for the individual to be incorparted directly into a home. Solar panels can be so incorporated, why not wind as well? Inefficient perhaps?
But it seems to me that the energy industry should be mixed–wind, solar,hydrocarbon,hyroelectric,wave-power etc and that buildings should incooprate some or all of these from the start. Tod do of course would reduce the control of power companies as many houses would be generating more of their own power for only the cost of the equipment installation—the energy source would be free.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:51 amScaryBrownHusseinChick (ThinkOutsideTheBush) Says
August 15th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Why must it be repeatedly pointed out that Barack Obama is on vacation in Hawaii????
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Even though we’ve probably been having way too much fun with your question this morning, we don’t blame TP for posting that for the fifth day in a row. Every weekday morning in the ThinkFast thread, TP has an “On the Trail Today” item that tells us where the two candidates are and what they are doing. And because Obama has been vacationing in Hawaii all week, he’s gotten a mention of that each day. I doubt that TP is implying anything they aren’t saying.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:51 amDRxJ Says: It starts by proclaiming that “For the last 4 years, Washington DC is broken”
Well, where has John McCain been the last 28 years?
Exactly.
So, basically, his ad is an ad against himself.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:52 amObama vacationing in Hawaii is ‘elitist’?
Does that mean that all the people who live in Hawaii are elitists too?
August 15th, 2008 at 9:56 ammisshusseinmolly Says: It’s completely lost on them that life in the sea is an integral part of the food chain for the entire planet. Either that, or they figure that The Rapture is coming and Jesus will take care of us all.
They don’t bother to learn that we get most of our oxygen from the plant life in the ocean, so if it dies, we die.
I wish these Rapture folks would read the damn bible(s). Jesus said he’d be back within the life time of those to whom he was speaking at the time. It didn’t happen, and it won’t happen, so they need to let go and worry about what kind of mess they are leaving to their children.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:57 amUnbellivable: If Impeachment is still off the table becuase we only have five months and 5 days left, can’t we atleast exile him to his Ranch or something
here: http://at5thestate.blogspot.com/2008/08/bush-and-nation-need-vacation.html
go for the photo, stay for the post. ( a little self promotion I admit).
August 15th, 2008 at 9:57 amPoland is idiotic if they are going to put in a missile “defense” system there. This will be the beginning of the end. That is an outright threat to Russia and they won’t stand for it. This is what Russia has been against for years. You have to ask yourself, why the huge push now? First with Georgia and now in Poland. They have been poking the bear for years with this – why the big confrontation now? Again, this is US an Israeli backed strategy. If you aren’t troubled by this news, you should be.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:58 amScaryBrownHusseinChick (ThinkOutsideTheBush) Says:
Why must it be repeatedly pointed out that Barack Obama is on vacation in Hawaii????
because he IS… why not?
August 15th, 2008 at 9:58 ammisshusseinmolly Says: It’s actually kind of funny that Obama’s opponents are reduced to criticizing his vacation. It really highlights their desperation.
I also think it’s funny that with Obama sort of on a t.v. hiatus during this time that John McCain has been making an even bigger idiot of himself, and bcause the media needs to cover something, they’ve actually covered a little bit of it.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:59 amthe book “The Obama Nation” was published by Simon and Schuster owned by CBS…**
and mary mcCHEEENEY matalin is editor…
August 15th, 2008 at 10:01 amBluedahlia: “Again, this is US an Israeli backed strategy. If you aren’t troubled by this news, you should be.”
I don’t know about that,Blue, other than the ABM system in poland is supposed to defend the US against non-existent Iranian missiles, somehow.
I think it’s a US neocon scheme: expensive missile system on the borders of a major energy supplier used as a geo-political bargaining chip. Of course that explanation doesn;t make much sense to me either, but then that kind of proves its a necon scheme. :)
August 15th, 2008 at 10:05 amGood Morning all,
August 15th, 2008 at 10:09 amQuestion…Who is mary mccheeney matalin.? Saw a lot about this dreadful book on the tube yesterday, mostly negative…The gop is buying it up in bulk to raise it to best seller list, handing it out to their sheeple for lieing point’s….P.B & J
5th Estate Says:
The discussions always seem to revolve around “farms” which of course centralize power. Energy economics might well require such farms I never hear any mention of technolgy deisgned for the individual to be incorparted directly into a home. Solar panels can be so incorporated, why not wind as well? Inefficient perhaps?
August 15th, 2008 at 9:51 am
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It’s a question of increasing returns to scale. Individual roof solar panels or micro turbines are expensive – even with tax rebates – and not a guarantee of independence from the power grid, since a cloudy or windless day will stop you from generating power. Wind and solar farms in areas like Death Valley or the central plains can generate a crapload of power in areas with a lot of wind or sun that are relatively unpopulated, nullifying the “not in my back yard” problem.
