Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
July 18, 2012
By ANDREW TAYLOR
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — House Republicans Tuesday unveiled legislation to get rid of AmeriCorps, the national service program, and cut off federal funding for National Public Radio, public television and Planned Parenthood.
The moves would come in a controversial spending bill that pays for labor, health and education programs for the budget year beginning Oct. 1.
The measure is dead on arrival with Democrats but contains many provisions to please tea party conservatives.
"This bill is an extremely partisan proposal, stands little chance of even being brought up on the House floor, and will rightly be disregarded by both the Senate and the president," said Rep. Norm Dicks of Washington, top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/house-gop-measure-would-1479338.html
Terrorists threaten another insurgency
By ANDREW TAYLOR
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — House Republicans Tuesday unveiled legislation to get rid of AmeriCorps, the national service program, and cut off federal funding for National Public Radio, public television and Planned Parenthood.
The moves would come in a controversial spending bill that pays for labor, health and education programs for the budget year beginning Oct. 1.
The measure is dead on arrival with Democrats but contains many provisions to please tea party conservatives.
"This bill is an extremely partisan proposal, stands little chance of even being brought up on the House floor, and will rightly be disregarded by both the Senate and the president," said Rep. Norm Dicks of Washington, top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/house-gop-measure-would-1479338.html
July 18, 2012
from the Detroit Metro Times:
A real corporate choice for VP
If corporations are Mitt Romney's peeps, why not pick one as his running mate?
By Larry Gabriel
Published: July 18, 2012
While Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney slogs through the long hot summer, much of the speculation is on whom he will chose as his running mate. He'd have a hard time doing any worse than John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin in 2008 (she is depicted as painfully disconnected from then-current events in the HBO movie Game Change based on the book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin).
Maybe Romney should heed the words of Republican strategist Ed Rollins in making his choice. Last week Rollins complained that the GOP — let me paraphrase here — is too old, too white and too fat. He urged party members to do a better job of engaging Latino and African-American voters. I guess Romney didn't get that memo before he went to the NAACP convention seeking boos. However, he could improve his standing with the civil rights crowd — and help his problem with the ladies — by selecting former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as his running mate. She's not white, not fat, not that old and the right-wing crowd loves her.
But word is that Condi is not that big on the idea.
Who else is out there? New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie doesn't help on the white and fat tip. Youthful Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, would help on the Latino front. However, for some reason the now-Catholic Rubio attended a Mormon church for several years and the conservative crowd probably doesn't want to double down on the Church of Latter-Day Saints, given evangelical suspicions about how it relates to their Christianity. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://metrotimes.com/columns/a-real-corporate-choice-for-vp-1.1344664
A real corporate choice for VP
from the Detroit Metro Times:
A real corporate choice for VP
If corporations are Mitt Romney's peeps, why not pick one as his running mate?
By Larry Gabriel
Published: July 18, 2012
While Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney slogs through the long hot summer, much of the speculation is on whom he will chose as his running mate. He'd have a hard time doing any worse than John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin in 2008 (she is depicted as painfully disconnected from then-current events in the HBO movie Game Change based on the book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin).
Maybe Romney should heed the words of Republican strategist Ed Rollins in making his choice. Last week Rollins complained that the GOP — let me paraphrase here — is too old, too white and too fat. He urged party members to do a better job of engaging Latino and African-American voters. I guess Romney didn't get that memo before he went to the NAACP convention seeking boos. However, he could improve his standing with the civil rights crowd — and help his problem with the ladies — by selecting former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as his running mate. She's not white, not fat, not that old and the right-wing crowd loves her.
But word is that Condi is not that big on the idea.
