Daily Topics - Thursday December 2nd, 2010
By shawnt56
Quote of the Day: Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition. ~Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776
Hour One: NOTHING FOR THE LITTLE GUY!! Blank Checks For Banks, But 2 Million Unemployed Get Cut Off?!
Hour Two: Wikileaks-Obama officials convinced Spain not to prosecute Bush administration for torture - David Corn, Washington DC Bureau Chief of Mother Jones Magazine will be here - www.motherjones.com; Plus, Geeky Science Rocks - Our bodies are full of necessary bacteria...why do they affect people with Asthma differently?
Hour Three: Net Neutrality -Should your local phone or cable co have the right to examine the details of everything you see on the internet and decide for you what you can see quickly and what loads more slowly? Thom challenges Julian Sanchez of the Cato Institute - www.cato.org; Plus, new online "Do Not Track Me" List - Jamie Court, President of Consumer Watchdog will be here www.consumerwatchdog.org
Comments
#2
Interesting that the Obama administration opposes universal jurisdiction by Spain when it comes to American war criminals. But the Administration claims extra-national jurisdiction in order push for the arrest and extradiction to the US of Wikileaks founder Assange.
#3
Obama intervened in the Spain's prosecution of war crimes in Bush's administration because his DNA is closely linked to W's DNA. Once the conservatives take office in January, 2011, they should prosecute Obama for his war crimes. Obama is a war criminal. We can only hope that the conservatives have the guts to prosecute and imprison Obama for war crimes.
#4
Does any politician listen to Americans? The answer is that no one listens to Americans.
http://news.antiwar.com/2010/12/01/poll-growing-us-skepticism-with-afghan-war/
#5
We retort, you deride!
#6
America right or wrong!!!
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/11/30/wikileaks/index.html
#7
Irresponsible
It is time to inextricably link the words Irresponsible and Republican. It is no longer enough to call them the Party of NO, it is time to make their name synonymous with irresponsibility until they change.
The GOP are masters of using language to distort the perception of reality - that is how the Estate Tax - which only effects a small number of the wealthiest families - turned into a unfair tax on dying in the minds of people who will never have to face it after it was rebranded the Death Tax. They achieve this rebranding by having the discipline to put the new terminology into widespread use by all of their politicians and media echo chamber.
Using reasonable discussion and lengthy explanations of the facts does little to counter the reality distortion effect of GOP language or to provoke interest in the attention deficit media. But there is something we can do - add a branding to the counter productive actions of the GOP by using the word Irresponsible every time we say Republican.
Irresponsible Republicans have caused a crisis in our Federal Courts by refusing to allow votes on over half of all judicial nominees - even the ones that have been unanimously approved in committee.
Irresponsible Republicans have blocked passage of an essential Defense Appropriation bill, while our troops are still fighting two wars.
Irresponsible Republicans are blocking the extension of unemployment insurance, saying the jobless are too lazy to work even though there are 5 unemployed Americans for every available job.
Irresponsible Republicans insist on making the slow economy worse by prematurely cutting federal spending and killing the recovery.
Irresponsible Republicans insist that all spending must be paid for - except for the 700 billion in unneeded tax cuts they want to give to the wealthiest 2% of Americans. Or when an Irresponsible Republican is in the White House.
Irresponsible Republicans insist on the discredited supply side trickle down theory that cutting taxes will cut the deficit - even after trying that strategy during the Reagan administration and failing. And trying it during the GHW Bush administration and failing, And trying it during the GW Bush administration and failing.
Irresponsible Republicans have announced they look forward to closing down the government in April by refusing to raise the debt limit - even though they never failed to raise the debt limit during the Reagan and two Bush administrations.
Irresponsible Republicans still support using torture - a crime under the Geneva Convention - even though it never provided any useful information and made America less safe.
Irresponsible Republicans are blocking the renewal of Ronald Reagan's START treaty - even though every single living past and present US Secretary of State say it is essential to pass it.
Irresponsible Republicans want to cut Social Security in order to reduce the deficit - even though Social Security is running a surplus, is self funded with its own taxes, and by law cannot spend general revenue.
Irresponsible Republicans risk turning America into an international pariah state by cynically denying man made global warming (even though they know it is really happening) in order to cater to their big energy company donors.
Reasonable explanations won't penetrate the consciousness of the ADD media and low information patriots, but by repeating Irresponsible Republicans each time we deal with their irresponsible behavior we will be showing just who the grownups really are.
#9
Why there is love for WikiLeaks?
#10
FED money to these institutions-
The FED loaned money to the Royal Bank of Scotland because it is as "Royal" and "Scottish" as our FED is "Federal" and has a "Reserve". They are all in it together.....
And if I understand Fractional Reserve Banking properly, the Banks didn't just re-lend the money they got at .007%, but used them as reserves to lend out another 7 to 10 times those amounts, at 12 to 30% interest, and foreclosed on real property if the payments were not met.
The justification for interest is lost opportunity cost, and risk of loss through default, but if the money lent was created through Fractional Reserve, and there is no depositer on the other side of the loan, then who is losing opportunity and who is risking loss?
The chance at any meaningful reform is minimal until we reclaim control of the monetary system from private entities-
www.webofdebt.com Ellen Brown
www.monetary.org American monetary Institute
#11
I do not accept the mind set of America right or wrong. Since the time of George Washington there has always been class warfare between the American rich and the American working poor. Today, the American rich is god!!!
#12
Need another FDR: First the crash of 1929 (Oct), second, FDR was elected in Nov of '32 and installed in Mar. of 1933. There was no safety nets, no unemployment, no SS, no FDIC and no farm aid. Also, 206 people were replaced (Dem replaced Rep). Also, every two years after that more and more (R) Senators were replaced with Dem's. By 1936-38, there was NEVER more Dem to Rep. ratio (http://one-simple-idea.com/CongressMakeUp_1855_2008.htm). By 1938, there were almost as many independents as there was Rep. The PRESS was a different animal (No fox news- what would the press do with a Pres. with polio. What was the ratio of congress to lobbyist? What was the cost of running for office, then and now (today to get elected, one has to raise $200,000 month, every month, every year).
My point, different world, different time and a different America
#13
@PJSEMAIL1: FDR was a Democrat . . . President Obama is a DLC DINO Reagan Republican.
Of course, the situation is different.
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Well perhaps property ownership could be used to determine ability to vote... how about if you own property (real estate) you can't vote? LOL that would make some Republican'ts sqeel like stuck pigs... hee hee.
N