ThinkFast: April 28, 2009
ThinkFast: April 28, 2009
“Countries around the world began tightening their border and immigration controls Tuesday as the number of confirmed cases of swine flu continued to rise.” As many as 152 people, all in Mexico, are believed to have died due to the flu while the number of confirmed cases in the United States stands at 50.
Rep. David Obey (D-WI), who included $420 million in pandemic flu funding in the House’s stimulus bill that was later removed by “moderate” senators, intends to “again request additional funds in the upcoming supplemental.” “We are not prepared today,” Obey said.
The Obama administration is moving to tighten a last-minute rule promulgated by President Bush that allowed coal companies to dump waste from mountaintop mining operations close to streams. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will ask a federal court to re-institute a 1983 Reagan-era rule prohibiting dumping within 100 feet of a stream.
In 2007, former CIA officer John Kiriakou launched a media blitz defending waterboarding, telling ABC News that Abu Zubaydah cooperated after being waterboarded for “probably 30, 35 seconds.” Recently released memos reveal, however, that Zubaydah was waterboarded at least 83 separate times. “[L]ost in much of the coverage was the fact that Mr. Kiriakou had no firsthand knowledge of the waterboarding,” the New York Times notes today.
“Twenty-eight groups representing millions of hunters and sportsmen” are demanding that Rush Limbaugh end his work with the Humane Society because they fear the organization has a “secret agenda to end all hunting in America.” Limbaugh recently recorded two PSAs for the organization.
Congressional Democrats “sealed an agreement” last night on a budget plan that sets the stage for President Obama to “overhaul the health care system but allows his signature tax cut for most workers to expire after next year.” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) “forced cuts of $10 billion from Obama’s $50 billion boost for non-defense programs funded by Congress each year.”
In an indication that Barack Obama’s presidency is “altering the public perception of race relations in the United States,” a new New York Times/CBS poll found that “[t]wo-thirds of Americans now say race relations are generally good, and the percentage of blacks who say so has doubled since last July.” ”Despite that, half of blacks still say whites have a better chance of getting ahead in American society.”
Gay and lesbian couples celebrated the legalization of same-sex marriage yesterday in Iowa. At least “360 couples applied for marriage licenses statewide on the first day that the high court’s decision took effect” while “same-sex marriage opponents had urged county recorders not to issue marriage licenses.”
Today marks Equal Pay Day 2009, the day that “symbolizes how far into the year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned the previous year.” Women in the U.S. still make just 78 cents for every dollar a man earns, although a new GAO report finds that the pay gap between men and women in the federal workforce is shrinking. Yesterday, ThinkProgress spoke with Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) about the effect of the economic recession on working women.
And finally: Utah County Republicans have defeated a measure titled, “Resolution opposing the Hate America anti-Christian Open Borders cabal.” Delegate Don Larsen claimed that left-wing foundations were “pumping money into the Democratic Party to push for looser immigration laws and anti-family legislation” because “Democrats get most of the votes cast by illegal immigrants and people in dysfunctional families.” “Satan’s ultimate goal is to destroy the family,” Larsen said, “and these people are playing a leading part in it.” Larsen’s fellow Republicans argued that the GOP shouldn’t be pushing out Latinos and the resolution “would do the party more harm than good.”
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“The Obama administration is moving to tighten a last-minute rule promulgated by President Bush that allowed coal companies to dump waste from mountaintop mining operations close to streams. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will ask a federal court to re-institute a 1983 Reagan-era rule prohibiting dumping within 100 feet of a stream.”
GOOD
“And finally: Utah County Republicans have defeated a measure titled, “Resolution opposing the Hate America anti-Christian Open Borders cabal.” Delegate Don Larsen claimed that left-wing foundations were “pumping money into the Democratic Party to push for looser immigration laws and anti-family legislation” because “Democrats get most of the votes cast by illegal immigrants and people in dysfunctional families.” “Satan’s ultimate goal is to destroy the family,” Larsen said, “and these people are playing a leading part in it.” Larsen’s fellow Republicans argued that the GOP shouldn’t be pushing out Latinos and the resolution “would do the party more harm than good.”
WTF?
April 28th, 2009 at 9:09 amCongressional Democrats “sealed an agreement” last night on a budget plan that sets the stage for President Obama to “overhaul the health care system but allows his signature tax cut for most workers to expire after next year.”
OK by me. It’s time for our annual health plan enrollment. Cost increases for my current plan just ate up the tax cut and my husband’s last raise.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:10 amSusan Collins looks like quite an obstructionist this morning.
Obey’s Pandemic Flu monies were rejected as ‘too costly’.
