ThinkFast: June 29, 2009
ThinkFast: June 29, 2009
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his supporters have “begun to use his disputed victory in this month’s election to toughen the nation’s stance internationally and to consolidate control internally.” The government declared its intention to prosecute some of Mir Hossein Mousavi’s advisers, arrested some Iranians who work at the British embassy, and broke up an “opposition gathering.”
The first military coup in Central America since the end of the Cold War occurred over the weekend, when “President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras was ousted by the army on Sunday, capping months of tensions over his efforts to lift presidential term limits. … Soldiers stormed the presidential palace in the capital, Tegucigalpa, early in the morning…waking Mr. Zelaya and putting him on a plane to Costa Rica.”
In a new secret Justice Department memo, the Obama administration has “determined that detainees tried by military commissions in the U.S. can claim at least some constitutional rights, particularly protection against the use of statements taken through coercive interrogations.”
President Obama yesterday praised the House for passing a bill to address climate change on Friday, calling it an “extraordinary first step,” adding that he hoped the move will “prod” the Senate to act. However, citing the global economic crisis, Obama urged the Senate to strip a provision that imposes tariffs “on imports from countries without systems for pricing or limiting carbon dioxide emissions.”
Defying the Obama administration’s call for a settlement freeze, the Israeli Defense Ministry today announced that it has “approved construction of 50 new homes at a West Bank settlement as part of a plan for 1,450 housing units.” However, Israel said Sunday that it “would be open to a complete freeze of settlement building in the West Bank for three to six months as part of a broad Middle East peace endeavor.”
Yesterday on ABC’s This Week, David Axelrod, President Obama’s top political adviser, would not “rule out the possibility that the White House would agree to a tax hike on health insurance plans that would hit middle-income Americans.” Axelrod said Obama “has no interest in ‘drawing lines in the sand‘ on the issue of how to pay for the costly health reform.”
Forty years after the Stonewall riot helped spark a movement for equal rights, “gay New Yorkers celebrated their gains at Sunday’s gay pride parade and lamented the state has not legalized same-sex marriage.” Gov. David Paterson (D) told the crowd that “he remains hopeful that the state Senate will pass a same-sex marriage bill — if it can resolve the partisan stalemate that has paralyzed it.”
This week, Obama “will host an event at the White House ‘recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments‘ of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.”
And finally: Don’t tell Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) he’s jaywalking. When Terry was crossing the street in Washington, DC, a driver yelled out, “Can’t you read the sign?” “[Expletive] you!” replied Terry. “Really?” asked the driver. “Really,” Terry confirmed.
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Yesterday on ABC’s This Week, David Axelrod, President Obama’s top political adviser, would not “rule out the possibility that the White House would agree to a tax hike on health insurance plans that would hit middle-income Americans.”
Monday is as good a day as any to state this again…
Rescind all congressional health care coverage until single payer is approved and initiated.
I don’t want politicians between my & my Dr., do you? GrASSley was on the talking heads yesterday, repeating his corporate lies.
Not one ‘reporter’ has asked this dimwit if he’s willing to give up his health coverage, which is truly socialistic.
President Obama is playing this out to allow the Right & the Blue Dogs plenty of time to state their position.
If people listen closely to what the opposition says, they should realize that D.C. is beholden to corporate interests that have BOUGHT OUT BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:16 amCarlyle Group affiliate bribed John Conyers’ wife. She plead guilty. News ran late Friday afternoon:
http://peureport.blogspot.com/2009/06/carlyle-group-affiliate-bribed-rep-john.html
June 29th, 2009 at 9:21 amLee Terry is a metaphor.
Our elected officials regularly say “expletive you” to the common people. They ignore the stance of 70% or more on numerous issues.
http://stateofthedivision.blogspot.com/2009/06/congress-fails-miserably-in.html
June 29th, 2009 at 9:28 amPresident Obama yesterday praised the House for passing a bill to address climate change on Friday, calling it an “extraordinary first step,” adding that he hoped the move will “prod” the Senate to act.
