No good answers
Doing nothing isn’t the answer. It just breaks my heart. 
Entries Tagged as ''
Israel fights on
As more proof that the Bush Administration can’t even influence our friends Israel is calling up more reservists. The fight is widening.
Fabulous - Let’s waste mo’ time on Paris Hilton
So, the Paris Hilton tax is up for discussion …again. The R’s are never happy with giving some of your money to rich folks. They are at it again. I guess they will quit when 90% of the country is making $20 - $25,000 per year and 10% of the country is making $10 million or more.
WaPo - Roberts and Alito Misled
By Edward M. Kennedy
Sunday, July 30, 2006
I have had the honor of serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee for 43 years, during which I’ve participated in confirmation hearings for all the justices who now sit on the Supreme Court. Over that time, my colleagues and I have asked probing questions and listened attentively to substantive responses. Because we were able to learn a great deal about the nominees from those hearings, the Senate has rarely voted along party lines. I voted, for example, for three of President Ronald Reagan’s five Supreme Court nominees.
Of course, an examination of a nominee’s views may cause the Senate to withhold its consent. That is what happened in 1795 to John Rutledge, who was given a temporary commission as chief justice by President George Washington (while Congress was in recess) and was then rejected by the Senate several months later. In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon’s nomination of G. Harrold Carswell was derailed when the Senate learned of his segregationist past. At that time, I explained that “the Constitution makes clear that we are not supposed to be a rubber stamp for White House selections.” That was also the Senate’s view in 1987, when its rejection of Robert H. Bork’s extreme views led to the unanimous confirmation of the more moderate Anthony M. Kennedy. The Senate’s constitutional role has helped keep the court in the mainstream of legal thought.
But the careful, bipartisan process of years past — like so many checks and balances rooted in our Constitution — has been badly broken by the current Bush administration. The result has been the confirmation of two justices, John G. Roberts Jr. and Samuel A. Alito Jr., whose voting record on the court reflects not the neutral, modest judicial philosophy they promised the Judiciary Committee, but an activist’s embrace of the administration’s political and ideological agenda. more
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We have to win the House and Senate back and FAST.
Where’s the Outrage podcast 7-29-06
We start a new segment this week called the Environmental Minute. Christa Wagner from the Sierra Club services came up with some of the things that we can do to be environmentally friendly and save money around the house.
Middle East, Middle East and the Middle East are discussed. We do take time out from the Middle East to praise the ABA for slapping down presidential signing statements. We also examine the attack on the Middle Class from the neo-cons. These subjects and more…
My”>http://odeo.com/claim/feed/15b05e50489d9762″>My Odeo Channel (odeo/15b05e50489d9762)
Simply my favorite artist of all time
I have only heard Stevie Wonder live twice. But man oh, man. When Stevie Wonder was on the top of his game, no one could touch him. He had a string of four albums which may be the best four albums that anyone has ever put together. I know that I’m using a lot of hyperbole but… Talking book, Innervisions, Forfillingness First Finale and Songs in the Key of Life simply speak for themselves. Yes, he put out some sap. But he more than made up for that. In his tribute to Bob Marley the song Master Blaster is actually done in a Marley fashion. His tribute to Duke Ellington is one of the classic rhythm and blues tunes of all time. Enjoy!
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Letterman on Coulter
So, Coulter stupidly says that Clinton is gay. Letterman has a response that is really and truly classic!
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US Embassy in Iraq June update
As I promised on todays show, I’m reposting this document. Click on it and read over. There are no personal freedoms in Iraq anymore. So, as I get on my show, let me ask the question, what have we done for $300 billion?
Cool Homes
ecthompson: Once a month, Christa Wagner from the Sierra Club has agreed to post a commentary on my blog and to read one on my show. Here’s her post -
Nothing threatens the future of our planet, the security of our nation, or the health of our air, water and wildlands more than the way we produce and consume energy. It seems that everywhere you turn lately, global warming is in the news. Time Magazine devoted a whole issue to it, while Newsweek and Vanity Fair came out with cover stories. Suddenly, we’re waking up and realizing that it’s time to do something—now.
The good news is that solutions are already out there, from the personal level to a much larger political scale. So today we’ll start by looking at some simple things we can all do to make our homes and lifestyles more energy efficient.
Did you know that about 20% of all energy in the U.S. is used in the home? Here are some energy saving tips from the Sierra Club—and they won’t just lower your global warming pollution, they’ll lower your energy bills, too:
• Over half of energy costs go to heating and cooling your house. Installing weather-stripping on your doors and windows is simple and will make a big difference.
• When it’s cold out, turning the thermostat down just 5 degrees can take 10% off of your energy bill.