Who else is out there? New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie doesn't help on the white and fat tip. Youthful Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, would help on the Latino front. However, for some reason the now-Catholic Rubio attended a Mormon church for several years and the conservative crowd probably doesn't want to double down on the Church of Latter-Day Saints, given evangelical suspicions about how it relates to their Christianity. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://metrotimes.com/columns/a-real-corporate-choice-for-vp-1.1344664
July 18, 2012
from YES! Magazine:
Visiting the Economies of the Future
Journalist David Brancaccio takes us to the most innovative local economy hot spots in his PBS documentary, "Fixing the Future."
by David Brancaccio
posted Jul 16, 2012
https://vimeo.com/42269352
As a journalist, I try to track down stories that open people’s eyes to new ways of thinking. I can measure how many people read, listen to, or watch a piece of reporting, but it is often tough to gauge what happens to my stories once they’re out there in the world.
That wasn’t the case with Fixing the Future, a documentary I hosted that follows people from all over America who are making economic change happen in their communities. These people are running local business alliances, engaging in service exchanges, investing their money in community banks, and running worker-owned cooperatives.
When the documentary first aired on PBS as a television special, our team soon heard from communities around the country, where viewers wanted to know how they could nurture their own local economies. Could, for instance, larger-scale cooperatives address social problems? Can we re-think community banking? What happens when businesses and residents band together to focus on improving livelihoods?
When viewers wanted to know more about Hour Exchange, the Portland, Maine-based time bank featured in the film, their interest compelled the founders of that group to embark on a cross-country pilgrimage of their own, sharing their experiences and spreading the idea of growing local economies. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/visiting-economies-of-the-future
Visiting the Economies of the Future
from YES! Magazine:
Visiting the Economies of the Future
Journalist David Brancaccio takes us to the most innovative local economy hot spots in his PBS documentary, "Fixing the Future."
by David Brancaccio
posted Jul 16, 2012
https://vimeo.com/42269352
As a journalist, I try to track down stories that open people’s eyes to new ways of thinking. I can measure how many people read, listen to, or watch a piece of reporting, but it is often tough to gauge what happens to my stories once they’re out there in the world.
That wasn’t the case with Fixing the Future, a documentary I hosted that follows people from all over America who are making economic change happen in their communities. These people are running local business alliances, engaging in service exchanges, investing their money in community banks, and running worker-owned cooperatives.
When the documentary first aired on PBS as a television special, our team soon heard from communities around the country, where viewers wanted to know how they could nurture their own local economies. Could, for instance, larger-scale cooperatives address social problems? Can we re-think community banking? What happens when businesses and residents band together to focus on improving livelihoods?
When viewers wanted to know more about Hour Exchange, the Portland, Maine-based time bank featured in the film, their interest compelled the founders of that group to embark on a cross-country pilgrimage of their own, sharing their experiences and spreading the idea of growing local economies. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/visiting-economies-of-the-future
July 18, 2012
from Der Spiegel:
Bavaria, Germany's richest state, is tired of paying billions each year to the country's poorer states. On Tuesday, the state's governor announced it planned to challenge Germany's complicated transfer system in court. Editorialists at German newspapers seem to agree on only one thing about the development: It's pre-election populism.
In these days of euro crisis, one can often hear politicians lamenting in Germany that they don't want the European Union to become an expensive transfer union, with richer Northern European countries making payments to their Southern European neighbors to cover budget shortfalls created by nations that have lived beyond their means for decades. But what often gets lost in this conversation is that such transfers already take place within Germany -- and are a major source of conflict between the country's rich states and their poorer brethren. When it comes to solidarity, it turns out, Germans often don't feel much of it towards neighbors inside their own borders.
Residents of country's industrial and financial powerhouse states, particularly Bavaria, resent having to make payments to poorer regions like the city-state of Berlin, which tops the list of transfer recipients, with annual help from its neighbors of €3 billion ($4 billion).