The Millionaires Club, the Senate, will be less likely to give such approval. After all, big energy owns their White asses.
We still have elected officials calling climate change a hoax.
Read Paul Krugman’s article in today’s NYT. He suggests that congresscritters deeming global warming a hoax are committing treason.
I couldn’t agree more.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:34 amI love how the removal of President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras is portrayed here as a military coup. In fact, the military was acting under a court order from their Supreme Court.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124623220955866301.html
I guess President Obama is taking a cue from his good friend Hugo Chavez on this one. He was much quicker to offer his protestations here than with the recent events in Iran. Oh well, hate to say it but I’m not particularly surprised.
Later,
June 29th, 2009 at 9:39 amLater,
Cicerco, do you really not see the differences between Honduras and Iran?
June 29th, 2009 at 9:44 amI keep going back to look at the photo above…how powerful, yet tragic.
Neda was certainly a beautiful young woman. Her passion for pop music relegated her to basically record in secret. She wasn’t even a part of the main demonstration when she took a sniper bullet though her chest.
Music transcends religion, politics and power. That’s exactly why governments, churches and dictators find it suspect.
Rest in Peace, Neda.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:44 amYou never intended to be a heroin, but you certainly are.
Ummm, heroine would be more appropriate in my post at #8!
June 29th, 2009 at 9:45 amFrom the Wall Street Journal article:
Unfortunately, when it comes to Bush’s and Cheney’s war crimes trials, they will now be entitled to at least the same rights as the detainees.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:51 amCarlyle Group affiliate bribed John Conyers’ wife. She plead guilty.
That’s John “Impeachment is off the table” Conyers’ wife.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:54 amCicero,
Thank you for the extra information.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:55 amBobwurst Says:
I do, actually, but I also see that Pres. Obama could have offered a much sterner (and earlier) reponse condemning Iranian state violence against the protestors.
But instead he decided to be nuanced for more than a week, then dropped all the nuance when he saw it was reflecting badly on him.
Later,
June 29th, 2009 at 10:10 amCicero, It appears that you would not have been pleased no matter how Obama reacted to Iran’s election.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:23 amHad he been bellicose and threatening, (a la Bush) it would have been seen domestically and internationally
as backtracking on his pledge for diplomacy and negotiations.
This was an election (something the US has notoriously meddled in in the past) and no matter who is elected, our relationship with Iran must continue. It would do no good to have taken a George Bush approach as you seem to have desired.
Finally, except for pundits who often don’t know what they’re talking about, experts, analysts and state officials have all praised Obama for walking a tightrope of commentary regarding Iran.
Sotomayor’s decision in agreement with a previous appellate court decision has been rejected by the SCOTUS.
It remains to be seen in the details of the ruling just how this affects all Americans.
It should not affect her appointment to the SCOTUS, but it will give her opponents a stage to grandstand — even though she ruled as previous courts had done.
If opponents think that a justice should always have decided in a way that met their approval, then why even have a hearing — that’s what some repugs on the committee have said already.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:28 am<emthe Israeli Defense Ministry today announced that it has “approved construction of 50 new homes at a West Bank settlement as part of a plan for 1,450 housing units.” However, Israel said Sunday that it “would be open to a complete freeze of settlement building in the West Bank for three to six months as part of a broad Middle East peace endeavor.”
Does anyone besides me see anything wierd about the Israeli Defense Ministry announcing this?
More tactics of push push push, then ‘back off’ to the more ‘reasonable’ position o fonly demanding 750 housing units in a ‘generous compromise’????
Fcuk the Israelis.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:28 amRush Lintball has already excused Sanford as being a victim of Obama’s liberalism.
It’s the repugniscum version of 6-degrees-of-separation — everything always goes back to being Obama’s fault.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:29 am…the use of statements taken through coercive interrogations.”