The real key, though, is a distributed, high-efficiency, smart generation and transmission grid. The solution is not all-centralized and all-individualized generation, but a mixture of the two. I’m thinking less home-based power, but more community-based power. Individual communities can have small wind or solar farms that provide the bulk of their own power when they need it, export excess power when their demand is low, and import from other areas when their supply is low. A good, distributed smart grid will also be less susceptible to blackouts like the 2005 incident, since it’ll be able to spread the load without triggering shutdowns.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:10 amhussein toasterhead Says:
It’s a question of increasing returns to scale. Individual roof solar panels or micro turbines are expensive – even with tax rebates – and not a guarantee of independence from the power grid, since a cloudy or windless day will stop you from generating power.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:10 am
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The other thing I forgot to mention is that we need a unified, nationwide legal framework that enables individual solar/wind owners to sell their excess power to the power companies. Right now we have a patchwork of state laws, which is an obstacle to demand for individual wind and solar in many places.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:15 amWhy must it be repeatedly pointed out that Barack Obama is on vacation in Hawaii????
August 15th, 2008 at 10:15 amIt was a rhetorical question! But continue to have fun with it. :-)
mary matalin
http://www.google.com/search?q=mary+matalin&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
August 15th, 2008 at 10:16 amWhen Corsi’s hate book appears at the number one spot on the NYT’s best seller’s list this weekend it will be accompanied by a red arrow or other clear indicater. This will be to make certain that readers know that it reached the number one spot due to bulk sales and that the true number of individual sales is not verifiable. This is a typical Repub method of falsely representing the popularity/sellability of a book that would otherwise languish on store shelves or even never be published in the first place (knowing that it would never sell otherwise). This is how hateful hacks like Colture and Malkin can manage to get a book published and attempt to gain validity as a published best selling author. Right wing organizations buy up huge numbers of a book in order to falsely boost it’s sales numbers and the book’s spot on best sellers lists. If this weren’t pre-planned, no publisher would even touch one of these books. At least the NYT is doing something to make the public aware of this fact in some way.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:17 amMaryMaleficient
August 15th, 2008 at 10:18 amNot first thing in the morning, katy!!
Blech!
August 15th, 2008 at 10:22 amha. ha.
Bush warns Russians against ‘bullying’
WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush on Friday chided Russia for Cold War-style behavior, saying, “Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century.”
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/15/us.russia/
August 15th, 2008 at 10:23 amsorry…
August 15th, 2008 at 10:24 amkinda surprised sharon didn’t know who it was…
August 15th, 2008 at 10:25 amUncle Ho Says:
Obama vacationing in Hawaii is ‘elitist’?
Does that mean that all the people who live in Hawaii are elitists too?
I think there is a lot to be learned by visiting Hawaii. When I had gone, I gained a really interesting perspective on what being an American is. Due to my hair and skin color (especially after being in the sun for a week), I was frequently mistaken for a native Hawaiian. I will never forget how it felt to not stand out as a minority race someplace that was still America.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:25 amPresident Bush Again Calls for Russian Troop Withdrawal from Georgia
Voice of America – 39 minutes ago
By VOA News President Bush has reiterated that Russia must honor its commitment to withdraw its troops from Georgia. Speaking at the White House Friday, the president called Georgia a “courageous democracy” and again stressed the importance of respect …
Bush, Decrying ‘Bullying,’ Calls for Russia to Leave Georgia New York Times
Bush attacks ‘bullying’ Russia as Condoleezza Rice arrives in Georgia Times Online
good gawd…
August 15th, 2008 at 10:28 amhussein toasterhead (on the alt-power issue)
nicely articulated,toasty.
The real key, though, is a distributed, high-efficiency, smart generation and transmission grid.
That’s what I was getting at. All the current discussion seems to be about replacing one monolithic system with another. In the UK there are dozens of schemes going on all at once and the legislation to allow “individuals” to sell excess power. Still more a bunch of pilot programs but some have been running for five years. The US is way behind in practice and in philosphy.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:29 amScaryBrownHusseinChick (ThinkOutsideTheBush) Says:
I will never forget how it felt to not stand out as a minority race someplace that was still America.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Fantastic. :)
That must have been a great vacation.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:33 am#31 5th Estate Says:
The discussions always seem to revolve around “farms” which of course centralize power. Energy economics might well require such farms I never hear any mention of technolgy deisgned for the individual to be incorparted directly into a home. Solar panels can be so incorporated, why not wind as well? Inefficient perhaps?