Isn’t it odd how Republicans claim they’re fiscal conservatives when addressing Health & Human services, but have allowed banks, credit card companies, big pharma and insurance companies ‘free reign’ with cost increases and unaccountability?
Sick kids? No problem.
Sick banks? OMG! Get them some money, & don’t ask questions!
April 28th, 2009 at 9:18 amIn 2007, former CIA officer John Kiriakou launched a media blitz defending waterboarding, telling ABC News that Abu Zubaydah cooperated after being waterboarded for “probably 30, 35 seconds.” Recently released memos reveal, however, that Zubaydah was waterboarded at least 83 separate times. “[L]ost in much of the coverage was the fact that Mr. Kiriakou had no firsthand knowledge of the waterboarding,” the New York Times notes today.
If it was so effective, why did they have to do it so often? Did he offer up 83 different pieces of intel?
This must be investigated and prosecuted. President Obama, We the People have weighed in on torture. Please don’t respond with “So?” like Cheney.
PEACE
April 28th, 2009 at 9:20 am“Twenty-eight groups representing millions of hunters and sportsmen” are demanding that Rush Limbaugh end his work with the Humane Society because they fear the organization has a “secret agenda to end all hunting in America.
“Satan’s ulitimate goal is to destroy the family.”
Great, just what we need, more rightwingnut paranoia.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:29 amIf there was a Satan, he’d be a Republican.
Since Satan is just a mythological character from an ancient fairy tale, it’s silly to pretend Satan has “goals”
April 28th, 2009 at 9:33 amInterior Secretary Ken Salazar will ask a federal court to re-institute a 1983 Reagan-era rule prohibiting dumping within 100 feet of a stream.
That is better than that rotten Bush allowed but still 100 feet? That is still too close to our fresh water streams and rivers.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:33 amFUTURE HEADLINE:
Taxpayers Saved from Porkbarrel Spending Killed by Swine Flu
April 28th, 2009 at 9:36 am“We are not prepared today,” Obey said.
I suppose it’s not helping that the Republicans continue to stop the nomination of Sebelius to her position.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:37 am“Twenty-eight groups representing millions of hunters and sportsmen” are demanding that Rush Limbaugh end his work with the Humane Society because they fear the organization has a “secret agenda to end all hunting in America.”
____________________________________________________________
OK, now I KNOW I’m in a parallel universe somewhere. Since when is Limbaugh the reasonable one in the crowd?
April 28th, 2009 at 9:37 ammisscoleopteramolly Says:
“Twenty-eight groups representing millions of hunters and sportsmen” are demanding that Rush Limbaugh end his work with the Humane Society because they fear the organization has a “secret agenda to end all hunting in America.”
____________________________________________________________
OK, now I KNOW I’m in a parallel universe somewhere. Since when is Limbaugh the reasonable one in the crowd?
Not to mention Utah Republicans. Topsy-turvy!
April 28th, 2009 at 9:39 amToday marks Equal Pay Day 2009, the day that “symbolizes how far into the year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned the previous year.” Women in the U.S. still make just 78 cents for every dollar a man earns, although a new GAO report finds that the pay gap between men and women in the federal workforce is shrinking.
That in the year 2009 , there is still a pay gap between men and women , is simply unacceptable …………
April 28th, 2009 at 9:44 am“[L]ost in much of the coverage was the fact that Mr. Kiriakou had no firsthand knowledge of the waterboarding,” the New York Times notes today.
_____________________________________________________________
Lack of knowledge should stop more people from pontificating, but it doesn’t seem to. We have people knowing nothing about torture being treated as experts, politicians talking about global warming and being treated as scientists, and chickenhawks being treated as military strategists.
It’s getting harder to wade through the noise and listen to REAL experts.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:44 amI’d like to know where he gets his facts. A Google search for PROSECUTION “voter fraud” “illegal immigrant” failed to turn up so much as one case of an illegal immigrant being convicted of casting an illegal vote. Unless, of course, Ann Coulter is an illegal immigrant!
April 28th, 2009 at 9:45 amGreat! When are these wingnutz going to realize that Satan is an anagram to Santa? Satan is an adult Satan clause invented for mass crowd control. Only in Utah ….. Fear capitol of the free world.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:46 amDelegate Don Larsen claimed that left-wing foundations were “pumping money into the Democratic Party to push for looser immigration laws and anti-family legislation” because “Democrats get most of the votes cast by illegal immigrants and people in dysfunctional families.” “Satan’s ultimate goal is to destroy the family,” Larsen said, “and these people are playing a leading part in it.”
Crazed mofo oublican mouthshoot of the week nomination to Rep Larsen!