Bavaria, where the moniker "laptops and lederhosen" is synonymous with the state's flourishing economic success, is now mounting a revolt against the system. At a cabinet meeting of the state government on Tuesday in Munich, officials decided to launch a legal challenge against the transfer system -- known as the Länderfinanzausgleich, or fiscal equalization among the 16 German federal states -- at the nation's highest court in Karlsruhe. The system, which is anchored in the constitution, guarantees people in all German states uniformity in living standards, even if the industrial base, labor market and tax receipts are weak in those regions. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/press-review-on-bavaria-s-decision-to-sue-against-solidarity-payments-a-845088.html
Bavaria Mulls an End to Solidarity
from Der Spiegel:
Bavaria, Germany's richest state, is tired of paying billions each year to the country's poorer states. On Tuesday, the state's governor announced it planned to challenge Germany's complicated transfer system in court. Editorialists at German newspapers seem to agree on only one thing about the development: It's pre-election populism.
In these days of euro crisis, one can often hear politicians lamenting in Germany that they don't want the European Union to become an expensive transfer union, with richer Northern European countries making payments to their Southern European neighbors to cover budget shortfalls created by nations that have lived beyond their means for decades. But what often gets lost in this conversation is that such transfers already take place within Germany -- and are a major source of conflict between the country's rich states and their poorer brethren. When it comes to solidarity, it turns out, Germans often don't feel much of it towards neighbors inside their own borders.
Residents of country's industrial and financial powerhouse states, particularly Bavaria, resent having to make payments to poorer regions like the city-state of Berlin, which tops the list of transfer recipients, with annual help from its neighbors of €3 billion ($4 billion).
Bavaria, where the moniker "laptops and lederhosen" is synonymous with the state's flourishing economic success, is now mounting a revolt against the system. At a cabinet meeting of the state government on Tuesday in Munich, officials decided to launch a legal challenge against the transfer system -- known as the Länderfinanzausgleich, or fiscal equalization among the 16 German federal states -- at the nation's highest court in Karlsruhe. The system, which is anchored in the constitution, guarantees people in all German states uniformity in living standards, even if the industrial base, labor market and tax receipts are weak in those regions. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/press-review-on-bavaria-s-decision-to-sue-against-solidarity-payments-a-845088.html
July 18, 2012
from Consortium News:
Dodging Tomatoes and Dissent
July 18, 2012
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to newly democratic Egypt was met by some protesters throwing tomatoes, but her stop in Israel, which included no overt signs of dissension, may have had more turmoil just below the surface, writes ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar.
By Paul R. Pillar
There is nothing new, of course, in disconnects between a polite veneer of international diplomacy and significant conflicts of interest between governments. Nor is there anything new in a lack of correlation between happenings on the surface and the extent to which an underlying relationship is cooperative or conflictual.
But on Secretary of State Clinton’s just-completed Middle East trip, the lack of correlation was especially marked.
In Egypt, the secretary’s motorcade was pelted with shoes and tomatoes. Although it was not entirely clear what the anger encompassed, the protesters evidently were a combination of Christians wary of anyone having dealings with an Islamist government and some die-hard supporters of the deposed Hosni Mubarak. Clinton responded with aplomb, later expressing as her only regret that the protest was a waste of good tomatoes.
Despite anger in the street, current bilateral frictions between the United States and Egypt do not extend much beyond consequences of the Egyptians’ sharp differences among themselves, making it difficult for any outsider to do business with any one Egyptian element without offending other Egyptians. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://consortiumnews.com/2012/07/18/dodging-tomatoes-and-dissent/
Dodging Tomatoes and Dissent
from Consortium News:
Dodging Tomatoes and Dissent
July 18, 2012
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to newly democratic Egypt was met by some protesters throwing tomatoes, but her stop in Israel, which included no overt signs of dissension, may have had more turmoil just below the surface, writes ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar.
By Paul R. Pillar
There is nothing new, of course, in disconnects between a polite veneer of international diplomacy and significant conflicts of interest between governments. Nor is there anything new in a lack of correlation between happenings on the surface and the extent to which an underlying relationship is cooperative or conflictual.