But it seems to me that the energy industry should be mixed–wind, solar,hydrocarbon,hyroelectric,wave-power etc and that buildings should incooprate some or all of these from the start. Tod do of course would reduce the control of power companies as many houses would be generating more of their own power for only the cost of the equipment installation—the energy source would be free.
Good Morning 5th Estate :)
Many communities across the country are shifting to having Wind Farms in their communities. Over the long haul they will be saving a substantial amount of money, because they know in advance there will not be a rate hike for 20 years from most of the articles I have read.
But they are making the turbines even more efficient which will generate even more megawatts. General Electric is developing a design for a 70-meter blade. GE believes a turbine of that size could produce as much as seven megawatts. The economics work better as the Turbines get bigger. Today a wind turbine produces up to 3.6 megawatts of electricity — enough to power 1,000 average U.S. households. Right now it costs wind farms 4.5 cents to produce electricity the industry is striving to lower that to 3 cents per kilowatt hour.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:48 amYet another maroon attempting to cast doubt on Obama’s American citizenship:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200808130008?f=h_latest
I realize that there will always be people who won’t be convinced no matter what evidence is thrown at them. What boggles my mind is that these guys actually get air time.
And if “a guy” and “some people” aren’t reliable sources, what would be? (snark)
August 15th, 2008 at 10:52 amThank’s Katy, I had a huge senior moment, think the mcthingie was part of the cause….Then there’s the not enough coffee this morning…Now if she would of been refrenced as maglignant matlin I would of remembered right off….LOL..Thank’s again..
Good Morning Lady Z…Good to read you here…..P.B. & J. all
August 15th, 2008 at 10:53 am#20 Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
In 2000, McCain voted to ease laws banning foreign control of U.S. airlines. Then he went even further: He voted to allow foreign control of U.S. airlines and to allow foreign airlines to operate on U.S. routes. U.S. aviation workers already are struggling to maintain jobs, wages and health benefits. McCain’s support of foreign airlines threatens U.S. jobs.
This needs to be put into an ad campaign by Obama. He needs to make a commercial showing how bad for American workers McCain really is. I like Obama’s “targeted” ad campaigns, but some I think need to be shown nationally and that includes any commercial about how John McCain is bad for American workers.
Good Morning Bilbo :) I couldn’t agree with you more. Since the southern part of my state has a problem voting the right way; they need to run ads about what McCain & Rick Davis did to kill jobs in Ohio. If that doesn’t hit home considering how many jobs this state has lost in almost every county, I don’t know what will.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:54 ami know all about the senior moments, sharon…
we deserve them!
August 15th, 2008 at 11:04 ammaybe that doesn’t sound right… i meant well though…
August 15th, 2008 at 11:04 amThanks, Zooey!
By the way, a few days ago, Daryll accusatorily asked if I was from California, and I responded by saying I had never set foot there (not even to change planes). Well, I have decided I am going to fly to San Francisco and check out the so-called land of sinful gayness. I’m not going there for a couple of weeks yet, but I’ll report back to Daryll on how gay it is. LOL LOL LOL LOL. Maybe I’ll even come back with a same sex spouse!!!
August 15th, 2008 at 11:05 amIf the Carlyle Group still owned Horizon Lines, a Jones Act shipper, what would be McCain’s stance? Would he still oppose it?
Maybe, the PEU boys at Carlyle saw the handwriting on the wall, what with all the new roads coming from Mexico into the U.S. The plan is to send cheap Chinese goods through our neighbor to the south. That way they can bypass all those labor controlled western ports.
Carlyle still doubled their money on Horizon, which they purchased as CSX Lines.
August 15th, 2008 at 11:06 amHow do you know when a world leader is not bullying?
When the massage therapist in chief says “Tell them to cut that s-hit out”, while their mouth is full of a hot buttered roll.
August 15th, 2008 at 11:10 amGood Morning Freedom Rebel :)
May I say you are like a cup of tea and a slice of toast with seville maramlade, information-wise–always a great start to the day!
August 15th, 2008 at 11:10 amKnew that Katy…I have been having senior momen’ts since I was 20 and alway’s lost my key’s….Don’t loose the key’s anymore just keep loosing my place…
.Have a great day…I’m otta here, all the critter’s have been walked and fed….Rented a couple of boat’s early and just finished watering the yard…Gonna be a scorcher here and I plan to put Credence music on, turn on the air conditioner and clean house….Blessings all
August 15th, 2008 at 11:13 ammiss molly – hil’s pal, johnson, is behind alot of that crap also…
August 15th, 2008 at 11:13 amall-a-twitter about the boy barack being registered at his new school in indonesia under his step-dad’s last name: soetoro
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/barry-soetoro.html
#66 5th Estate Says:
Good Morning Freedom Rebel :)
May I say you are like a cup of tea and a slice of toast with seville maramlade, information-wise–always a great start to the day!