• When it’s hot, try using ceiling fans: they consume a fraction of the energy it takes to run an air conditioner.
• It’s a good thing to turn lights off when you leave a room, but an even better move is to buy energy-efficient light bulbs, which you can get at any hardware store. A typical family can save $60 a year by installing just 5 fluorescent energy-saving bulbs where lights are used a lot.
• 20% of home energy goes to heating water. One thing you can do is replace your water heater with an Energy Star model, which uses much less energy, or cover your existing water heater with in an insulation blanket until you’re ready to replace it. Another trick is to install a flash-water heater, which is used a lot in Europe, and can save you up to 50% . It also saves a lot of room, since they are much smaller than a conventional water heater. And the best option is a solar-heater on your roof—tax credits and energy savings mean that this technology pays for itself in just a few years.
Of course, there are many more things you can do to help make sure you’re doing your part at home. On the Sierra Club’s website, at Sierraclub.org/Coolhome you can download the “Cool Home Checklist,” which can help you see what you’re already doing right and where you’ve got room to improve. We even have a virtual tour, where you can walk through a real house with Sierra Magazine’s answer man, Mr. Green. You’ll learn how to save money, and help chip away at a threat that faces us all–global warming http://www.sierraclub.org/coolhome/.
Now, if 20% of the nation’s energy is used in the home, you may be wondering about the other 80%. In addition to Cool Homes, the Sierra Club is working with mayors across the U.S. in a “Cool Cities” campaign, where cities can take three easy steps to reduce their global warming pollution, from hybrid car fleets to green buildings to solar and wind power. Over 200 mayors all over the country have already signed up. So after you’ve done your part at home, you can use our website to contact your mayor and make sure your city is moving towards a smart energy future too. Because the solutions are already out there, and now it’s time for us to put words into action.
This has been Christa Wagner with the Sierra Club.
The full tip sheet and a virtual tour is available online at http://www.sierraclub.org/coolhome/
Legislative update for the week ending 7-28-06
Legislators made more progress last week on dozens of bills as we tried to finish our remaining work and adjourn for the year. As you know by now, we are back in Raleigh again for this week as members of the House and Senate try to resolve differences over ethics and lobbying reform bills, strengthening our sex offender laws, establishing a lottery oversight committee, creating a “first-in-the-nation” innocence commission for our judicial system, strengthening our state’s DWI laws, among others. At least 10 pieces of legislation were sent to conference committees this week, which are made up of members of the House and Senate. Legislators on these conference committees met through the weekend and are meeting this week in an attempt to reach an agreement on final bills to send to the Governor before we adjourn.
The House passed numerous bills this week on topics such as reforming our campaign finance laws, establishing a high-risk health insurance pool, protecting private property rights, cracking down on businesses for price gouging at gas stations, and several issues related to our environment.
The House held long sessions all week, especially on Thursday, the Senate held a rare Friday session, but all Senators were not expected to return until today (Tuesday) at the earliest.
Please remember that you can listen to each day’s session, committee meetings and press conferences on the General Assembly’s website at www.ncleg.net. Once on the site, select “audio,” and then make your selection – i.e. House Chamber, Senate Chamber, Appropriations Committee Room or Press Conference Room.
Legislators Hash Out Differences on Lobbying, Ethics Reform Bill
Following action by the House in recent weeks on numerous ethics, campaign finance and lobbying reform bills, the Senate approved HB 1843, which will overhaul the state’s ethics and lobbying laws by barring gifts and campaign donations from lobbyists and creating a more powerful state commission to monitor the behavior of state officials. The bill, which was slightly different than three separate bills passed earlier by the House, was not agreed to by the House on Wednesday and a conference committee was set-up to reach a compromise. [Read more →]
Where’s the Outrage podcast 7-22-06
Updated: Can someone please explain what is going on the Middle East? I try to do my best to explain that the Bush administration has not been leading. We also discuss the data behind Global Warming. Sen. Inhofe of Oklahoma doesn’t beleive that Global Warming exists. I think he is wrong on this one. He was the same Senator that stood during the gay marriage debate and proclaimed that none of his kids and grandkids were gay.
On Today’s show - Ava Lowery of Peace Takes Courage. Wow, she is smart and informed and only 15!!!
Professor Spencer Overton from George Washington School of Law. His book Stealing Democracy is wonderful. Hello, elections aren’t fair. Playing with districts. Hassle voters that you don’t want to vote. Don’t have enough voting machines in areas you want low turnout. These are just a few of the methods used to rig elections. Great information. Well written. Great interview.