April 28th, 2009 at 9:46 amerps, oublican = publican…
April 28th, 2009 at 9:46 am“Democrats get most of the votes cast by illegal immigrants and people in dysfunctional families.”
Larsen should quit his day job (which he is obviously unqualified for) and become a comedy writer given how funny this comment is.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:48 amMr. Kiriakou likely worked for the military’s psy ops division. His narrative was intended to sooth the American public and picture al Qaida senior leaders as weak.
The story on Kalid Sheik Mohammad was he broke in two minutes, only because a female was in the room with him. Reality-KSM was waterboarded 183 times in one month.
Mr. Kiriakou lied through his teeth. Who paid him to talk?
April 28th, 2009 at 9:51 amDelegate Don Larsen claimed that left-wing foundations were “pumping money into the Democratic Party to push for looser immigration laws and anti-family legislation” because “Democrats get most of the votes cast by illegal immigrants and people in dysfunctional families.”
Is this guy claiming the entire Palin family votes Democratic ?
April 28th, 2009 at 9:52 amDelegate Don Larsen claimed that left-wing foundations were “pumping money into the Democratic Party to push for looser immigration laws and anti-family legislation”
You sure he didn’t say pumping money into the Democrat Party? Has someone been skipping their indoctrination sessions?
April 28th, 2009 at 9:53 amOne of the comments from the link to The Salt Lake Tribure:
The future of the GOP is here. Their message, “A vote for a Democrat is a vote for Satan.” “DEAMONS…..OUT!!”
In a related story, the Libertarian Party shows large gains in membership…
April 28th, 2009 at 9:56 amYahoo Link: news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090428/pl_politico/21773
““When you can’t defend your policies and you’re so far out of touch with the American people, I guess there’s nothing more you can do than nitpick your opposition,” said (MN-R) Rep. Bachmann spokesman Dave Dziok.”
Kind of makes one wonder if the spokesman was talking about the GOP in this statement. From the way the GOP has been acting over the past few years, it is spot-on!
April 28th, 2009 at 10:02 amWhite House: Obama Updated Regularly, Despite Golf Outing FOXNews
… “Despite Golf Outing”…
they are so wanting to find ANYthing…
April 28th, 2009 at 10:03 ami’ve not read anything here yet, and can’t find the story on googlenews page, yet…
but stephanie miller just reported a story in the Guardian about a PORK PROCESSING PLANT that had relocated to mexico (from U.S. after environmental fines) and is dumping poop and parts in holding ponds – at the location where the swine flu might possibly have originated…
yikes.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:08 amMcMetal ~ LOL!!
April 28th, 2009 at 10:10 amMCMetal Says
April 28th, 2009 at 9:44 am
That in the year 2009 , there is still a pay gap between men and women , is simply unacceptable …………
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Unacceptable, yes. But hardly surprising.
The problem isn’t so much that employers pay men and women differently for doing exactly the same work (although that DOES happen — just ask Lilly Ledbetter). It’s that the job market tends to price work traditionally done by men higher than work traditionally done by women.
Years ago, I was hired as an entry level worker at a distribution center for a major corporation. There were two areas where I could work as an entry level worker — in the warehouse (filling customer orders), or in the office (performing clerical duties). To work in the office, I needed typing and other secretarial skills, but to work in the warehouse, I needed no special skills at all (except the ability to lift up to 20 pounds). Since I had no secretarial skills at that time, I was put in the warehouse.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that unskilled warehouse workers (mostly men) got paid significantly more than the skilled office workers (mostly women) did. When I asked why, I was told that all jobs at this company were “market priced” — that is, pay levels were set at what other warehouse and office workers were paid in the area. And because warehouse workers got paid more than office workers, my company followed the status quo. It’s this same concept that causes day care center workers to be paid less than delivery truck drivers, even though you’d think that having the responsibility of taking care of children should be something that’s valued.
The disparity goes beyond individual employers. This is a cultural thing that will take a long time to fix.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:10 am#24 – katydid Says:
——————————————————-
“White House: Obama Updated Regularly, Despite Golf Outing FOXNews
… “Despite Golf Outing”…
they are so wanting to find ANYthing…”
April 28th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Interesting that they never bothered to report on the most-absent President in history: Fmr. Prs. Bush!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/11/politics/uwire/main3927378.shtml
In May of 2008, Pres. Bush had spent 879 days on vacation out of 8 years. That comes up to about 109 days of vacation a year! Wonder why no Republican-run “news agency” wants to remember THAT particular record?
April 28th, 2009 at 10:12 amIt’s this same concept that causes day care center workers to be paid less than delivery truck drivers, even though you’d think that having the responsibility of taking care of children should be something that’s valued.