All my favorites, I love you too. :)
August 15th, 2008 at 11:18 amGood Morning Zooey, you have been missed :)
August 15th, 2008 at 11:21 amGood morning, all! Don’t know if anyone posted this – but you can read the PDF version of Obama’s “Unfit for Publication” here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/corsi
Spread the word. ;o)
August 15th, 2008 at 11:24 amBush warns Russia against ‘bullying’ Georgia
AFP – 33 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President George W. Bush on Friday sternly warned Russia against “bullying and intimidation” of its neighbors and vowed Washington would not back down in its support for embattled ally Georgia.
Bush, Decrying ‘Bullying,’ Calls for Russia to Leave Georgia New York Times
Russian convoy moves deeper inside Georgia – witness Reuters India
george – it’s like they’re not listening to ya…
August 15th, 2008 at 11:51 amwhy IS that?
McCain’s July Haul: $27 Million
Washington Post – 1 hour ago
By Matthew Mosk Sen. John McCain raised $27 million in July and finished that month with about $21 million in the bank, money that is fueling his aggressive television advertising campaign during the Olympics and continuing through to Labor Day.
Today on the presidential campaign trail The Associated Press
McCain fund-raising picks up Boston Globe
calling all big guns…
August 15th, 2008 at 12:03 pmThe DNCC “Unity” Event: Secularists Semi-Invited
When first avowing his religious credentials for president, Barack Obama said — and then repeated many times since — that “secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering the public square.” The party that will soon nominate Obama is to be praised for its acceptance of and respect for its religious members. However, it is the nonbelievers who are now being ignored.
But what about those Democrats who are not “people of faith”? Are they not invited? Or invited just to watch others pray? Should their own outlook not even be acknowledged?
If the Democrats are trying to strike unifying chords among their entire kaleidoscopic range of liberals, moderates, and progressives, it should be obvious that secularists cannot dare be left out of the “big tent” event, and that it should be about beliefs and values, not solely about religion.
Yet one of the most remarkable implications of the data presented in the new Pew U.S. Religious Landscape Survey is that atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, and believers in an impersonal God or universal spirit — people who do not believe in God at all or who do not believe in a traditional God — will be a huge share, perhaps as much as 40 percent of Democratic voters in November.
Another Pew discovery: Two out of every three Americans say that their moral values do not come primarily from religion. In other words, whatever their faith, these are people who live largely or wholly secular lives.
It turns out that deciding to welcome faith into the public square was the easy part. Now the rest of the Democrats — the many with underlying beliefs that can’t be neatly categorized as “religious”–must be invited to join the political conversation as well.
Thomas Jefferson glimpsed such problems when he called for a “wall of separation” between church and state, treating the first as private and the second as public. In any case, excluding some so that others feel included is no way to create common ground.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronald-aronson/the-dncc-unity-event-secu_b_119013.html
August 15th, 2008 at 12:06 pmStates were directed to make the changes by Monday in order to avoid potentially facing financial penalties, but “with the deadline fast approaching, the administration made clear that the states were under no immediate threat of losing federal funding.”
First he threatens…then he backs down…nobody’s sure what, exactly, Bush will do–because he’s a g*d***ed f***ing liar.
This is what bullies do. And, if Bush had ever been to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, like he should have been for the last thirty years, he would know what they call this behavior.
Crazy-making.
August 15th, 2008 at 12:06 pmkaty wrote:
“…george – it’s like they’re not listening to ya…
why IS that?”
What? George’s soul mate, Pooty-Poot? Not listening to the Foot-Stamper-in-Chief? Really? Not taking him seriously?
Well, when did he ever?
August 15th, 2008 at 12:08 pmi gotta say… new to XMleft channel 167 is stephanie miller…
i keep forgetting to tune in until late in the show and so haven’t developed a true devotion yet, but i could get used to it!
whatever grins and chuckles i can get out of this mess are desperately needed these days…
i got in the habit of listening to XMclassics when AAR took sam off the mornings and put the awful lionul on… better for reading too, actually… until ed comes on at 11, which is now…
but, if you can catch stephanie’s show, well worth a listen!
August 15th, 2008 at 12:09 pmi know she’s been out there awhile, not easliy accessable to me till now… i’m learning!
ed managed to put a unique and positive spin on the “bush says no bullying” thing (paraphrasing):
“he’s learned his lesson! we don’t have to worry about bullying from this regime anymore!”
ha! good one!
August 15th, 2008 at 12:23 pm