I hope that KBR has made their money. I suspect that it is going to be very hard for them to explain what happened. There is no excuse for the electrocution of our soldiers. There is simply no excuse. I wonder when Congress is going to hold hearings. I wonder when there is going to be a trial because this is criminal.
Improper wiring by military contractor KBR at U.S. bases in Iraq led to electrical shocks about once every three days for nearly two years, according to Defense Department documents obtained by CNN.
Houston-based KBR, the military contractor responsible for maintaining and providing services at most of U.S. bases across Iraq, had “systemic failures” in its electrical work that threatened the life, health and safety of people inside the bases, according to the documents, from a violation report obtained by CNN.
There were 231 electrical shocks of personnel in Iraq from September 2006 through July 2008 in facilities maintained by KBR, the documents state.
KBR has been at the center of controversy surrounding the electrocution of soldiers on bases in Iraq. Much of the controversy has surrounded the electrocution of Sgt. Ryan Maseth, a highly decorated 24-year old Green Beret from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (more… )
If I only had time just to blog… read and blog. Now that would be great. Read, blog and organize. There you go… just those three things. Read, blog, organize and do the things that you have been reading, blogging and organizing. My day job sometimes gets in the way.
I had to post this video.
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Rachel Maddow has talked about infrastructure extensively. We have to start spending money on our infrastructure. It is nothing like spending money on a sexy building that has your name on it (politicians love to do this). It is not like corporate tax cuts which have the added bonus of getting some return campaign contributions. Instead, spending on infrastructure can give us bridges that don’t fall down and a more stable power grid.
This week several states including Kentuckywere hit with a major ice storm. I’m not sure how common ice storms are in Kentucky. I grew up in Dallas. We had a major ice storm almost every year. Every year the power went out to some section of the city. This probably still happens today. Maintenance. Cutting trees over power lines can prevent some of these power outages. Also burying power lines so they are not susceptible to the forces of nature can prevent some of these outages. None of these ideas is new. All it would take would be some money. I see no reason why in the year 2009 large cities like Louisville should be in the dark because of an ice storm.
We need to demand more from our local, state and federal officials. There is simply no reason for this.
Watch the video:
The American Society of Civil Engineers has given infrastructure a grade of D. Sure, they have a self-interest in this. If we invest in a lot of projects then a lot of engineers will have work. Still, they have a major point. Here are some of the low lights of their report –
Aviation D
Despite surging oil prices, volatile credit markets, and a lagging economy, the Federal Aviation Administration predicts a three percent annual growth in air travel. These travelers are faced with increasing delays and inadequate conditions as a result of the long overdue need to modernize the outdated air traffic control system and the failure to enact a federal aviation program.
Bridges C
More than 26%, or one in four, of the nation’s bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. While some progress has been made in recent years to reduce the number of deficient and obsolete bridges in rural areas, the number in urban areas is rising. A $17 billion annual investment is needed to substantially improve current bridge conditions. Currently, only $10.5 billion is spent annually on the construction and maintenance of bridges.
Dams D
As dams age and downstream development increases, the number of deficient dams has risen to more than 4,000, including 1,819 high hazard potential dams. Over the past six years, for every deficient, high hazard potential dam repaired, nearly two more were declared deficient. There are more than 85,000 dams in the U.S., and the average age is just over 51 years old.
Drinking Water D-
America’s drinking water systems face an annual shortfall of at least $11 billion to replace aging facilities that are near the end of their useful life and to comply with existing and future federal water regulations. This does not account for growth in the demand for drinking water over the next 20 years. Leaking pipes lose an estimated seven billion gallons of clean drinking water a day.
Energy D+
Progress has been made in grid reinforcement since 2005 and substantial investment in generation, transmission and distribution is expected over the next two decades. Demand for electricity has grown by 25% since 1990. Public and government opposition and difficulty in the permitting processes are restricting much needed modernization. Projected electric utility investment needs could be as much as $1.5 trillion by 2030.
Hazardous Waste D
Redevelopment of brownfields sites over the past five years generated an estimated 191,338 new jobs and $408 million annually in extra revenues for localities. In 2008, however, there were 188 U.S. cities with brownfields sites awaiting cleanup and redevelopment. Additionally, federal funding for “Superfund” cleanup of the nation’s worst toxic waste sites has declined steadily, dropping to $1.08 billion in 2008, its lowest level since 1986.
Levees D-
More than 85% of the nation’s estimated 100,000 miles of levees are locally owned and maintained. The reliability of many of these levees is unknown. Many are over 50 years old and were originally built to protect crops from flooding. With an increase in development behind these levees, the risk to public health and safety from failure has increased. Rough estimates put the cost at more than $100 billion to repair and rehabilitate the nation’s levees.