More record profits for - ExxonMobil
Are you surprised? Stagnant economy. Crisis in the Middle East. Wild Fires in the West. Blackouts in the West and East. In spite of all of this and more, ExxonMobil is raking it in by the truckload. How much? Over $1000/sec.
Drugs in Sports - never
Tour de France winner Landis tested positive. :-( His one day turn around was too good to be true.
John Bolton - Please don’t hit me, sir.
Looks like Mr. Bolton will get another hearing and will be confirmed as the next UN ambassador. This shows the triumph of partisanship over reason. Bolton may be a lot of things but he is not a diplomat. He has already proven that he has the ability to alienate and has no ability to reach consensus. He should be overwhelmingly rejected by Congress. Nice editorial in the LA Times and WaPo.
Update - Think Progress has more on Bolton’s failures.
Energy Security - A thoughtful appoach
Energy Security in the 21st Century: A New National Strategy
Participants:
Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State, and Principal, The Albright Group, LLC
Carol Browner, former Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, and Principal, The Albright Group, LLC
John D. Podesta, President and Chief Executive Officer, Center for American Progress
“We are addicted to oil, and the oil is coming from the most dangerous places in the world,” said former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at a panel today, hosted by the Center for American Progress. Emphasizing the importance of energy security in U.S. foreign policy, the event coincided with the release of a new report titled “Energy Security In the 21st Century.”
The report was produced by the National Security Task Force on Energy, a diverse group of politicians, policy experts, and academics. John Podesta, President of the Center for American Progress, introduced the report and joined Albright on the panel. Joining them on the panel were former EPA Administrator Carol Browner and former Congressman Tom Downey.
Podesta’s opening remarks highlighted the growing threat that a mismanaged energy security strategy poses. Pointing out that the U.S. addiction to oil has increased even as oil has become more expensive, he said that the U.S. is compromising its foreign policy objectives by funding unstable and hostile regimes. Podesta also called climate change “a profound national security problem” that could cause significant instability in many parts of the world. Proliferation associated with nuclear energy and a vulnerable global energy infrastructure were also cited as threats. (For more click here)
Short-sighted and short-term solutions to the energy security problem will not be enough. “There is no magic wand. We have to develop a comprehensive approach,” Albright urged. The released report details elements of a comprehensive solution, including a substantial commitment to reducing dependency on foreign oil. According to Podesta, “cellulosic ethanol is the most promising path forward for getting us off our addiction to oil.”
Browner, in addition to improving our biofuels capacity, called for pragmatic approaches to nuclear and coal power, emphasizing safety, and working in concert with a national carbon trading system. “The idea that we are going to drill our way out of the problem,” she stressed, “is wrong.” more
Wal-Mart and a living wage
Chicago City Council has just voted that Wal-Mart has to pay a living wage. What a concept, a living wage.
The Economic Policy Institute has a nice article on Wal-Mart and the living wage.
FEMA misunderstands democracy
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has placed a gag order on residents in FEMA trailer parks. All interviews with journalists must be done with the FEMA official present.
It appears that FEMA has changed its mind. It is also possible that some congressional pressure helped the change. The gag order has been lifted.
Where is the democracy in our democracy?
Where’s the Outrage podcast 7-15-06
Brian Katulis from the Center For American Progress joins us from Washington. We discussed the myriad of problems that continue to plague Iraq. Operation “Together Forward” is really a spectacular failure. Current estimates of over a hundred civilians are dying in sectarian violence. We then change focus and discuss North Korea. We go back to the Clinton administration and discuss the “Agreed Framework”. We then discuss how the Bush administration has been conflicted on how to handle North Korea. On one hand part of the administration wants to engage North Korea, on the other hand part of the administration wants to isolate North Korea. The combination of these policies is what we’ve been left with which has allowed North Korea to build nuclear weapons.
Due to Technical Problems we lost the segment with Representative Susan Fisher. She was great. Hopefully, we’ll have her on again soon.
These topics and more on a shortened addition of Where’s the Outrage.
Lebanon tragedy continues
I remember when I was taking three-dimensional calculus, I did a lot of head scratching. I had trouble visualizing the object spinning in space. Looking for a solution in the Israeli, Lebanese, Palestinian problem can be daunting. Especially as the pictures of violence continue to stream over the Internet. Everyone has staked out their positions and no one wants to compromise. In order for the violence to stop — truly stop — there must be some sort of compromise.
- four UN peacekeepers (observers) died in an Israeli attack
- almost 400 people died since the fighting began. Approximately 1500 injured.
- There seems to be no real progress in the peace effort
This is getting very ugly.
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Errington C. Thompson, MD, is a surgeon, scholar, fulltime sports fan and part-time political activist. He is active in a number of community projects and initiatives. Through medicine, he strives to improve the physical health of all he treats...