My God! Think of the cargo! Don’t you dare drop a case of beans, you might dent some of the cans!
April 28th, 2009 at 10:13 amDemocrat Soldier Says: In May of 2008, Pres. Bush had spent 879 days on vacation out of 8 years. That comes up to about 109 days of vacation a year!
The Loafer In Chief!
April 28th, 2009 at 10:14 amagain, from stephanie’s show, this time a caller with a wonderful conspiracy theory… in a tiny nutshell:
who is under the microscope for ordering torture?
who is a shareholder of the Tamiflu flu vaccine?
who would like to distract from further torture investigation?
… oh, you know: don rumsfeld…
nothing would surprise me.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:23 amDelegate Don Larsen claimed that left-wing foundations were “pumping money into the Democratic Party to push for looser immigration laws and anti-family legislation” because “Democrats get most of the votes cast by illegal immigrants and people in dysfunctional families.”
__________________________________________________________
This is so far out there, I can understand why other Republicans want to disassociate themselves from this crackpot.
In the first place, “illegal” immigrants can’t vote. So I really doubt it’s a bloc either party would try to court.
In the second place, there is no evidence to suggest that more Democrats are from dysfunctional families than Republicans are. However, the meme that Democrats are responsible for dysfunctional families is pushed by Republicans as much as they can, with nothing to back it up.
Newt Gingrich blamed Democrats for the case of Susan Smith drowning her two little boys in South Carolina years ago. If he’d checked his facts, he might have found out that her stepfather, a prominent Republican in his town and a member of the Christian Coalition, who had been sexually abusing Susan for years. Kind of hard to pin that kind of family dysfunction on Democrats.
It’s also kind of laughable to suggest it’s the Democrats who want looser immigration laws. The Republicans have been braying about “illegals” a great deal, but the biggest factor as to why they come here is employers. They want the cheap labor. And they’re mostly Republicans. So even though the Republicans make a lot of noise, they really don’t intend to do anything to disrupt the cheap labor machine.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:33 am“Twenty-eight groups representing millions of hunters and sportsmen” are demanding that Rush Limbaugh end his work with the Humane Society because they fear the organization has a “secret agenda to end all hunting in America.” Limbaugh recently recorded two PSAs for the organization.
Are they hunting puppies and kittens…?
April 28th, 2009 at 10:41 amGay and lesbian couples celebrated the legalization of same-sex marriage yesterday in Iowa. At least “360 couples applied for marriage licenses statewide on the first day that the high court’s decision took effect” while “same-sex marriage opponents had urged county recorders not to issue marriage licenses.”
Happy wedding day!!
April 28th, 2009 at 10:43 am“Satan’s ultimate goal is to destroy the family,” Larsen said, “and these people are playing a leading part in it.” Larsen’s fellow Republicans argued that the GOP shouldn’t be pushing out Latinos and the resolution “would do the party more harm than good.”
So…Larsen is Satan…?
April 28th, 2009 at 10:44 am“Democrats get most of the votes cast by illegal immigrants and people in dysfunctional families.”
I wonder how many ex-wives this guy has.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:47 amThe number of confirmed cases of swine flu continued to rise.
Hopefully, this will be another nail in the coffin of industrialized food production. When are we going to figure out that cheap food isn’t really cheap or good for us?
Manure ponds…what could good wrong?
On my farm, animal waste are critical to soil fertility. At the pig factory it is a materials handling biohazard nightmare.
Wake up and smell the pig manure.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:59 am“Twenty-eight groups representing millions of hunters and sportsmen” are demanding that Rush Limbaugh end his work with the Humane Society because they fear the organization has a “secret agenda to end all hunting in America.” Limbaugh recently recorded two PSAs for the organization.
Paranoids with weapons. And Republicans in the USA ask themselves why the rest of the world is wary of their country, specially after eight years of these mads at helm.
Oh, and a “sportsmen” for me, are the guys who can run a mile, jump 10 yards or climb a mountain. Not a fatty who can see his d!ck with an automatic weapon to replace it.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:00 amcan see mut be can’t see, of course.
P.S.: Hi, Zooey *waves* :)
April 28th, 2009 at 11:00 amThat rule to not dump coal mining waste within 100 feet of any stream should be to not dump anywhere in the watershed for the stream.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:16 amFrom the Salt Lake Tribune article:
“Larsen said Democrats get most of the votes cast by illegal immigrants and people in dysfunctional families.
But it’s not the Democrats who are behind this strategy, Larsen said. It’s the devil.