House Republicans, every single one of them, voted against the economic stimulus plan. Senate Republicans are signaling that they are going to follow the lead of Rush Limbaugh and the House Republicans. So, when we know that corporate tax cuts do little to stimulate the economy, why shouldn’t the Democrats in the Senate remove all the corporate tax cuts (we have tried this before and it failed) and increased spending on infrastructure. We know that infrastructure spending will give us more bang for our buck. Therefore, why not? This would transform an okay bill into a great bill.
Some things seem almost inevitable. It’s like that cartoon heroine who is tied to the tracks. Unfortunately, Dudley Do Right is busy and can’t come to the rescue. Governor Rod Blagojevich was going to be impeached. The federal tapes were damning. The Illinois legislature went through a slow but deliberate process. They did not rush to judgment. They looked at the evidence before them and overwhelmingly concluded that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich should be removed from office. The vote was 59-0. President Barack Obama said in a statement, “Today ends a painful episode for Illinois.”
What is President Obama doing? He has bent over backwards to try to appease Republicans. The result of his efforts was zero votes. Not one Republican voted for the stimulus package. Let’s extrapolate — what if we trashed all of the infrastructure spending? How many Republican votes would we have gotten — 0. What if we replaced all of the infrastructure spending with tax cuts? How many Republican votes would we have gotten — 0. There is no scenario that I can think of in which the Republicans would have gotten on board except a bill filled with nothing but tax cuts. That’s what the Republican party is about – tax cuts.
Some are calling this a victory for the Republican Party; others, an embarrassment for Barack Obama. I believe it is neither. I believe that Barack Obama will be able to use this against the Republicans. He will be able to show the American people that the Republicans are not interested in infrastructure spending. The Republicans are not interested in working together. The Republicans are only interested in lining the pockets of the rich and we’ve been there. That’s how we got here.
Steve Clemons, the director of the American Strategy Program at the new America Foundation, has a nice post on Barack Obama’s interview with the Arab channel Al Arabiya. I think the interview was brilliant. This is a battle for the hearts and minds of the Arab world.
Are we China? The Georgia peanut plant linked with salmonella “knowingly shipped out contaminated peanut butter 12 times in the past two years.” Where are our government officials? The people responsible should be roasted (pun intended)!!!
Bernard Madoff isn’t the only one running Ponzi schemes. Over the last weeks several people have been arrested. They haven’t swindled people for $50 billion, but they still made away with a lot of money.
I’m kind of exhausted this evening. So I’m going to use (borrow) Steve’s evening Roundup. I must add that Arianna Huffington‘s post is great. There are just some people who don’t understand the environment in which we are living. Many business CEOs don’t get it. Off with their heads! (I just added that part.)
* The “truce” in Gaza is already looking shaky, in light of a Palestinian roadside bomb that killed an Israeli today, which sparked an Israeli “airstrike that wounded a Hamas militant.”
* No brainer: “The Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, announced on Tuesday that he would crack down on lobbying to influence the $700 billion financial bailout program by the companies that are receiving billions in taxpayer funds.”
* Speaking of which, Geithner was confirmed late yesterday, following a 60-34 vote. Three Democrats (Harkin, Feingold, and Byrd) voted against him, as did one of the independents (Sanders) caucusing with the Dems.
* Climate researcher Susan Solomon, of the NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory, believes “many damaging effects of climate change are already largely irreversible.” Solomon explained, “People have imagined that if we stopped emitting carbon dioxide the climate would go back to normal in 100 years, 200 years; that’s not true.”
Now many on the far right are going to look at this as appeasing the Muslim community, but I’m not sure I’m really very interested in how the far right is going to see things. You’re never going to please those guys. Instead, Barack Obama needs to focus on the middle of the country and I think he’s doing that. He is reaching out to moderate Muslims. Remember, President Bush did this a couple years ago by, but his words seemed hollow. President Obama, on the other hand, seems sincere about wanting to extend the “hand of friendship.”
Yesterday, President Obama sat down with Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television for his first formal interview in office. The interview was notable not only for the substance of Obama’s remarks, but also for the symbolism of directly reaching out to Muslims so early in his presidency. Obama said that his job “to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy.”