But on Secretary of State Clinton’s just-completed Middle East trip, the lack of correlation was especially marked.
In Egypt, the secretary’s motorcade was pelted with shoes and tomatoes. Although it was not entirely clear what the anger encompassed, the protesters evidently were a combination of Christians wary of anyone having dealings with an Islamist government and some die-hard supporters of the deposed Hosni Mubarak. Clinton responded with aplomb, later expressing as her only regret that the protest was a waste of good tomatoes.
Despite anger in the street, current bilateral frictions between the United States and Egypt do not extend much beyond consequences of the Egyptians’ sharp differences among themselves, making it difficult for any outsider to do business with any one Egyptian element without offending other Egyptians. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://consortiumnews.com/2012/07/18/dodging-tomatoes-and-dissent/
July 18, 2012
from Consortium News:
Angry Money v. Democracy
July 17, 2012
A handful of “angry, old, white men” are on their way to buying the American elections, says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. But Republicans in Congress are making sure those identities stay secret by killing a bill that would at least require disclosure, write Bill Moyers and Michael Winship.
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
Ask any magician and they’ll tell you that the secret to a successful magic trick is misdirection – distracting the crowd so they don’t realize how they’re being fooled. Get them watching your left hand while your right hand palms the silver dollar: “Now you see it, now you don’t.” The purloined coin now belongs to the magician.
Just like democracy. Once upon a time conservatives supported the full disclosure of campaign contributors. Now they oppose it with their might — and magic — especially when it comes to unlimited cash from corporations.
My goodness, they say, with a semantic wave of the wand, what’s the big deal? Nary a single Fortune 500 company has given a nickel to the SuperPACs. (Even that’s not entirely true, by the way.)
Meanwhile, the other hand is poking around for loopholes, stuffing millions of secret corporate dollars into non-profit, tax-exempt organizations called 501(c)s that funnel the money into advertising on behalf of candidates or causes. Legally, in part because the Federal Election Commission does not consider them political committees, they can keep it all nice and anonymous, never revealing who’s really behind the donations or the political ads they buy. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://consortiumnews.com/2012/07/17/angry-money-v-democracy/
Bill Moyers/Michael Winship: Angry Money v. Democracy
from Consortium News:
Angry Money v. Democracy
July 17, 2012
A handful of “angry, old, white men” are on their way to buying the American elections, says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. But Republicans in Congress are making sure those identities stay secret by killing a bill that would at least require disclosure, write Bill Moyers and Michael Winship.
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
Ask any magician and they’ll tell you that the secret to a successful magic trick is misdirection – distracting the crowd so they don’t realize how they’re being fooled. Get them watching your left hand while your right hand palms the silver dollar: “Now you see it, now you don’t.” The purloined coin now belongs to the magician.
Just like democracy. Once upon a time conservatives supported the full disclosure of campaign contributors. Now they oppose it with their might — and magic — especially when it comes to unlimited cash from corporations.
My goodness, they say, with a semantic wave of the wand, what’s the big deal? Nary a single Fortune 500 company has given a nickel to the SuperPACs. (Even that’s not entirely true, by the way.)
Meanwhile, the other hand is poking around for loopholes, stuffing millions of secret corporate dollars into non-profit, tax-exempt organizations called 501(c)s that funnel the money into advertising on behalf of candidates or causes. Legally, in part because the Federal Election Commission does not consider them political committees, they can keep it all nice and anonymous, never revealing who’s really behind the donations or the political ads they buy. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://consortiumnews.com/2012/07/17/angry-money-v-democracy/
July 18, 2012
http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/hedges_to_appear_on_moyers_company_20120717/
from truthdig:
Hedges to Appear on ‘Moyers & Company’
Posted on Jul 17, 2012
Truthdig’s own Chris Hedges will be a guest on this weekend’s episode of “Moyers & Company.” During his interview with Bill Moyers, Hedges will discuss America’s “sacrifice zones,” pockets of the U.S. that are mired in poverty and trapped in endless cycles of helplessness and despair because of the capitalistic greed that plagues this country.