Who is it that keeps coming up with all these euphemisms for torture?
June 29th, 2009 at 10:35 amshoeless Says:
…the use of statements taken through coercive interrogations.”
Who is it that keeps coming up with all these euphemisms for torture?
Ummmm, Lawyers?
June 29th, 2009 at 10:42 amI know how we can make government about 40% smaller and much more effective. Get rid of all the Republicans. They can take every day off.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:42 amwatchdog Says:
There has been no rise in sea level.
I don’t get it. Link shows, right there, in the front page, an increase in deltaMSL through the years. You say there’s no rise in the sea level. What gives?
June 29th, 2009 at 10:56 amWay to go people of Honduras. I wish you’d have helped us out in 2000.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:03 amOf course it was. They a bunch of activist right wing judges working to aid RNC causes.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:13 amI don’t think he understands what he’s looking at. The first two links don’t say what he thinks they do.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:15 amIt’s not his fault. You don’t actually think watchpup digs up this crap on his own, do you? His trollmasters hand it to him every morning and say, “here; go post this. We checked it out.” Then they snicker as he trots off, tail wagging, talking points in his mouth.
The only things watchpup is capable of digging up on his own are old bones and cat poop.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:28 amLuis Chapulin M Says:
watchdog Says:
There has been no rise in sea level.
I don’t get it. Link shows, right there, in the front page, an increase in deltaMSL through the years. You say there’s no rise in the sea level. What gives?
That’s because the report in the link was not adjusted for inflation. The current sea level is normal compared to the earlier sea level when adjusted for natural inflation.
Also.
Gee. Don’t you people understand the free market and everything?
June 29th, 2009 at 11:31 amAfter climate change makes our planet unlivable, I guess we will all have to go live in the alternate reality with the right-wingers.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:32 amAnd finally: Don’t tell Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) he’s jaywalking. When Terry was crossing the street in Washington, DC, a driver yelled out, “Can’t you read the sign?” “[Expletive] you!” replied Terry. “Really?” asked the driver. “Really,” Terry confirmed.
Either Rep. Terry had a Secret Service detail or he was looking for an ass whipping.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:12 pmJust a thought: As tragic as was the death of Neda, it seems to me the war mongers on the right are trying to capitalize on her death by showing feigned outrage at Iran and start a fury here at home to support a war with Iran. These rat bastards won’t be happy until there is WWIII.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:14 pmFor those being pestered by global-warming deniers, here’s an excellent science blog with the latest debunkings. The guy also shoots down the pseudo-science of the pro-gun gang:
http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/
June 29th, 2009 at 12:57 pmBack in the run-up to the Iraq war, when confronted with the ‘Saddam Hussein is an evil dictator argument, I made this response:
So, if he is really bad, and it’s therefore a good thing that he be removed, would Russia be justified in invading Iraq and removing him?
Why recoil in horror? if it’ a good thing, it’s good for everybody, right?
Oh, so you’re saying it’s not good in general, just good for us. China can’t invade Burma to overthrow the evil generals either.
Why?
Why, if it sucks as a principle, are we entitled to do it?
Most of the people I talked to were unwilling to say it outright: that the US is the rightful ruler of the world–’ruling’ being precisely what we were doing to Saddam–applying our rule.
There is a gap between “this is bad” and ‘we should intervene.” because we are a) just another nation, no more, and b) guilty of acting awfully from time to time, as well as c) not that great in the success department. And a good rule of thumb is that if we’d be upset at Russia or China doing it, then maybe we should think twice about doing it ourselves.
June 29th, 2009 at 1:17 pmSince this is the open thread, and it’s Monday, just wanted to say:
Michael Steele is an ignorant fool.
There, much better do I feel…
June 29th, 2009 at 2:32 pmany woman who is abused is Neda, any woman who is being harrased is Neda. Any woman who is being exploited, is Neda.
Did I miss anyone?
June 29th, 2009 at 8:55 pm