Host Hisham Melhem noted that President Bush had framed the struggle against extremism as a “war on terror,” using terminology like “Islamic fascism” to describe America’s adversary. “You’ve always framed it in a different way,” Melhem said. Obama then talked about the advantages of shifting away from Bush’s language:
OBAMA: I think that you’re making a very important point. And that is that the language we use matters. And what we need to understand is, is that there are extremist organizations — whether Muslim or any other faith in the past — that will use faith as a justification for violence. We cannot paint with a broad brush a faith as a consequence of the violence that is done in that faith’s name.
“But to the broader Muslim world what we are going to be offering is a hand of friendship,” Obama added. Watch it:
Indeed, a Pentagon funded RAND study last year recommended that the U.S. do away with its “war on terror” terminology as the strategy behind it was “not successful in undermining al Qai’da’s capabilities.” The report said it also “encourages others abroad to respond by conducting a jihad (or holy war) against the United States and elevates them to the status of holy warriors.”
As the Washington Post noted, Bush’s “war on terror” came to an end this week, with Obama signing executive orders eliminating torture, rendition and indefinite detention. “We intend to win this fight,” he said. “We’re going to win it on our terms.”
Moreover, Obama has made a number of bold maneuvers indicating his intention to extend a hand of friendship — and not just more guns — toward Muslim nations:
– Called out to Muslims in his inauguration speech: “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,” Obama said.
– First international phone call was to Abbas: “This is my first phone call to a foreign leader and I’m making it only hours after I took office,” Obama told Palestinian President Abbas.
– Appointed George Mitchell as ambassador. Obama appointed Mitchell as his top diplomatic envoy to the Middle East. Mitchell is considered “fair” and “meticulously even-handed” in the Israeli/Palestinian debate.
– Will give a speech to the Muslim world. Obama’s aides say he is likely to make a major foreign policy speech from an Islamic capital during his first 100 days in office.
Naturally, Commentary calls the interview “seriously ill-advised.” The American Spectator’s Quin Hillyer’s wrote a post titled, “This…Blows…My…Mind.” But this new posture is indicative of why Obama has such strong support from Muslims abroad and why al Qaeda is rendered “nervous” by his international stature.
A long-time reader, Jeff, wanted me to post this. Jeff seems to be a reasonable guy, so -
George Bush dragged America’s name through the mud long enough. Let’s close Bush’s “terrorist prison” at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, immediately. Send those people home.
“The War On Terror,” (T.W.O.T.) like “The War On Drugs,” has been a fraud. A wealth-transfer scam. From taxpayers to Cheney’s Halliburton and Erik Prince’s Blackwater International. And Dyncorp and umpteen other creepy enterprises more suited to Pinochet’s Chile than America.
I say that because the FBI doesn’t buy the TWOT tale either. Remember when FBI Director Robert Mueller told us, “FBI has no hard evidence connecting [Osama] bin Laden to 9/11?” I remember. Go see FBI’s website right now. Not a word will you find there saying FBI wants bin Laden for 9/11.
Ask yourself why, then, did George Bush tell us 100% for certain that bin Laden was responsible for 9/11?
9/11 was Bush’s original excuse for shoving this whole fear-based way of life down our throats, wasn’t it? Did bin Laden do 9/11 or didn’t he? What the hell’s going on?
With due respect to people who disagree with me, do you really believe “al Qaeda,” those guys in rags toting small arms, threaten America’s existence? That those raggedy guys can do to the U.S. what the Soviet Union with thousands of missiles and H-bombs and planes couldn’t do?
Have you wondered how it is that since 2001 “the terrorists” haven’t managed to bust a window or slash a tire here? Isn’t that odd? After 9/11 George Bush told us there were “hundreds if not thousands of al-Qaeda sleeper cells” in the U.S.
I guess like Rip Van Winkle, all those “terrorists” just kept snoring.
Either they did that, or we got lied to daily for 8 long, very expensive years. Meanwhile, our fellow Americans stole trillions of dollars from us. We got ripped off like nobody has in all of history.
Politicians yell “Terrorists!” and the American people shake in their shoes. Works every time. According to this goofy formula, being afraid makes you a good American.
Fear is patriotic!
Aren’t you sick of it? I am. We’ve lived 8 years in a Bruce Willis movie. Now the country is broke. Enough, already.
George Bush’s Crawford, Texas, ranch is being taken apart. Literally, like a movie set. Because the show is over. Close Guantanamo too. Send those people home.
It hasn’t made any sense why the Democrats seem to be begging the Republicans to sign on to the economic stimulus plan. I believe that Obama will make a good faith effort then let the Republicans hang themselves as he pushes through a package, that will work, without significant Republican support.