“Satan’s ultimate goal is to destroy the family,” Larsen said, “and these people are playing a leading part in it.”
Larsen’s resolution contained quotes from the New Testament on the battle between good and evil. The copy of the resolution handed to delegates stated it “fulfills scriptural prophecies about our times.”
Holy sh!t !! Maybe some of the trolls here weren’t parodies! They really are that stupid.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:30 amDelegate Don Larsen claimed that left-wing foundations were “pumping money into the Democratic Party to push for looser immigration laws and anti-family legislation” because “Democrats get most of the votes cast by illegal immigrants and people in dysfunctional families.”
so, according to the first law of republican politics, Larsen must be molesting his own children and working as a coyote on the side.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:30 amDemocrat Soldier Says:
——————————————————————————–
Yahoo Link: news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090428/pl_politico/21773
““When you can’t defend your policies and you’re so far out of touch with the American people, I guess there’s nothing more you can do than nitpick your opposition,” said (MN-R) Rep. Bachmann spokesman Dave Dziok.”
Kind of makes one wonder if the spokesman was talking about the GOP in this statement. From the way the GOP has been acting over the past few years, it is spot-on!
Another example of the first law of republican politics…
April 28th, 2009 at 11:33 amChris LeJeune Says:
Holy sh!t !! Maybe some of the trolls here weren’t parodies! They really are that stupid.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:30 am
__________
Pfff tell us something we don’t know…
April 28th, 2009 at 11:43 amWhew – watchdog showed up to poop on the Bush Flashabck thread and called out Wal-Mart shoppers for believing George W. Bush is still the president.
It’s crazy to see the trolls lose their minds so rapidly.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:43 amNetanyahu: Threat of terror is greater than ever
As Israel commemorated Memorial Day for its fallen soldiers and victims of terror on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the global threat of terror was greater than ever and vowed that Israel would never cease to defend itself.
“We have no choice but to fight terror until it is obliterated and to defend our lives,” he told bereaved families gathered for the official state ceremony on the Mount Herzl military ceremony in Jerusalem.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1081771.html
April 28th, 2009 at 11:45 amUS senator to push ‘tough dialogue’ law
US Senator Joe Lieberman told The Jerusalem Post Monday that any engagement with Iran must come with “not just carrots but sticks” and that he is introducing legislation to deliver just that.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710807140&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
April 28th, 2009 at 11:46 am“Satan’s ultimate goal is to destroy the family”
Satan sure must love them red-states then, what with their higher divorce and teen pregnancy rates, etc…
April 28th, 2009 at 11:48 amBarak: Iran is a threat to entire world
Iran, he said, was “a threat to the entire world, as it is interested in changing the entire international order and is a source of instability in the Middle East and throughout the world.”
When asked about overtures made by US President Barack Obama, Barak said that while Israel was “not in a position” to demand that the US not engage in talks with Iran, it was “certainly in a position to tell the international community to limit the diplomatic efforts within a set time frame and to have sanctions ready.”
Joe Lieberman followed Ehud Barak’s advice.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710805167&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
April 28th, 2009 at 11:50 amIranian arms ship destroyed near Sudan
An Iranian vessel loaded with weapons to transfer to Hamas via Sudan was recently sunk in the Red Sea by an unidentified missile ship believed to be Israeli, according to Arab media.
The vessel was attacked by either an Israeli or American ship and destroyed, according to a report Sunday in the Egyptian weekly Al-Usbua.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710792789&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
April 28th, 2009 at 11:51 amThis deserves to be shown again. It’s perfect.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:58 amIllegal immigrants vote? They won’t even fill out a census form because they try to not be noticed.
Oh yeah, the traffic on election day from all the illegals flocking to the polls is horrendous! /eyeroll
April 28th, 2009 at 12:07 pmZooey Says:
Are they hunting puppies and kittens…?
Probably.
Of course, they’d call it “enhanced petting.”
April 28th, 2009 at 12:07 pmThe confirmed cases for Swine Flu is now at 78, and the alert level has risen from 3 to 4. Check out http://www.RichardsPalace.com/swineflu for free information on Swine Flu symptoms for education.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:38 pmPeres to meet Obama Monday
President Shimon Peres, who is scheduled to visit the United States next week in order to attend the annual AIPAC meeting, will meet with US President Barack Obama on Monday.
http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3708022,00.html
April 28th, 2009 at 3:10 pmIs Satan gay?
April 28th, 2009 at 6:26 pmSatan is a gay Liberal who wears shiny reflective sun glasses (snark).
April 28th, 2009 at 8:26 pmThanks Sites Sesli Sohbet
April 30th, 2009 at 8:33 amSesli Chat
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