“It’s greed over human life. And it’s the willingness on the part of people who seek personal enrichment to destroy other human beings. That’s a common thread,” Hedges said. “In that biblical term, we forgot our neighbor. And because we forgot our neighbor in Pine Ridge, because we forgot our neighbor in Camden, in Southern West Virginia, in the produce fields, these forces have now turned on us. They went first, and we’re next.”
Here’s a preview:
http://vimeo.com/45913263
Chris Hedges to Appear on ‘Moyers & Company’
http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/hedges_to_appear_on_moyers_company_20120717/
from truthdig:
Hedges to Appear on ‘Moyers & Company’
Posted on Jul 17, 2012
Truthdig’s own Chris Hedges will be a guest on this weekend’s episode of “Moyers & Company.” During his interview with Bill Moyers, Hedges will discuss America’s “sacrifice zones,” pockets of the U.S. that are mired in poverty and trapped in endless cycles of helplessness and despair because of the capitalistic greed that plagues this country.
“It’s greed over human life. And it’s the willingness on the part of people who seek personal enrichment to destroy other human beings. That’s a common thread,” Hedges said. “In that biblical term, we forgot our neighbor. And because we forgot our neighbor in Pine Ridge, because we forgot our neighbor in Camden, in Southern West Virginia, in the produce fields, these forces have now turned on us. They went first, and we’re next.”
Here’s a preview:
http://vimeo.com/45913263
July 18, 2012
Published on Jul 17, 2012 by RussiaToday
RT's Laura Smith discusses Britain's domestic and foreign policy with a controversial UK MP George Galloway who sheds light on agendas debated behind closed doors.
The world needs more George Galloway
Published on Jul 17, 2012 by RussiaToday
RT's Laura Smith discusses Britain's domestic and foreign policy with a controversial UK MP George Galloway who sheds light on agendas debated behind closed doors.
July 17, 2012
Published on Jul 17, 2012 by RussiaToday
RT's Laura Smith discusses Britain's domestic and foreign policy with a controversial UK MP George Galloway who sheds light on agendas debated behind closed doors.
'West invented Al-Qaeda, monster turned on master'
Published on Jul 17, 2012 by RussiaToday
RT's Laura Smith discusses Britain's domestic and foreign policy with a controversial UK MP George Galloway who sheds light on agendas debated behind closed doors.
July 17, 2012
Rappers Will Smith and Jay-Z came out firmly in support of the LGBT community after President Obama announced his support for gay marriage earlier this year. Now a California rapper has taken it to the next level.
In a video released last week Murs wears a “Legalize Gay” shirt and shares a brief kiss with his on-screen boyfriend.
[font size="1"]Murs[/font]
The video stars Murs who plays a high school teen in a relationship with Jonathan; an openly gay student at his high school. Murs’ character on the other hand keeps his sexuality on the “D.L.” .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/1033840/male_rapper_kisses_another_man_in_music_video_to_call_out_homophobia_in_hip_hop/
Rapper Murs tackles hip-hop homophobia head-on in video where he kisses a man
Rappers Will Smith and Jay-Z came out firmly in support of the LGBT community after President Obama announced his support for gay marriage earlier this year. Now a California rapper has taken it to the next level.
In a video released last week Murs wears a “Legalize Gay” shirt and shares a brief kiss with his on-screen boyfriend.
[font size="1"]Murs[/font]
The video stars Murs who plays a high school teen in a relationship with Jonathan; an openly gay student at his high school. Murs’ character on the other hand keeps his sexuality on the “D.L.” .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/1033840/male_rapper_kisses_another_man_in_music_video_to_call_out_homophobia_in_hip_hop/
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit, MI
Member since: Fri Oct 29, 2004, 12:18 AM
Number of posts: 77,114