Mohammed Ali used the famous “rope a dope” to sucker George Foreman into punching himself out. Ali was able to knock him out in the seventh or eighth round if I’m not mistaken. I’m just wondering if Congressman John Conyers has done the same thing to Karl Rove. He has just issued another subpoena for Karl Rove to appear in front of the House Judiciary Committee. Now, this is going to get interested.
It was an abysmal day in court for formerSenator Norm Coleman. The judge has essentially told his legal team to go back and start again.
A huge study shows no link between the vaccine and autism.
President Barack Obama announced a new environmental policy today. He is completely change the direction of the US government. His statement was clear. He repeated some of the rhetoric that he used in his campaign. We’re going to use this economic crisis to develop alternative fuels. He also asked the EPA to re-look at California’s request for higher fuel emission standards which the Bush administration turned down – twice. (See the video below)
Blogging friend and guest on my radio show Glenn Greenwald has an excellent post from Friday. He clearly documents how the far right and the media are conspiring to scare Americans into thinking closing Guantánamo Bay is a bad idea. We don’t want to bring dangerous criminals to the United States has been their theme. They forget to mention the number of dangerous criminals and terrorists that are sitting in United States prisons right now.
Timothy Geithnerhas been confirmed as Secretary of the Treasury. The vote wasn’t quite along party lines but it was close. Almost every single one of the Republicans voted against his confirmation.
In case you haven’t been paying attention, the American economy is in trouble. Announcements of major job cuts on Thursday, Friday and today add up to over 48,000 jobs being cut. Caterpillar, Home Depot, General Motors, Texas Instruments are just a few of the major corporations that announced job cuts. In the face of these job cuts and bad economic news, we learned today that Citigroup has just completed the purchase of a brand-new $50 million corporate jet. This is the same Citigroup that asked for $45 billion of our money in the bailout.
A new survey finds only one in four Americans believes that the Bush administration committed war crimes. That’s all? Only one in four?!?! I guess we have more education to do.
I’m not sure what the definition of “making it” is. Maybe it is having your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Maybe it is being mentioned by Rush Limbaugh as a wild-eyed liberal. Maybe it is having your name as an answer to a Jeopardy question. Who is Rachel Maddow, Alex? That’s right… for a thousand. (That’s what I’m talking about.)
If the director of this new office of urban affairs has been selected, I can’t find evidence of it by a Google. search. I don’t think this appointment has been made yet.
What are some of the ideas that Mr. Obama is suggesting as our new urban policy? (This is not to suggest that former President Bush had any urban policy that is now being replaced.)
Below, lifted from the White House, is a pretty basic idea to help folks. Increase people’s wages. Maybe with Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress this won’t be such a fight to enact anymore. And it would help people in rural and suburban America as well.
Increase the Minimum Wage: President Obama will raise the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2011 and index it to inflation so full-time workers can earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs such as food, transportation, and housing — things so many people take for granted.
Here is another fine idea from Mr. Obama —
Cap Outlandish Interest Rates on Payday Loans and Improve Disclosure: In the wake of reports that some service members were paying 800 percent interest on payday loans, the U.S. Congress took bipartisan action to limit interest rates charged to service members to 36 percent. President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that we must extend this protection to all Americans, because predatory lending continues to be a major problem for low and middle income families alike.
We begin this year and this Administration in the midst of an unprecedented crisis that calls for unprecedented action. Just this week, we saw more people file for unemployment than at any time in the last twenty-six years, and experts agree that if nothing is done, the unemployment rate could reach double digits. Our economy could fall $1 trillion short of its full capacity, which translates into more than $12,000 in lost income for a family of four. And we could lose a generation of potential, as more young Americans are forced to forgo college dreams or the chance to train for the jobs of the future.
In short, if we do not act boldly and swiftly, a bad situation could become dramatically worse.
That is why I have proposed an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan to immediately jumpstart job creation as well as long-term economic growth. I am pleased to say that both parties in Congress are already hard at work on this plan, and I hope to sign it into law in less than a month.
It’s a plan that will save or create three to four million jobs over the next few years, and one that recognizes both the paradox and the promise of this moment – the fact that there are millions of Americans trying to find work even as, all around the country, there’s so much work to be done. That’s why this is not just a short-term program to boost employment. It’s one that will invest in our most important priorities like energy and education; health care and a new infrastructure that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century. (more… )
Eight years ago, when George Bush took office, liberals and progressives decided to give Bush a chance. Senator Ted Kennedy worked with the Bush administration on good faith. The Bush administration returned the favor by using Kennedy to gather Democratic votes and then pulled the rug out from under progressives by partially funding the program (No Child Left Behind). Many Democrats even went along with Bush’s initial tax cuts, hoping the Bush administration was trying to help all Americans and not just the rich.
Well, this is 2009 and it is a brand-new day. The Democrats hold both houses in Congress and have just taken control of the White House. Republicans are livid. If you don’t believe me, listen to Rush Limbaugh as he states that he hopes that Barack Obama will fail. Limbaugh does not wish that Barack Obama “sees the light.” Instead, he hopes for failure.
Republicans and right-leaning journalists have restarted their campaign of misinformation. CNN host Lou Dobbs (one of the most partisan of national anchors) and syndicated columnist L. Brent Bozell have begun comparing Barack Obama’s inaugural celebration to George W. Bush’s. They are throwing out a figure of $43 million for Bush in 2004 and over $170 million for Barack Obama. First of all, this is a non-issue. The money does not come out of the treasury. It is all donated. Unless Barack Obama starts giving Cabinet seats or ambassadorships to those people who donated money to his inauguration, this is not an issue. But, if you’re going to play this game, you should play it fairly. If you’re truly to make the comparison, then you need to mention that the $43 million does not include security, transportation or other incidental costs. Barack Obama’s inauguration is probably better estimated at $150 million.
Finally, there’s Glenn Beck (he is now over at Fox News) who took issue with Reverend Joseph Lowery. As I recall, towards the end of his prayer he asks the question if “the White will embrace what’s right?” Was that too racially motivated? I don’t know… maybe? What I do know is that Reverend Joseph Lowery is a great civil rights leader who has never been afraid to speak his mind. If you were somehow expecting him to cower from confrontation because he was giving the inaugural benediction, you don’t know this man. Was it a cheap shot? Possibly. Yet, I’m willing to let the Reverend Joseph Lowery get away with a couple of cheap shots because of who he is and what he’s done. I’m not willing to listen to Glenn Beck whine about it.
So, in these early days of the Barack Obama administration, look for the Republicans to try to obstruct things any which way they can. They will nitpick and badmouth without coming up with any new solutions. Just the same old answers, too, no matter what question you ask. The right answer is always tax cuts.
Update: Jon Stewart puts the cherry on this cake. He rounds up many of the right-wing knuckleheads and they are just going nuts. They are losing their minds.
This is one of my all time favorite Stevie Wonder tunes. Higher Ground. From Stevie’s great album (yes, I typed album), Innervisions… one of the best pop/ R&B albums of all time.
The musical celebration last Sunday was absolutely outstanding. There were great actors, great singers… truly a fabulous celebration. One of many highlights was the performance by Usher, Stevie Wonder and Shakira.
The National Republican Congressional Committee has not updated their website in a while. They are still thanking George W. Bush for a strong economy. I wonder if they will change the site to say, George Bush and the Republicans killed the economy by giving over a trillion dollars to the rich.
On Wednesday night, when former NSA analyst Russell Tice told MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann that the Bush administration’s National Security Agency spied on everyone in the United States, specifically targeting journalists, the Countdown host was so flabbergasted that Tice was invited back for a second interview.
On Thursday, he returned to the airwaves with expanded allegations against the NSA, claiming the agency collected Americans’ credit card records, and adding that he believes the massive, warrantless data vacuum to be the remnants of the Total Information Awareness program, shut down by Congress in 2003.
Asked for comment by Olbermann’s staff, the agency responded, “NSA considers the constitutional rights of US citizens to be sacrosanct. The intelligence community faces immense challenges in protecting our nation. No matter the challenges, NSA remains dedicated to performing its mission under the rule of law.”
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Next, Senator Rockefeller of the Senate Intelligence Committee stated that he thinks that he was spied on.
Gillibrand, 42, has been considered one of the top contenders in Paterson’s selection process, along with Kennedy and state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Gillibrand had served as Cuomo’s special counsel when he was housing secretary under President Clinton.
Paterson’s appointment lasts until 2010, when a special election will be held to fill the final two years of Clinton’s term. Clinton is now serving as secretary of state in President Barack Obama’s administration.
“She is whip-smart and hard working,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York City. “She has made helping upstate her mission, but she understands that New York City is the economic engine that makes the state go. I’m going to work hard to help her be a success. She was a great choice among a lot of great candidates.” (more… )
Errington C. Thompson, MD, is a surgeon, scholar, full-time 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...
I hope that KBR has made their money. I suspect that it is going to be very hard for them to explain what happened. There is no excuse for the electrocution of our soldiers. There is simply no excuse. I wonder when Congress is going to hold hearings. I wonder when there is going to be a trial because this is criminal.
